Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 yesterday, marking the "biggest win for one of NASCAR's most promising drivers who has long been billed as a future star of the sport." Winning the race is "another signal that Logano is well on his way to becoming a household name" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/23). Coca-Cola is running a full-page ad in USA Today congratulating Logano for winning the race: “Proudly Fueling The Champion.” Coca-Cola Racing yesterday after the race also put out a promoted tweet (THE DAILY).
NASCAR "was thrilled to see the focus return to racing" yesterday. The "feel-good stories that NASCAR hoped would dominate attention during its season-opening week" had been "overshadowed by the ugly suspension of Kurt Busch and a gruesome injury to Kyle Busch on Saturday" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/23). With the "relentless negative news around NASCAR lately, it's sometimes hard to remember this is supposed to be enjoyable to watch" (USA TODAY, 2/23). Sunday's racing and end result was a "public-relations triumph in a controversy-marred week" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/23).
The final 20 laps of the 500 were "packed with some of the closest tightrope-like racing in the recent history" of Daytona Int'l Speedway (USATODAY.com, 2/22). The closing laps "featured an astonishing display of high-speed stock car racing" (L.A. TIMES, 2/23).
