NASCAR "came up with all kinds of new gizmos to jazz up its product" for the '17 season, but none were needed yesterday as Kurt Busch "won a completely enthralling Daytona 500," according to David Scott of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The race "really didn't need spicing up" with "attrition being the key factor." If NASCAR's new competitive format "accomplished anything" during yesterday's race, it did "make the early and mid-portions of the race more interesting to follow, even if it's difficult to say if the accidents were a byproduct of that" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/27). USA TODAY's A.J. Perez notes 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). In Orlando, Mike Bianchi writes, "This was one of the most exciting Daytona 500s I've ever seen." The race "remains one of the most breath-taking, hair-raising, nail-biting events in all of sports" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/27).
WATCH THE ROAD! The AP's Jenna Fryer wrote yesterday's race "wasn't 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). RACINTODAY.com's Jim Pedley wrote the final lap was "one of the few that was not marred by a big crash as the race saw the hopes of many of the biggest names in the sport involved in wrecks" (RACINTODAY.com, 2/26). In Daytona Beach, Zach Dean notes only five cars "were not involved in an incident" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/27). ESPN.com's John Oreovicz wrote NASCAR officials "expressed satisfaction with the events of the day." There were "a lot of crashed cars, but those running at the checkered flag put on an entertaining finish" (ESPN.com, 2/26).
SOME GOOD, SOME BAD: In Orlando, George Diaz writes NASCAR's new race format "encouraged more aggressive driving because of points in play for stage victories, and the carnage ... was reflective of the amped-up format." Driver Joey Logano said, "It was crazy to say the least" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/27). USA TODAY's Michelle Martinelli noted 15 of 40 drivers were out of the race with about a quarter of the 200 laps remaining. Driver Danica Patrick "put part of the blame on NASCAR’s new staged racing." She said, "The stages are definitely going to add to it because not only is it creating a reason to push at certain points in the race that aren’t anything but the last 20, but you’re also seeing it shuffling the grid up" (USATODAY.com, 2/26). Driver Brad Keselowski said that he "thought the stages were good 'and added a nice little element to the race.'" Keselowski: "I didn't notice guys being any more aggressive than usual" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/27). In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis writes fans "can't blame the introduction of stages" for yesterday's "parade of tow trucks that headlined the race's second half." The big wrecks "came after the start of the final 80-lap stage" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/27). The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER's Scott wrote it "didn’t appear that any of the eight accidents were a direct result of the new stage system." But the wrecks did "make for more interesting racing during the early and mid-portions of the race, which is what NASCAR wanted" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/27). However, SI.com's Andrew Lawrence wrote the stages were an "unqualified mess, a real test even for a stadium full of stock car completists" (SI.com, 2/26).
NICE START: NASCAR Exec VP & Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said, "The stages played out exactly how they wanted them to. ... You saw two- (and) three-wide all day long. You saw drivers, when a stage came close to ending, pull out and try to win that stage. That's exactly what we wanted. Obviously we never want to see wrecks. But that's part of the sport, that's part of Daytona and that's part of the thrill of winning here if you can make it through" (ESPN.com, 2/26). In North Carolina, R. Cory Smith writes while the "energy on the track was amped up" due to the stages, the "awkwardness afterward needs to be cleaned up." Seven laps were run under caution following the first stage. That "might not seem like a massive deal, but when the second stage is only 60 laps, losing more than one-tenth of them is sub-optimal" (NORTH STATE JOURNAL, 2/27).
TWITTER REAX: Nickelodeon's Karsyn Elledge tweeted, "People need to stop blaming the wrecks on the stages & new rules. It's Daytona and things like this just happen. Give the changes a chance!" The AP's Tim Reynolds tweeted, "If every car wrecks at Daytona, does it come down to penalty kicks or the Electoral College?" Motorsports writer Jeff Gluck: "Even though this race is craptacular with all the wrecks, it will play well on the morning shows w/crash footage." Writer Tony Johns: "I'll say this about the stages issue - it's gonna help A LOT at places like Dover and Pocono. Just not sure I like it for D500."
