Daytona Beach, FL
On Sunday there were thousands at NASCAR’s Super Bowl, including the 45th commander in chief Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania, who are big NASCAR fans. They were there to deliver NASCAR fans’ favorite four words, “Gentlemen start your engines!” Then Mother Nature had other ideas that postponed the great American race until 4 pm on Monday. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was on the pole for the whole week leading up to the 500, which is known as the greatest spectacle in NASCAR racing. The race was moving along at a top speed of 206 MPH. After the race was restarted, the first victim claimed at Daytona International Speedway was William Byron, who happens to be driving current Fox analyst Jeff Gordon’s old number 24. The mayhem was far from over. When you are watching restrictor plate racing you can expect a lot of yellow fever. The number 9 car driven by Chase Elliot was stage 1 winner. Elliot’s crew chief Alan Gusfafson happens to be from a town nearby in Florida. Stage 2 would be a perfect time for a Fed Ex delivery as the number 11 piloted by Denny Hamlin from Chesterfield, VA would cross the start finish line first in a familiar place to car and driver. Seven time cup champion Jimmie Johnson was looking for the sweet thrill of victory, but he too would be denied along with Ryan Newman. Newman, who is a 41 year old driver from South Bend, IN would go for a ride that would render the Hoosier unconscious and that would leave him needing emergency services. But he wouldn’t have to go far, because the hospital was located in close proximity to the track. For the rest of the night, the NASCAR world was turned upside down as people received the news that Newman was in the hospital, which also made victory lane very somber for Denny Hamlin and the rest of the Joe Gibbs crew. This would mark Hamlin’s third triumph in the last 5 years. The series now moves on to the Busch stomping ground, where Kurt and Kyle grew up.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
