February 12, 2010

I have a good feeling that the 2010 Daytona 500, and even the 2010 season, is going to be one we will all remember.

We couldn’t be off to a better start with Kevin Harvick’s victory in the Budweiser Shootout and the Talladega-like finishes in the Gatorade Duels. Oh yeah, and don’t forget the rules change that was announced this week in hopes of assuring a race to the checkered flag.

All of the excitement coming out of Daytona and a good part of the country stuck inside because of snow or severely cold weather, reminds me a lot of 1979. Most in the sport recognize the 1979 Daytona 500 as a day NASCAR Racing got a lot of attention. With most of the east coast socked in with snow, CBS entertained the country by doing the first-ever live NASCAR race in its entirety. Those watching at home that day, as well as in the stands, watched Richard Petty win his record seventh Daytona 500 as Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the last lap. What the television audience also saw that day was an altercation that occurred between Cale and Donnie, as well as Donnie’s brother Bobby. It’s a finish that is still frequently used to promote the Daytona 500 and the sport.

The excitement of the 1979 Daytona 500 caught my dad’s attention and two weeks after that event I attended my first race. There’s no telling how many other race fans were born with that finish, but if you ever ask Bobby or Donnie about it they will share with you they did their part to put NASCAR on the map. Donnie once jokingly mentioned he couldn’t understand why he got fined that day when that race did so much to help grow the sport.

With a huge audience tuning in Sunday and a big crowd in the stands, let’s hope the 2010 Daytona 500 continues what we’ve already seen this week.