That's a wrap on seven solid weeks in Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- I can't believe the continuing hard-luck story of Josh Yost. Yost is the compact, tough-as-nails jackman for Jeff Burton. His right ankle was nearly torn off when Rusty Wallace clipped him on pit road at Talladega in 2005. Yost couldn't work in the shop or pit the car for several months, and after extensive rehab, he returned last year. He injured the opposite ankle on Sunday during the Daytona 500.

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Yost is a classic good 'ol boy from China Grove, N.C., and I have a hard time believing he won't work even harder on his rehab and return to the sport. Richard Childress helped him financially during his rehab, and I hope Yost's story sheds some light on the very important issue of finding ways to use the sport's bankroll to properly protect crewmen's finances in cases of extreme injury.

When over-the-wall crew members are injured on pit road, they usually lose the income they derive from pitting the car. Because that pay has increased three-fold since 1999, over-the-wall crew members depend on that income to pay the bills. It is not supplemental income like it was 20 years ago. When that money is gone, it is tough to replace, and NASCAR and its teams need to have a universal system in place to protect them financially.

I know Mark Martin couldn't have done this because of obligations to sponsors, but it would have been nice to see him win the race and announce that it was his final time on the track. Maybe I say this because For Love of the Game was on the other day. Don't laugh. That is Ron Hornaday's favorite movie, and he is pretty tough.

I have to admit how wrong I was to say last week that Michael Waltrip had no chance to make the Daytona 500 after he was forced to use David Reutimann's backup Toyota in the 150-mile qualifier. I talked to some of Waltrip's crewmen after the qualifier, and they said it was simply a combination of Waltrip's phenomenal drafting ability coupled with a surprisingly fast racecar.

The fans overlooking the Daytona garage were kind to Waltrip when he walked out onto pit road with his daughter in tow. I fully expected some nasty comments, but if they were said, they were never uttered where Waltrip could hear them. (Continued)