As a loyal football fan, I find myself lost on Sunday afternoons but it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a sport with a rich history and the same production value as football.
Each February as sports fans unwind from the theatrics of the Super Bowl a little 500-mile race called the Daytona 500 gets NASCAR fans excited for months of racing ahead.
Daytona, Florida attracts over 100,000 fans who enjoy the sound of a V8 engine singing at 200 miles per hour.
Contrary to some opinions the race is more than turning left around the 2.5-mile track for 200 laps.
Stock car racing could be how to spend your Sundays until the first weekend of September.
The NASCAR season, contrary to other sports leagues, starts the season off with a bang. The Daytona 500 is a coveted race with a rich history and is considered the sport’s greatest annual accomplishment other than the playoff championship.
Like a Super Bowl or Stanley Cup, drivers are etched in history with a win. The trophy does elude some veteran racers like Kyle Busch who I’d be fine not seeing win.
This year, in dramatic fashion, William Byron’s 24 car willed a win making him a back-to-back winner. He was in the right place at the right time when on the last lap all six cars ahead of him got caught up in a crash that left him an open path to victory lane.
Byron is a young star and always a contender on Sundays.
This win is his 14th since joining the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018.
50 to go
NASCAR can be a tough sell to some as a source of entertainment but, one thing I do say is at least watch the last 50 laps.
Superspeedway racing like Daytona features big wide tracks that allow racers to huddle into packs that are two- and three-cars wide.
Since 2020, there has been a wreck on the last lap and in four of those races the crash determined the winner.
Moving at 200 miles an hour just inches from another driver with limited visibility is a recipe for disaster and that recipe had a high yield this year.
Starting with 15 laps to go a late block from Ricky (Wrecky) Stenhouse Jr. sends Joey Logano and Noah Gragson into the wall. Stenhouse then drives into Ryan Blaney’s rear, spinning him out.
Logano, who led some of the race, was seemingly not that upset with Stenhouse Jr. for the move of desperation late in the race.
The wreck left Austin Cindric unaffected as the leader and opened up the front of the pack to a fast Denny Hamlin who is a superspeedway savant.
Hamlin should’ve won this race. He was the fastest car with seven laps to go as he easily pulled out and slipped past Cindric.
As the leaders jockeyed for position with five laps to go Cole Custer gave second place Christopher Bell a big shove from the rear spinning him into the wall.
Bell spins down the pack catching an innocent Ryan Preece, sending his car’s front end in the air. Preece’s front end catches air flipping the car while floating in the air.
Scary stuff with just laps left in the race but, it is looking like a new reality at these superspeedway races.
To finish the race, Hamlin and Cindric trade jabs at the front of the pack moving up and down the track.
A spin-out just behind the leaders sends the front of the pack in all different directions allowing Byron to cruise to victory from ninth place to first.
Just the beginning
For NASCAR this is just week one and the season runs until Nov. 2.
As we wait for NHL and NBA playoffs to heat up, motorsport could be your best option until then.
Whether it’s long tracks like Daytona, short tracks like Bristol, or a yearly race through the streets of Chicago NASCAR has something for everyone that likes to go fast.
If you don’t love watching the race Michael Waltrip’s colour commentary and a V8 engine is the perfect lullaby for an afternoon couch nap.
