We're Smokin'!
I feel somewhat vindicated that I was able to come up with the winner in this one despite the fact that most of my picks suffered a horrendous evening that started when the raindrops fell just before the scheduled flying of the green flag.
I hate rain, and Florida seems to get a lot of it in the summer. Sort of makes you wonder why they don't just put a big Plexiglass roof over the whole doggone track to avoid stuff like happened tonight with a 4-hour rain delay. I don't think I can remember a Cup race that finished after 1:30 in the morning local time. As long as they kept the beer flowing I'm sure the fans didn't mind.
GLENN'S TEN (4-for-10... Not bad, considering.):
* Tony Stewart (winner) -- Winner! Haven't nailed many this year, but this one didn't even look tough. Tony led from the opening lap until somewhere around the 60th lap, and he set a record for laps led in this race. He blew by the rest of the pack after the final caution to grab the lead for good. First-ever restrictor track win, and he's up to third in the standings. Loved his climb of the fence to celebrate after he took the checkers.
* Greg Biffle -- 36th, We had the good, now for the bad and the ugly. Biff got caught up in a wreck and spent lots of time behind the wall. He also lost the points lead he gained last week because of it.
* Jeff Gordon -- 7th, Jeff's car was never strong. It got progressively worse as the night wore on. He was indirectly to blame for the big wreck triggered when he signaled his intention to come to pit road and Jamie McMurray missed the sign. A bunch of cars had to check up and the result was a big crash. Jeff struggled back to get a decent finish, thanks to high attrition and the fact the car was good on short runs.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 6th, Jimmie might have had the second best car on the track, but he made the mistake of trying to pass Jamie McMurray late in the race and no one drafted with him. He fell back to where Gordon was running and then was able to draft back to the lead pack, but too little too late.
* Michael Waltrip -- 40th, Mikey's night was ruined when a tire went down and he collided with a couple of cars, including Biffle. He was a contender before that.
* Kurt Busch -- 37th, He got tangled up in the crash that Jeff Gordon triggered.
* Joe Nemechek -- 15th, He got some crash damage, but he was able to recover for a decent finish.
* Mark Martin -- 39th, A victim of the Gordon crash, he woved high on the track to avoid trouble and got crunched by Scott Riggs.
* Elliott Sadler -- 21st, For the night the tally was one spin, two lucky dogs and a handful of laps led. An eventful evening if not a successful one.
* Dale Jarrett -- 5th, Haven't seen a smile that wide on DJ's face in a long time. He's in the top 10 in points. Gotta be lovin' it.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Jamie McMurray -- 2nd, Considering the number of incidents he was involved in, this was a superb finish.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 3rd, Knew I was making a mistake not picking him. He had some flu bug during qualifying, but he'd shaken it off by Saturday night and was able to move quickly from his 39th starting spot. Didn't have much for Tony, though.
* Rusty Wallace -- 4th, Final Daytona race ends pretty darn well.
* Mike Wallace -- 8th, Never would have picked him, but a great finish all the same.
* Matt Kenseth -- 9th, Had a strong car most of the evening, but got shuffled back in the late laps.
* Ken Schrader -- 10th, Every dog has his day. Schrader spun through the soggy grass at least once, so this is a fine finish.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Jeff Burton -- 11th, Still looking for that elusive win. Ran well most of the night, coming from 42nd on the grid.
* Ryan Newman -- 14th, Suffered some sort of tire problem or something late in the running that took him out of contention. He recovered from the mid-twenties.
* Jason Leffler -- 18th, If he could run the restrictor tracks and nothing else he might be having a decent year. Still wondering when Gibbs will throw in the towel.
* Kevin Harvick -- 24th, Got wrecked, but had been running well.
* Boris Said -- 28th, Another driver who went hydroplaning through the infield. Road racer still has a ways to go on the ovals.
Next week... Can Tony make it three in a row by winning at the track where he won last year? We head to Chicagoland.
