The Duels. I love the name and the images it conjures up. Sword-fighting knights, gun-slinging cowboys! And, if you're a NASCAR fan, stock car-wrestling drivers!
Michael Waltrip wanted to give the Daytona 500 one more shot. NAPA signed on for the race and because Martin Truex Jr. has his points he needed to race his way in. On qualifying day he failed to lock in, so he would have to either be one of the two highest finishing go-or-go-home cars in his Duel, or be very lucky and have either Scott Speed or Bobby Labonte be one of the two highest finishing GOGH cars in their Duel to lock Michael in based on his single-car qualifying time. Confused? You should be...I have to re-remember this stuff every year!
To complicate things, I was also cheering for Casey Mears, racing for the new Keyed-Up Motorsports team. If Michael didn't race in, Casey would be competition.
Of course things didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. During practice earlier in the week Michael had cut a tire and nearly wrecked - it happened again during the Duel, but this time he sailed off the track and struck the inside retaining wall. My heart sank and I held back tears. Now it was up to Scott Speed and Bobby Labonte in the second Duel to race hard. They frankly didn't owe Michael anything and could risk severely damaging their own cars if they put themselves in a risky position.
Casey was impressive all race long, especially for a new, underfunded team. All the GOGH cars were in close proximity, which made things very tense. The locked-in cars changed almost every lap! Michael watched the ordeal go down in FOX's booth, and we watched him watch.
At the last minute, Paul Menard got loose and began to back up. Casey - who was behind Menard - had nowhere to go but back as well, and it completely killed any chance he had at making the show. At the same time, Scott Speed powered forward and when the checkers flew he was the second highest GOGH finisher. Michael was locked in!!
It was cause for celebration and I smiled, laughed, and again held back tears (Michael didn't even try to hide his joy!). But my heart broke for Casey. He only has six races signed with Keyed-Up, and making the 500 would have been huge for him and his team.
I hate stuff like that, where the elation you feel for one person is dampened by the sadness you feel for another. But this is NASCAR. It's a lot like life.
The overwhelming tension is calmed for now, as I wait for NASCAR Live to air on TV (though I'll likely be greeted with an image of the pouring rain in Florida). The Duels, unlike the Shootout, promised some exciting racing in the 500 - how about those two side-by-side finishes? Wow! Michael will have to deal with a backup car and David will likely be wanting some improvements made to his #00, since it didn't seem all that sporty in the Duel. I'm looking forward to Sunday!
Michael Waltrip wanted to give the Daytona 500 one more shot. NAPA signed on for the race and because Martin Truex Jr. has his points he needed to race his way in. On qualifying day he failed to lock in, so he would have to either be one of the two highest finishing go-or-go-home cars in his Duel, or be very lucky and have either Scott Speed or Bobby Labonte be one of the two highest finishing GOGH cars in their Duel to lock Michael in based on his single-car qualifying time. Confused? You should be...I have to re-remember this stuff every year!
To complicate things, I was also cheering for Casey Mears, racing for the new Keyed-Up Motorsports team. If Michael didn't race in, Casey would be competition.
Of course things didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. During practice earlier in the week Michael had cut a tire and nearly wrecked - it happened again during the Duel, but this time he sailed off the track and struck the inside retaining wall. My heart sank and I held back tears. Now it was up to Scott Speed and Bobby Labonte in the second Duel to race hard. They frankly didn't owe Michael anything and could risk severely damaging their own cars if they put themselves in a risky position.
Casey was impressive all race long, especially for a new, underfunded team. All the GOGH cars were in close proximity, which made things very tense. The locked-in cars changed almost every lap! Michael watched the ordeal go down in FOX's booth, and we watched him watch.
At the last minute, Paul Menard got loose and began to back up. Casey - who was behind Menard - had nowhere to go but back as well, and it completely killed any chance he had at making the show. At the same time, Scott Speed powered forward and when the checkers flew he was the second highest GOGH finisher. Michael was locked in!!
It was cause for celebration and I smiled, laughed, and again held back tears (Michael didn't even try to hide his joy!). But my heart broke for Casey. He only has six races signed with Keyed-Up, and making the 500 would have been huge for him and his team.
I hate stuff like that, where the elation you feel for one person is dampened by the sadness you feel for another. But this is NASCAR. It's a lot like life.
The overwhelming tension is calmed for now, as I wait for NASCAR Live to air on TV (though I'll likely be greeted with an image of the pouring rain in Florida). The Duels, unlike the Shootout, promised some exciting racing in the 500 - how about those two side-by-side finishes? Wow! Michael will have to deal with a backup car and David will likely be wanting some improvements made to his #00, since it didn't seem all that sporty in the Duel. I'm looking forward to Sunday!