Daytona post-race inspection complete

According to a tweet from @NASCARSays, post-race engine inspection is complete and there were no issues.

Our View: While penalties don't affect most fantasy games, the residual effect can be tough on a team, so this is information you want to consider.

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Coke Zero 400 Results with avg. finish

The debut of double-file restarts on a restrictor-plate superspeedway was dramatic. For the most part, it added action to the race without significantly altering the results, the same as with the first road course race at Infineon Raceway. Still, with a victory on the line, the drivers found a way to get into trouble.

With a finish eerily similar to Talladega's Aaron's 499, one driver tried to block on the way to the checkered flag and another was not intimidated. Kyle Busch ran a cautious race until the end, but no one can play it safe with the checkered flag in the air. So, he passed Tony Stewart on the white flag lap and tried to make his Toyota as wide as possible on the front stretch. Clipping Stewart's nose and spinning into the wall, he experienced one of the more dramatic crashes his season, but Busch managed to skid past the finish line. The ensuing pileup was impressive, but since most of the contact occurred after the finish line, the results were largely unaffected by the last-lap catastrophe.

Stewart won his second race of the season and now has a six-race streak of finishes seventh or better. He's a place-and-hold driver until further notice.

Jimmie Johnson was second, which was a bit of a surprise given his bad luck on plate tracks recently and the rest of the top five went to drivers who needed strong runs to reverse their fortune as well. Denny Hamlin was third, Carl Edwards finished fourth and Kurt Busch came home fifth.

Marcos Ambrose in sixth and Juan Montoya in ninth were the best dark horses of the weekend, and both of them should be able to carry that momentum on to Chicago next week.

Results with average finish

Finish	Start	Driver	Laps	Laps Led	Status	Avg. Fin
1	1	Tony Stewart	160	86	Running	16.50
2	3	Jimmie Johnson	160		Running	14.19
3	6	Denny Hamlin	160	63	Running	23.75
4	5	Carl Edwards	160		Running	19.70
5	4	Kurt Busch	160	1	Running	17.17
6	18	Marcos Ambrose	160		Running	11.50
7	17	Brian Vickers	160		Running w/ crash damage	20.09
8	10	Matt Kenseth	160	3	Running	17.90
9	12	Juan Montoya	160		Running	24.00
10	23	Elliott Sadler	160		Running	17.00
11	22	Jamie McMurray	160		Running w/ crash damage	25.57
12	43	Regan Smith	160		Running	23.50
13	31	David Ragan	160		Running	13.83
14	8	Kyle Busch	160	1	Running	18.00
15	13	Kasey Kahne	160		Running w/ crash damage	17.83
16	16	Jeff Burton	160	2	Running	17.75
17	30	A J Allmendinger	160		Running	20.67
18	9	Greg Biffle	160		Running	22.14
19	21	Joey Logano	160		Running	31.00
20	7	Ryan Newman	160	1	Running w/ crash damage	20.94
21	28	Bobby Labonte	160		Running	22.44
22	34	Robby Gordon	160	1	Running	20.30
23	33	Paul Menard	160		Running	23.80
24	36	Brad Keselowski	160		Running w/ crash damage	24.00
25	24	Martin Truex Jr	160		Running	21.56
26	27	Kevin Harvick	160		Running w/ crash damage	15.71
27	35	John Andretti	160	1	Running	27.35
28	2	Jeff Gordon	160	1	Running w/ crash damage	15.50
29	15	Clint Bowyer	159		Running w/ crash damage	13.38
30	42	Tony Raines	158		Running	31.20
31	37	Scott Speed	152		Accident	33.00
32	25	Sam Hornish Jr	152		Running	27.00
33	26	Reed Sorenson	146		Running w/ crash damage	23.38
34	20	Casey Mears	144		Running	22.29
35	32	David Stremme	129		Running w/ crash damage	24.17
36	14	David Reutimann	127		Running w/ crash damage	25.50
37	29	Michael Waltrip	124		Running w/ crash damage	20.80
38	11	Mark Martin	79		Running	18.14
39	19	Dale Earnhardt Jr	76		Accident	15.55
40	38	David Gilliland	76		Accident	25.40
41	39	Joe Nemechek	25		Start and Park	26.13
42	41	Patrick Carpentier	18		Start and Park	28.00
43	40	Dave Blaney	2		Start and Park	26.47

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Stewart wins a wild one at Daytona

Tony Stewart refused to be blocked by Kyle Busch on the run to the checkers and won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

Our View: You knew the finish would be wild with only a handful of laps at the end and double file restarts. Fans weren't disappointed.

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Newman fixes broken shock mount

The No. 39 team found and repaired a broken shock mount on Ryan Newman's car, according to a television report. That fixed a problem they have been struggling with all week.

Our View: This should send Newman to the back of the grid to start, but he is a better value now with his suspension intact.

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Biffle, Hornish will have to go to the back

Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. will have to go to the back of the grid, according to NASCAR.com, because their backup cars did not turn any laps in practice or qualification.

Our View: Just another casualty of the qualification rain-out. Starting position is not overly important at Daytona, however.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Daytona

Rain may have canceled qualification, but that doesn't mean we don't have an opinion about the lineup. Check out this week's Yahoo! story (.pdf) of who's going to be hot at in the Coke Zero 400.

Daytona qualification canceled

For the second week in a row and the fourth time this year, weather forced the cancelation of qualification. The field will be set by the rule book, which means the top-12 drivers in the standings will all start up front.

Our View: Mother Nature must be a Tony Stewart fan. It really doesn't matter on a plate track, however. Drivers can win from anywhere.

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Reutimann changes engines

David Reutimann's No. 00 has an engine problem, according to a tweet from @mw55, and will have to change it. That will send him to the back of the grid, no matter where he qualifies.

Our View: Front or back doesn't make much difference at Daytona. Anyone can win from anywhere, but Reutimann's record on this track is not stellar. Save him for another week.

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Biffle, Hornish to backups at Daytona

Following a crash in Happy Hour, both Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. will have to roll out backup cars.

Our View: Biffle might have the highest hurdle to clear; his backup is a brand new car that will have only two qualification laps under its hood before the race begins.

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Reutimann fastest in Happy Hour

David Reutimann posted the fastest lap in Happy Hour, with a speed of 192.135.

Our View: Reutimann should have the horsepower and the setup to run up front, but so far he's been unsuccessful on the plate tracks. In 10 previous attempts, he's failed to crack the top 10 a single time.

Ragan posts single fast lap in Daytona afternoon practice

David Ragan posted the single fastest lap in Daytona's first practice session with a speed of 190.714 mph.

Our View: Of course all that means is that he was in a fast draft at the time, but one would prefer to at the top of the grid than at the bottom.

Mayfield wins injunction

Jeremy Mayfield has prevailed in his request for a temporary injunction against NASCAR's indefinite suspension, according to a tweet from @DustinLong. He plans to try and qualify at Daytona for the Coke Zero 400.

Our View: If he makes the show, expect him to try and run as long as he can. Anything can happen on a restrictor-plate superspeedway, which means he has as great a chance to finish in the top 20 as anyone else.

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Chevy at Daytona International Speedway

Highlights from a GM Press Release

Team Chevy drivers have won 37 of the 124 points-paying races at Daytona International Speedway (DIS)-more than any other manufacturer

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, leads all active drivers with six (6) Daytona wins;

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard “Serving America”/AMP Energy Impala SS, has two (2) DIS victories

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Burger King Impala SS has two (2) DIS wins

Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Impala SS, has one (1) DIS victory

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Pennzoil Platinum Impala SS, has won once (1) at DIS

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Impala SS, has one (1) DIS win

Ryan Newman, No. 39 US Army/Haas Automation Impala SS, has won once (1) at DIS

Dodge at Daytona International Speedway

Highlights from a Dodge Press Release

• Dodge Motorsports has 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Daytona International Speedway.

• Dodge placed four drivers inside the top 10 at this year’s Daytona 500. AJ Allmendinger (third), Elliott Sadler (fifth), Reed Sorenson (ninth) and Kurt Busch (10th).

• Dodge Motorsports finished 1-2 at the 2008 Daytona 500 – Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

• Dodge returned to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after an absence of more than 20 years (Dodge exited after the 1978 season). Bill Elliott and Evernham Motorsports made it an impressive return by claiming the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500.

• Dodge has five wins in the July race (A.J. Foyt, Sam McQuagg, Bobby Isaac and Richard Petty-2) at Daytona.

Mayfield sample independently tested

NASCAR sent Jeremy Mayfield's urine sample to an independent lab in Minnesota, according to Court documents. They reportedly confirm the conclusion reached by NASCAR's "in-house" lab.

Our View: Mayfield continues to insist that a combination of prescription and over the counter drugs created a false positive. We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out, but Mayfield is seeking an injunction from the court that would allow him to compete at Daytona.

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Dysfunction at Red Bull Racing

Heading into Daytona this week, Brian Vickers and Scott Speed have issues to work out after an incident on the final lap of the Nationwide race, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Vickers took the first shot immediately following the Saturday race, saying that Speed was frustrated because he was running so badly in the Cup series. Speed responded by suggesting that someone paid Vickers to wreck him on Sunday.Teammates don't have to get along, but if they are going to share notes, it certainly helps. More importantly on the restrictor-plate superspeedways, Speed needs a drafting partner and those are hard to come by for rookies.

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Busch, Speed test Daytona prototype

In advance of this week's Brumos Porsche 250 road course race at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Busch and Scott Speed tested their Chip Ganassi Lexus at Putnam Park in Indiana, according to Grand-Am.com.

Our View: This is going to be a grueling schedule with the road course race wedged between the NASCAR Cup and Nationwide activity—particularly for Busch, who will participate in both stock car races.

Extra seat time on the twisty tracks is always beneficial for the Cup drivers, which slightly improves their odds at Watkins Glen in a couple of weeks.

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Daytona Yahoo! preview

Rattle them bones folks because winning or losing on a plate track is a simple roll of the dice. Even with the multitude of "Big One" crashes, the cream rises to the top at Daytona and Talladega. Check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Preview (.pdf) for a sneak peak at who'll be their toughest competitors.