Strong Showing For Kurt Busch, Monster Energy In Thrilling Daytona 500

Kurt Busch won a "completely enthralling Daytona 500" yesterday, as NASCAR did not need any of the "new gizmos to jazz up its product" for the '17 season. The race "really didn't need spicing up" with "attrition being the key factor” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/27). There were no yellow flags over the final 43 laps, "making it the first time in at least a decade there wasn’t at least one caution within the final 12 laps of the finish" (USA TODAY, 2/27). However, the race may not have been NASCAR's "finest moment," as multiple accidents "pared down the field and had a mismatched group of drivers racing for the win at the end" (AP, 2/26).

The race "couldn't have turned out better for Monster Energy," which in adition to sponsoring the winning driver "debuted at Speedweeks as title sponsor for NASCAR's top series." The company's "visibility, which had been questioned through much of Speedweeks, was at its in-your-face best" yesterday (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/27).