Each year, the Daytona 500 lives up to the hype, and 2018 was no exception. The race had a last-lap pass, new faces up front, Peyton Manning – you know, the usual stuff. We’re just happy to see race cars again.
Thumbs Up: Dale Jr.’s command to start engines
In his first race not as a full-time driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took on a role as the Daytona 500’s Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal seems like a pretty sweet deal, doesn’t it? The duties include telling drivers to start their cars, and probably not too much more. Like, it sounds easy, but you wield a ton of power.
Maybe that’s why Dale Jr. so vividly shouted the most famous words in racing Sunday. You be the judge.
WATCH: Dale Jr. nails Grand Marshal duties at Daytona 500
Junior admitted the duties made him feel a little excited, and we don’t blame him for that.
I enjoyed giving the Command to Start Engines today. Wanted to be traditional. Man when the moment comes, you get so damn excited. Didn’t expect it.
– Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 18, 2018
Thumbs up for a spirited command to kick off the 2018 NASCAR season.
Thumbs Down: Bad Luck Blaney
Ryan Blaney made his first full-time start in the Team Penske No. 12 Ford Sunday, and everybody knew he was here — for a few reasons.
First, you can’t possibly miss his car. It’s impossible. It’s a radioactive highlighter that somebody dipped in glow-in-the-dark paint.
Two tires, no changes on the last pit stop for @Blaney. He retains the lead. #Daytona500 pic.twitter.com/2d2PBWXUtn
– Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 18, 2018
Second, Blaney’s No. 12 led more than half the Daytona 500. If the neon chartreuse Ford Fusion didn’t do it for you, surely you noticed Blaney leading the race for 118 laps Sunday.
Third — and this is the unfortunate one — Blaney seemed to find himself in the middle of each of the big, multi-car crashes Sunday. First, on the final lap of Stage 1, Blaney’s car connected with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., triggering a nine-car pile-up. Then, with 19 laps to go in Stage 2, while Blaney led the race, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski made a charge to pass the No. 12, ultimately tangling and crashing. Finally, with two laps to go in the race, Kurt Busch lost his car just in front of Blaney, taking a total of 12 cars with him.
WATCH: Race Rewind for Daytona 500
While Blaney managed to salvage a seventh-place finish after the final crash, thumbs down for being in the wrong place at the wrong time — three times over.
Thumbs Up: Underdogs
Restrictor-plate racing is fun because anything can happen. The draft pack makes most cars virtually equal, plus there’s an element of luck (maybe that’s why race winner Austin Dillon carried a lucky penny in his car).
Unpredictability means strong finishes for teams that don’t typically run up front.
Chris Buescher finished fifth, his first top five since Bristol in 2016.
Michael McDowell finished ninth in his debut with Front Row Motorsports — and ninth-place finishes for underdogs once again support a trend we’ve observed.
Justin Marks finished an unlikely 12th driving Rick Ware’s No. 51.
David Gilliland, in his grand return, finished 14th racing for Ricky Benton — in a backup car.
Thumbs up for the unlikely heroes of restrictor-plate racing.
Thumbs Down: An unfortunate end for Danica
Danica Patrick ran her final NASCAR race Sunday, driving the No. 7 for Premium Motorsports, reunited with longtime sponsor GoDaddy, but the first leg of the “Danica Double” ended abruptly when she found herself caught up in a crash triggered by contact at the front of the pack between Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott.
The crash also ended her former teammate Kevin Harvick’s shot at a Daytona 500 win.
Thumbs down for the bad luck that ended Danica’s final NASCAR race prematurely — but a thumbs up for a forward-looking, positive attitude on her stock car career.
Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: Legendary Car Numbers
Have you heard? Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500, in case you somehow missed the news. Oh, and Darrell Wallace Jr. finished second. Yep, the Nos. 3 and 43 atop the scoring pylon, just like in the good old days.
It’s been a little while since the Nos. 3 and 43 cars finished 1-2 — over 30 years, in fact.
Last 2 times 3 and 43 finished 1-2 in a premier series race.
Nov. 2, 1986, Dale Earnhardt beat Richard Petty by 1 lap and 3 seconds to win Atlanta Journal 500 at @amsupdates
On April 12, 1987 Earnhardt beat Petty by 0.78 seconds to win Valleydale Meats 500 at @BMSupdates
– Tom Jensen (@tomjensen100) February 19, 2018
Interestingly, with Denny Hamlin’s third-place finish, the three winningest numbers in NASCAR — No. 11, No. 43, and No. 3 — all finished in the top three.
Thumbs up for reliving the old days a bit, from the RCR No. 3 in Victory Lane at Daytona, to Richard Petty’s famous No. 43 right there, too.