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.

Did anyone else find it weird that the three races of the weekend featured two barn-burners mixed in with the most boring Daytona Busch race I've seen in a long time?

Travis Kvapil thoroughly dominated Truck testing -- that engine he had was in another world -- but when it came down to it, two Toyotas proved too much for him. Testing speeds in Daytona are nice, but misleading sometimes. Paul Menard had a wonderful test at Daytona in January, and he watched the race on TV.

As I left the track at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night, a group of five 20-something males were having their own demolition derby. The quintet had a shopping cart in which they placed a comatose member of their party, and they were pushing him into a full 55-gallon drum at full speed. They did this about 10 times in a row, because they stopped my car and demanded I watch.

It was pretty funny. Every time he hit the trash can, he flew out of the cart and landed about 10 feet away. I can't imagine his bruising. It is pretty funny to think that Clint Bowyer ended up Daytona in better shape than this unfortunate soul.

Martin's second-place finish has to be a welcome sight for Regan Smith, who will face a steep learning curve. The more owner points Martin can rack up before Bristol, the better.

David Stremme looked awfully strong during Speedweeks, and it will be a great story if it is he, not Reed Sorenson or Juan Montoya, who carries the torch for Ganassi this year. The chances of that happening? Slim. But so were his chances of blazing through Speedweeks with a runner-up in the qualifier and a strong 10th in the race.

Joe Nemechek finished a quiet ninth. Because he is one of the unfortunate guys who will have to qualify every week, he earned a little breathing room by scoring 138 owner points.

That was the best Daytona 500 I ever saw. Yes, NASCAR should be taking some heat for that crazy finish that saw no yellow flag, but that was a lot better show than the 2000 Daytona 500, wasn't it?

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.