NASCAR Full Race Replay: 2003 Daytona 500

let's go trackside ladies and gentlemen we ask you to please rise and remove your hats as the United States Army Military District of Washington the third United States infantry continental color guard from Fort Myer Virginia presents today's colors please remain standing as Lieutenant General Dennis D cabin commanding general of the United States Army accessions Command Fort Monroe Virginia will lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance ladies and gentlemen please join me in a pledge to the grandest flag of all the American flag I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all the invocation for today's 500 will be given by the Reverend Hal Marchman let us pray Almighty God and Father of all mankind we thank you for this wonderful world in which we live and this nation in particular bless all who are gathered here today for the excitement of the races and we invoke your blessings upon all here and we pray in the wonderful name that you have given us amen Shalom and now please remain standing for our national anthem presented by the number one selling female artist of all time Grammy award-winning monarch Island recording artist Mariah Carey [Music] [Music] whose broad strokes [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Mariah Carey ladies and gentlemen and please give a round of applause for those four Air Force f-16s from the 79th fighter squad Shaw Air Force Base Center South Carolina from the soon-to-be-released Columbia Pictures film basic please welcome for the most famous words in motorsports superstar actor John Travolta gentlemen start your engines Bogg accelerates the Simpson 300 tonight as today we celebrate the 45th running of the Daytona 500 hello everyone and welcome to the world's most famous car oval mike joy with Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip Darrell you won three Winston Cups 19 races here but tell me about February 17 1989 Mike am i pumped you darn right I'm pumped because I'm let me tell you why when you come to Daytona everybody's had three months to get ready for this race you're beating the best you're racing the best when they're at their best when you win this race you go down in history people always remember who won the Daytona 500 if they don't remember anything else about you they remember that Larry McReynolds you won this race twice as a crew chief with Davey Allison and with Dale Earnhardt but today is 500 will be run like no other before that's true and I mean so much is on everybody's shoulders the drivers the spotters the crew but trust me when I say so much is on those crew chiefs shoulders with the small fuel cells double the amount of pit stops and trust me stay tuned in because what the decisions are made on pit road could determine outcome of who wins a state 100 500 20 years 23 wins in this sport but trust me two days that I'll never forget will be with me the rest of the life is standing out here in victory lane as the winning crew chief of the Daytona 500 they're on the pace laps there'll be at least two perhaps three they may give a hurry up because there is the threat of rain coming from Tampa Bay across the state of Florida this race has never been rained out it's been trained short and they chase the rain away and the odds how to bust up the clouds that maybe a little bit of smoke and smoke on the water and get sent to the Daytona 500 [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] look at this great Speedway from 11:00 a.m. those seats begin to fill and now all is in readiness for the 45th annual running of NASCAR's great American race the Daytona 500 and this is our new Fox fly cam that travels above pit road you can't get any closer to the action than this let's go give us some wonderful shots but it's going to help us with really Mike is to see when things go wrong in the pits Budweiser official beer of NASCAR proud sponsor of the button pole award given to the fastest qualifier at every NASCAR Winston Cup race Jeff green and only his second Daytona 500 is our bud pole winner since 1979 anheuser-busch has awarded more than eight million dollars as title sponsor of the pole award program speaking of what's your biggest concern today Jeff what do you got to worry about most make sure I don't make any mistakes another race car parents wait man I know the whole country's watching today in particular buddy up and on bro I wish you the best luck today and good luck and Godspeed youngest of three racing brothers from Owensboro Kentucky as you look at our AOL track facts about Daytona International Speedway Dale Earnhardt the most stock car victories of any driver in the history of this great Speedway [Music] here's our Napa starting grid for today's race Jeff Green starts alongside Dale Earnhardt jr. who's won every stock car race of Speedweeks so far this year in row two Robby Gordon greens teammate and Michael Waltrip the 2001 champion Ricky Rudd is 26th try to win the 500 and tybone eye and his best start ever in this race Sterling Marlin the 94 and 95 winner and Tony Stewart the Winston Cup champion rho4 rho5 Jeff Burton the runner-up in 2000 and Kimi Johnson last year's pole sitter Dale Jarrett a three-time winner of the 500 and John Andretti who won here in July 95 Jeff Gordon twice a winner of the 500 and Bill Elliott also a two-time champion of this race Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler the runner-up the last year Ward Burton the defending race champion and Mike Wallace wrote and rookie Jamie McMurray and Jeremy Mayfield row 11 Kenny Wallace and Bobby Labonte the runner-up in 1998 Jimmy Spencer and Jack Sprague the freetime truck champion in room 12 Ricky Craven and Mark Martin the Winston Cup runner-up last year Greg Biffle a rookie the defending Busch Series champ and Ken Schrader runner up in 89 row 15 casey mears of rookie and kyle petty his 22nd 500 Kevin Harvick who led a lot of last year's race and Steve Park comes back after missing last year Tony Raines out of the Busch Series and Christian Fittipaldi the Brazilian Matt Kenseth who won five races last year and his teammate Kurt Busch who won three of the last five Ryan Newman last year's Rookie of the Year his teammate rusty walnuts in his twenty first 500 Dave Blaney the former World of Outlaws champ and Johnny Benson Terry Labonte his 25th start in the 500 and Jerry Nadeau finally Mike Skinner who finished fourth in 1999 those are the 43 cars that will start the 500 racing team you turn to longtime boss Richard Childress for help the two have dominated the super speedway since but who could have kept starting laps two three and four at the Daytona 500 we're started as a family affair though lately as the makings of a family feud Mac Genius seems like racing and superstitions go hand in hand and Dale Earnhardt jr. has his own this week it started last Saturday night his car was the last to go through inspection he went on to win the race Thursday his car was the last to go through inspection he went on to win the race today his car wasn't gonna be the last to go through inspection and lo and behold cards can cousin Tony Eury jr. said there's something wrong with the windshield tear-off yes what then finally who was last to go through inspection doctor it's number 29 Kevin Harvick has one of the fastest cars in the field but yesterday in the finals practice session his engine overheated the crew changed that engine rules required that followed be an engine changed the car goes all the way to the back Harvick says he could win from the back deceivers since winning the Daytona 500 1999 Jeff Gordon's average finish here at Daytona is 23rd in the last seven races it's been a quiet speed weeks for this team that crew chief Robby Loomis says that's just the way he likes it Mike joy thanks Steve there is gore here set to go and it feel 43 cars 500 miles that's 200 laps and because of the small fuel cell they're using this year they can't no far on a tank again and they can double that before and so lot of pit stops lot of green flag stops Cyprian kind of snooker nation lazy taken off there unlucky one up on the wheel already in the Jeffrey they're gonna make a run on him down the backstretch he's what I call a sent and done cuz they gonna come right up there and get him and he's called it like he puts the brakes hoping to get to him you're riding with Harvick bark bark and just ahead they started tail into the field along with Johnny Benson and Casey Mears because of already there's take-no-prisoners today we're flat out racing team mates arrow all bets are off working together there's none of that right now right now it's just everyday [Music] the problem is turn around a lot of trust in referee is in the air off the cards and then the wind itself just buffs the cars around and they're so close together if they get to bouncing they bounce into each other cause a huge red tip is attempt to achieve a hundred ninety miles an hour [Music] no Elliott way later that red dot and these pieces dragons are up on the wheel Mike and these fans are up on their feet so excited about being here and watching television look at that ten cars I'm gonna take I'm making a move Mike Skinner in the back dead last in two and a half laps we're distrusted various whatever position he was in last lap he won't be there this slab just look and it's going to be this way folks all day long it's it's so mental it takes so much focus so much concentration what will change this just two of those and it's double or triple file the way back from their little bump drafting pump draftees okay we saw on race yesterday but craft is finally complete because you're bouncing around you get a buck draft and it's going cause the big one yeah you'll miss the corner but you're gonna hit the wall Michael Waltrip Robin Hood Dale and Tony Stewart the defending these drivers are busy Mandarin all the you know care what I'm seeing and I won't take what his teammate going into the third turn on the outside and forth until he could pick up his teammate in the draft well a really good handling car sometimes it takes in a lap or two to get wound and get going because the tire pressures have to build up the takeout not post Center he's got second of all the way have we got but that great start he had was the worst thing it could happen to you if I truly is sitting duck and by you on the left and the right [Music] trust me 187 miles an hour there you see the interval to the leader right now michael waltrip even though he's in 20th they're steno within about a second half of each other but now the complexion of the race changes as the prep drivers get single-file you're going to see a big variation in speed now bikers they're gonna not be so fast going down into turn one cuz they got a headwind going into one but as we look at our American flag that's our wind gauge you'll see that they're going to get a heck of a push down that back straightaway as much as a full bomb on our difference that is f1x the one I use when I didn't know there was any other cat off turn two thank you you imagine he'll be stand down in defense balloon handheld stop watches the flag watching the waters of great waves on the lake out there and figure what they needed now there [Music] 187 miles and if you listen the RPMs never change about 7,000 rpms right now and later in the day at the end of a run is if this guy can daelin Arjuna's told his spotter tying ours who's fighting laryngitis today to tell Michael I've got to let it breathe waters 220 so I will be ducking out just a little bit and what he means is is that they go down the straightaway Michael wood trying to block them Jr if he said okay I'm gonna try the pony I'll go outside or inside but what they do you're saying is I'm gonna stick my nose out there but I'm not [Music] seven laps [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the Daytona 500s become two different races the fast these cars single-file out in front of the field and behind them there's that single file pack is nicely lined up as they are drafting tightly behind them the fury Sheldon when this happens right here the front guys get lined up when you're about in the middle of the pack on back his father's in the crib that second group they're starting to get lined up and they've already and when you get lined up that means you can run quicker and you run right up to that path now in the beginning we were in the water now we're in the gaggle this is a gaggle here when we start getting strung out that's the front of the second pack trying to catch the leader single-file leading that pack is pole sitter Jeff Greene in the 30 car he'd love to get that group right there lined up where they could I know Mike nobody ever after it'll be time you'll sit there for a while but in at some point guy since I've had enough of this Steve Mike at the top of the show you mentioned rain is in the forecast and all these crew chiefs off pit road know it right before the race start and Randy Dorton who heads up the motor program for Hendrick Motorsports tofu cheap rock music you feel and that will affect all of these crew chiefs dick Michael Waltrip has just called to his crew and told him that he will run low said that junior who is running behind him could run a little bit teammates working together in positions 1 & 2 smartest thankful Michael to do that way Dale jr. can't run that group around him on the high side we know that the bottom is the passageway and there I know you're you're really up on the weather I know that but you are familiar with the earth those cars get running it blows that rain those rain clouds out I used all that high-speed all that wind from up there and down here and everywhere else keeps of clouds blowing away all this hot air keeps a hole right above this table I got the exhaust up the cars all that motor now a virtual crew chief question vote now when you're single or wireless phone by sending text message box to number phone number one 911 or visit foxsports.com to vote online I take a car I'm pretty impressed with a little surprise that's the 9 car bill Elliot has won the Daytona 500 twice I talked to his crew chief Mike Ford they were very concerned that this car would not suck up what that means when he would have someone pushing him it would not run up to the bumper the of the car in front of him but right now it looks like he's in good check but I think bill has to have someone behind him pushed him with that new car here here's here's the deal on bill if he can stay up there in that lead graph single-file like that right there I think you'll be happy he'll stay there but if they start Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt jr. Tony Stewart and last year's pole sitter Jimmie Johnson riding in fourth place Darrell I love this shot who were in the car folks it's all about hands and eyes to have you here the cars handling well he's got John inside John around there you go in there oh nice and smooth you can you see there that's just the cars going through the bumps but the car looks very complicated if the county have really jumped up making about 245 he's talking about the temperature these Chevrolet guys to me seem to be having a little heating pop all week long that's because they've got a new car and a new nose and the grills in a different position than what their coach and of course they have tape on the front end reason they run tape on the front end that's radiator inlet will take you run it really decreases the drag on that car makes you run faster down the straightway we see Terry Labonte in the five car he has problems in the high soft 172 miles per hour is the anisotropic where yeah you never know he can have something wrong with the car or he could have gotten out of shape got up almost into the wall they said whoa I got a backup here and get my friend 17 the Daytona 500 on Fox brought to you by the Home Depot NASCAR's Home Improvement warehouse by Pizza Hut home of the news stuffed-crust gold Pizza by coca-cola official soft drink of NASCAR and by napa auto parts 21 laps complete michael waltrip out in front since lap number one his teammate Dale Earnhardt jr. in tight formation then went stack up chat to me Stewart Jimmie Johnson and Bill [Music] Steve Byrnes terry labonte drop to the back of the pack what's wrong Mike it's a bit of a mystery even to this team he lost power he switched ignition boxes these teams have to ignition boxes that didn't cause a problem he started to slow down just as quickly as it cut up and restarted it got power back again he's running in the 43rd position they still don't know this is levanti's 26 Daytona 500 is finished second three times these cars have a kill switch the bra hangs open or some reason need you to quickly turn the engine off I have been driving my car before my palm of my elbow or something would hit that switch and kill the engine and it took me a little bit to realize what had happened Darrell we're looking at the back of Dale Jarrett's car I hear the 88 car ups he started 11th he's back there with Terry Labonte every restrictor plate race we see Dale Jarrett on this agenda he moved to the rear of the field what he's trying to do stay out of the eye of the storm the bigger but that hasn't worked every time he's done there oh no I mean I always think about like Levante his teammates in the back they have a crash Tony's running third Labonte is running 28th they end up on top of each other so there is no really safe place at this speed even with the car strung out like this but right now you've got what you got right now you're talking to your crew chief saying you're gonna have to do something I've been mad I've been mad at everything before started thirteen and up to seven he battles Robby Gordon who's no relation on the high side and they brace like there's no relation [Music] Kurt Busch drop the spot that lap from 10:00 to 11:00 now you hurt Robbie lifts up out the throttle they're coming off a turn too that means his car's got a little tight the front tires are gripping and we've already lost to windshield cloth were running 255 290 gonna have to wash the windshield pretty good cars handling pretty good take a fall are two things they're talking about right there Kurt Busch's crew chief Jimmy Finney these are lexan or plastic windshields and they put a clear film on them they put about two or three of them through three layers and this is looking out the windshield and what that means once these windshields get very greasy all in sandblasted they can pull up tear off oh if he had three already early in this trench he's lost too for example there it is right there so that means they've got to run 475 miles only one tear off the other thing is talking about to talk about the front end tape they have those tabs on them to open up some more openings to the radiator about to 32 to 35 if it goes much longer than that it takes power away we used to run a stock standard windshield just like we got in your passenger car and that thing would get so pitted and sandblasted at the end of the day I mean that's all you could do to see the cars in front of you particularly if you've been drafting all day but Darryl you mentioned it earlier in every mate down here for the weekend has been fight water tips for problems every make has a new nose and you have to learn how you can take these noses up maybe versus what you had in the past it's a learning process but you crew chiefs are all alike you do it to the driver every time you want to run as much tape as you can and tell us to take care of but you start off with too much it's easier to take it off than it is to put absolutely in the cool temperatures here today probably provoked them to run a little bit more tape Paul Center Jeff Greene looking back at Bobby Labonte Green has now dropped to 24th position Michael Waltrip is like the first 46 left no record from lap one is 35 laps led by Bill Elliott in the 1987 after leaving the first 35 laps Elliott went on that system somewhere in that range that means within about a 10 lap window of having to come to pit road so right now what these crew chiefs are doing they're interrogating their drivers first pit stops of the day coming in the next 6 to 10 laps as Michael Waltrip leads the Daytona 500 on Fox [Music] [Music] you [Music] the Daytona 500 on Fox is brought to you by Budweiser the best things in life are the things that are true Budweiser 57 laps complete this time by and look at this pack trouble off trouble for Newman slams the wall comes rater and Newman is blasters rookie the written from the car as he slides down the asphalt away that car come on get out the crash on pit road Bobby Labonte has slammed into Ken Schrader and Schrader slid through the infield grass problem was Schrader was already wrecked they come down pit road I don't think straighter could control his car Brian's moving in the car so he is moving around trying to get out not a lot he can do hang in there like that I mean he's got to have help pretty big boy he didn't when Kenny Schrader's climbed out Newman has signaled that he is okay he is a strapping young fella yes he is used to driving open wheel sprint cars meet Darrell this is a predicament trying to get unhooked down that car upside down well you got it you got seatbelts you got the Hans device I mean there's so many times you gotta have help man it ripped the rear end housing right out from under that race car when it dug into that grass right there he just started tearing the car apart Brian Newman USAC Silver crowned champ and Purdue University engineering graduate gonna climb out of that car with help in here Bobby Labonte and Ken Schrader I think Schrader was in the crash and he was going down to here and he I think his car must have gotten out of control and Bobby Labonte was coming along he just slid over in front of are you looking down at Pilates crew looking to see if they have so much damage that they can't get back into the race there you see random and rot there [Music] [Applause] second caution flag of the day Newman's car got tipped into the outside wall and then slipped through the in the field when it got to the grass of God airborne let's watch your here and see what happens Oh Kimmy Schrader got out of control got into him always that's what happened Mike his right rear tire came off car goes airborne then when it hits the ground it digs in and just rips it apart let me tell you the way these cars are inside he's like he's in a capsule in there and so these cars they've done such an incredibly good job with the safety and protecting the driver in these cars look at that thing lift up Larry just takes off like an airplane that's 3,400 pounds folks just lifting up in the air like a feather and the right rear wheel digs into the dirt and tears the whole rear end loose from the car yeah if the tire in to come off of the wheel it probably wouldn't wouldn't have turned over like that but once the tire came off and it just said he'd dug in and flipped him now when Schrader's car was heading down pit road he was basically a passenger as the front end of his car had been heavily damaged and I think that's what happened at the end of pit road he just couldn't control his car now here they come here comes traitor you see the whole right side work back there his right sides alternate where she got into the into the wall the best news driver number 12 Ryan Newman climbed out of that car on her [Music] ricky rudd clip here I've seen Rusty Wallace Neff terracing Richie petty and Flint beer Dale Earnhardt clip here I've lived here we've all walked away has been quite a remains amazing how they got these cars designed it's a testimony to what NASCAR's done for the safety of these cars that's why when they tell you to pick something or change something you don't hesitate to do it Kenny Schrader and Bobby Labonte's crew are trying to see if they can get back in this race 42 drivers and all of us we're going to take a minute to get our head back into the game the Daytona 500 continues on Fox after this [Music] the daytona 500 on fox is brought to you by errand sales and lease ownership let aaron's drive your dreams home today by stacker to the world's strongest fat burner by pepsi-cola experience the joy of pepsi and by Cingular Wireless national coverage affordable calling plans and a really fast car we're under caution here at Daytona Brian Newman gets upside down but Dara looked like Kenny Schrader might have had a little push yeah I think he may have gotten a little tapped from behind by a Ward Burton the way it looked Kenny was coming up off turn four there I believe he must have had to lift up out well no there's what happened I believe Rusty Wallace came over in front of Kenny he had to get it let out a throttle a little bit to let rusty in and when he did he got hit from behind my ward he had a run on him a chain reaction and watch number 12 Ryan Newman I think all of that action there was because that right rear tire came off it let air get up under the car it lifted the car up and then it dug in there in the grass and just tore it all the pieces Ken Schrader's gone behind the wall let's go to Chris Myers movies erase boring and we come to you from the Hollywood hotel just above the Victory Lane this is a he-said race break we've had four different leaders second caution and it was on lap 57 you saw Ryan Newman able to walk away from that accident a three-car accident and has been taken to the care center we'll give you an update appeared to be okay Dale Earnhardt jr. year-old leader and some raindrops apparently falling in the area but let's get out to the cutaway car and Jeff Hammond will explain how Ryan Newman was able to survive because of the way that the car is put together that wild spectacular crash huh that's right Chris right now let's take a look what NASCAR has made a lot of these cars have got to be like this because of safety issues first and foremost they're the window net that keeps your arms and your head from getting outside the car and you look inside here you see a lot of material as far as the roll cage structure this halo bar that goes around the driver's head there's a bar right beside his head that kind of protects it right here in the center as well as this special seat that everybody's gone to it they keep your head protected watch the bouncing around when that car is flipping upside down think about Ryan's head sitting in here instead of this clapping right to left it's actually being secured inside this really massive headrest as well as he's six-point system as far as a restraints are concerned they hold him in this place as far as the seats seat is he's got to be held really tight inside that capsule that Darrell is talking about this is the driver capsule it's got to be well built really really strong and inventive an accident just like we've just seen and you can see how well it held up now one thing is you saw this is the rear in house underneath our cutaway car it's intact you can see the spring over here the truck arm but what happened the wheel got ripped looser the tire got ripped off the wheel dug in and it ripped let's look over here to cutaway house it ripped the entire housing from underneath this race car it literally ripped the spring he saw the springs flying out of the ground out of three air this whole entire house that was ripped completely from this race car that's how vile of accident was but you saw Ryan Newman be able to walk away because of NASCAR Chris thank you very much Jeff Hammett at the Ford cutaway car below the Hollywood Hotel and the many of course remember this is the track Redell Earnhardt lost his life but since that time a number of safety improvements of for the sport and evidence to buy Ryan Newman's car and him being able to walk away let's go back upstairs now and Mike Julia with Ryan Newman's build he could likely have been a linebacker for Purdue and these drivers Darrel they don't just show up Sunday and race they have really stringent conditioning programs to help them endure a wild flippin crash like this we just went through listen let me tell you when people say the race drivers aren't athletes they just do not understand what these drivers go through on Sunday watch here's Ward he tips gets into the left rear of Kenny Kenny want Kenny Schrader Schrader then goes over to the right hits the wall now here comes the car hard that's hard impact right there I'll already see that opening right there that's probably what ripped the rear end out from underneath that race exactly a trip to tire off yep the tire off the rear end yeah but Mike I just want a these guys work out hard and heavy three days a week they run their their stamina is great they are physically fit they watch what they eat they train hard to be able to tolerate these kinds of conditions now as Newman's car was in the air Darrell I saw either well not an exhaust pipe because those look both intact looked like one of the truck arms have been ripped loose so that then when that rear end hit the ground it could just easily fly away I mean again this is coming off turn four you're gonna see Ward Burton in the 20 to get into Kenny Schrader the 49 gets into the side of Ryan Newman in the 12 around here this is what we were talking about he's bouncing down the wall there's an opening and that's what ripped the tire off of it but I will tell you the thing that amazed me as a look at that last replay Geoff Hammil was career in housing the trailing arms underneath that thing those are like steel outings and they rubbish bent double that's just how violent that was here you see those two trailing arms just flop it underneath there's a hope swearing in place and the car is really and truly folks when you see the car coming apart like that that's good news that's dissipating energy as that car flies apart it's slowing itself down and it's not stopping suddenly and hurting the driver brain begins to fall here at the Daytona International Speedway this storm system has been moving across Florida all morning it was expected to come in here sometime this afternoon here are the various scenarios hopefully we can get this race completed during this afternoon get the track dry and get back to racing if not the track is lit for night racing we've not completed 100 laps which would be half way and make this race official so let's read these guys can still work on the car once they display the red flag oh let's see so a race car if you're gonna try to get it back in the field and there's a NASCAR official look at that standing right behind them there and as soon as the cars get stopped he'll say okay guys it's kind of quit working on it because I'm looking down on the flag standing right now the flag but he has the yellow flag waving but they're waiting all the cars to get to pit road and get stopped that's when the red flag would be displayed and red flag is not due to the accident but due to the rain yeah and all the cars need to get probably past the start/finish line Larry to for the scoring purposes so the teams will cover their cars and cover their pit stalls we've been toting bobby labonte ken schrader went to the infield care center but they've been released Tony Eury jr. Dale Earnhardt jr. is cousin and crew chief so it is raining in Daytona and we'll be back with the 45th annual Daytona 500 on Fox we started the day in Daytona with more than 160,000 sun-drenched race fans who are now just drenched it is boring everything with cats and dogs here at Daytona one person has a smile on his face and he's with Matt and that's Dale Earnhardt jr. talking his crew chief Tony Eury senior first stop you were playing weatherman a little bit did you think this is a big 12 hour sell yeah it looks pretty bad right now they kept on talking about the weather all morning they said whatever whatever got here is gonna be here a while but hopefully there's a window in there somewhere I don't want to see it getting stopped past halfway I mean we've spent two weeks down here we need to go 500 two miles I mean that really stopped the race after halfway but hopefully NASCAR's stick around even tomorrow now you said you weren't gonna shoot anybody out but you were requesting maybe someone spend full-time duty down at the radar station yeah I thought the humpy wheeler yesterday and he's like Manning these somebody full-time down here at the radar he said hey AJ 41 several races like that so I helped I hope he never lied to me yet so he's always had good advice well you don't know people standing around here beyond her so I have somebody down there and watch that radar you've been in the front you've been in the back of a racecar Junior's life it's pretty good all the Chevrolets look like they're running hot you know we're not leading my car runs about 200 leading in 235 in the draft and you know I mean that's still that's not detrimental e hot but the hotter it gets the harder it is to get runs and slower the car is so you want optimum temperature to be about 210 315 no more than 220 to be able to run and do fine you know but car gets little slower hotter I guess and leading where it's at right now now when you're on the backstretch you happen to look over to your left and what did you see all the Jumbotrons I can watch the race myself half of it at least how much can you see going by at 190 well there's two of them back here so I've seen all the replays on all the wrecks of head and couple pit stops see them saw the 43 car having trouble pit road I don't really know what else is going on when you up front Connie it's hard to tell who's having trouble and whose bailout and what's happening so it's kind of boring yeah I get good coverage backer will try to work on that coverage for you the one big thing here in the pit who is laughing at a Napa commercial that he starred in with Michael Waltrip Mike Hale jr. watching NASCAR on Fox while leading the race in 185 miles an hour in my opinion it doesn't get any better than that that's as good as it's gonna get Jeff Gordon talking to his team well jr. has a lot to smile about because he's been the best in speed weeks in every race so far he's gone to Victory Lane but this race has not yet gone to halfway it cannot be called official they're going to have to continue this race as soon as we can get the track dry okay I got an idea Larry work with me here okay Jeff your listing parts in the wall you build these tarps like curtains and when it starts to rain you pull the tarps down over the track hook them down the bottom and when it quits raining and let them loose you can go back racing you know what a two and a half miles tarp would cost you bet you've been thanked that's always been my motto all right intonation Jr's been the best but who else looks strong in the early going well you really and truly it's it's hard to pick out anybody but the guy that really impressed me so far has been Elliott Sadler I mean he come from you know out of the what word he started 19th on that pit stop got his way up to fourth on the fault lookout and he's right here fighting for the lead so that's a good time for him and he ran second in this race last year so he knows how to run Daytona and then of course Michael in the Dale jr. and it sounds like maybe the Childress guys are not working well together today I know another guy that you didn't mention and I've been watching him and I think right now Steve Byrnes may be with him don't count him out yet thanks Larry map we caught up with Jeff Gordon Jeff Robby Loomis said this morning actually yesterday that you guys have been under the radar screen you know there's been a lot of attention with a DUI and RCR teams and he was glad for that yeah you know it just allows us to focus on our car our program just you know kind of kind of allows us just to communicate a little bit better you know you you get all the expectations you get all the pressure put on you and and all of a sudden you start focusing maybe a little bit too much on that enough on what you really got to do to win this race and it's a great race and we all want to win it and now we I think we proved right there in that long run and we certainly have a car that can do it how was your race car reacting to the racetrack today Jeff my cars great I mean obviously I like the long runs we get single-file we can just start picking them off one at a time you know I have got to work with a few guys out there that you know I can make some moves with Robby Gordon and I made some moves up through there and and so you know I want the long runs but I got it I got to be a little bit further up there when those long runs come because I tell you you know the handling starts going away but those guys yard out there Donna's too far I keep getting knocked back you know and having to work my way up through there too too much so a lot of work out there but we're not gonna give up do those things over Jeff I was gonna ask you a lot of people want to go ahead and get Dale Earnhardt jr. the trophy but you guys do you have the strength get up there win this race I think we do you know especially if it comes down to handling I mean our cars handling so good that I'm just so proud of robbing these guys the way they got the balance on it you know this this is a team sport and team race man it didn't just take a fast race car junior you know he's out there he's strong I'd like to get up to him and see what we got for him but we haven't gotten there yet so we got some work left to do Jeff I read a quote from you earlier in speed weeks where you said the key to speed is the attention to details what did you mean by that well you know it's getting so competitive and the times are so close among everybody the cards are so close that I mean it's it's that tenth or one hundredth of a second you know that you can get out of the car or in a pit stop you know it's not making mistakes it's it's just being focused it's everything you know it's having the entire package together and that's what I've seen coming into this season coming into speed weeks that our team really has I mean maybe we didn't have the fastest car in qualifying day you know we didn't win the 125s but I think we've really paid attention to all the details that we need to win this race Jeff I think the good news is with blue sky over there yeah well keep looking because I don't know that's gonna be there for long I mean I want to get this thing going I didn't want to see it stop because our car was really coming but the weather forecast doesn't look real good but we got lights here they told us I'm sure we get it underway eventually yeah good point I like the night races alright thanks Jeff well there is blue sky in that horizon it is just poor the hardest I've ever seen a train in Daytona Beach but the rain has stopped just like somebody threw a switch the sky is brightening and they're gonna begin to dry the track right now we'll be right back walking back live to Daytona thanks for joining us here on Fox in the great American race it's never been the rain doubt before twice rained short in the Daytona 500 and we are 63 laps through and the rain delay at the moment coming off that crash all three drivers treated and released from the care center including Ryan Newman he's with our Jeanne Zelasko Jeannie and Chris Ryan Newman you you seem to be doing okay but take us through what happened out there I still got a little dirt in my teeth and in your ears but yeah your ear you're good for the we're here yeah we just coming off a three there I know we were three wide and I don't know if my car washed up or what but I just I felt the car get light and I washed up and I'm off with Schrader whoever next to me and the way I hit him I just kind of shot me towards the wall and I don't know what happened to the rest of them I saw Schrader and Labonte in the infield care center there and I told them I said I'm not really sure what happened so if you guys are mad at me let's quit and fight about it now but you know they were they were really just concerned with me and their own health and happy to come out of the auto Dodge in one piece a lot of dramas the car flip and everyone was waiting for you to get out any loss of consciousness or were you just plain stuck in the car I was stuck in the car there was about a wad of sod about six or eight inches thick and about two feet long that was actually in my lap and I had my feet down in the back of the seat and at my head down up into the windshield and I couldn't get turned you know you know I'm a pretty small guy myself and I couldn't get turned to get out of their car itself and actually had to help pry me out of the car when I was when I was there so it was actually more painful getting out of the car than it was throughout the wreck and you mentioned you saw Bobby body and Ken Schrader in the care center they're doing okay as well they were making their way out and and running to their hauler yeah I mean we timed it pretty good didn't when we got to do this interview want to quit raining yeah but you made us stand out here in the rain so so if you take anything away from that then that's it look to it don't complain to me I'm glad you're doing okay guys all right thanks Jeannie and Ryan and with a Jeff Hammond Chris Myers back here in the Hollywood hotel just above victory Lane and not evening not even an engineering degree from Purdue can help you in that situation but a an interesting description by Ryan Newman being caught in in that car Jeff and you explained at the cutaway car the protection the drivers have and certainly some of the safety improvements that have been made is amazing that he's standing up talking about it after what we saw that car come apart Chris we know it's truly it's amazing but at the same time when you look at these race cars and how well-built they are and all the effort is going into by the crews and NASCAR to take care of the drivers now I find it a little bit humorous that he had a piece of sod laying up in his lap like he's talking about I don't think NASCAR's ever planned on that but I'm sure they'll look into it but you've got to understand these guys now have really taken the leaps and bounds as far as protecting the driver again for whether seats are made and everything and you can see them when he got into trouble mm-hmm he got hit from the N shredder in destroy benign car Newman is in the 12 right they got tapped by Ward Burton Kenny came over got into Ryan and Ryan turned up into the wall when he hit back tire hit like he said it pulled it broke the tie rod crimp the RAM dug in and when they did it just literally ripped that rear now as you see it coming down the front straightaway and that itself is very scary that piece of equipment that heavy become flying on that race car the way it is so because of and this is Dale Jarrett from his in car a camera watch this car go flying by almost like aircraft on the on the left side as this as this happens and Jeff there it go is Ryan Newman and as Darrell Waltrip was saying it's almost a good thing because of that capsule and the cage that protects the driver that the car itself is kind of dissipating as its rolling it really it dissipates energy each time a piece comes off he just kind of softens the blow now it might be kind of hard to believe but as that's going away it's taking away that energy and spinning off energy so as Ryan was alluding to hardest thing was getting out of the race card again and that's a tribute to NASCAR all the guys who work on these teams as far as taking care of the drivers where they did Michael Waltrip Dei car currently running third lead for part of this race Dale Earnhardt jr. the current leader but Michael is standing by with our Matt Yocum so let's go there Matt Chris Michael Waltrip sitting quietly impatiently Pitts debriefing yourself Michael yeah making sure my whole body understands what we're here to accomplish it's real proud of the Napa Chevy it's running great its handling good I believe that's gonna give me some some options as the day goes along hopefully keep our car out front that's where it's got to be there to have any fun here now this must give you a chance to maybe look ahead in forecast near the end the race what you want to try to accomplish here as far as where you need to put yourself in position to try to make that move and that's what it's all about just position to yourself for the end of the race fortunately for me RT kepner's just doing an unbelievable job directing the race race broadcast are you watching the backstretch Jumbotrons to Yanni's timing it to where when I come off turn two during the caution I can look up and see all the replays are the accidents and things that are going on good job Artie we're down here in the pitch just enjoying a pista dominoes pizza at a coca-cola relaxing ready for this great American race to resume I thank God for that honor to get to drive for this team it's so fun to have these great Napa guys behind me well the Dei contingent they're having fun on the racetrack now let's check in with their counterparts in the Chevy camp the RCR boys with dr. day program dick thanks Betty Kevin Harvick started all the way in the back of the pack today as a result of an engine change when you change motors you've got to start all the way in the back of the pack but you're all the way up to eight what's it like out there pass on all those cars that's pretty cool when you get to see the start of the race and everybody going every which way but Jim Goodman's car was really good all throughout speed leaks and is still good here on Sunday so Oh rubber head next to it's got our pit partner here kind of screwed us out the rubber had to find that rubber made rubber head 97 Kurt Busch whatever you want to call him he screwed us up on the first pit stop he was in our pit stall again so that got us a little bit back behind and we've made it up again so we'll just uh keep going and keep the fenders on it and we'll be fine the Dei guys claim they can watch television while this race is underway how about you tell them to keep watching because the 29 is coming like that kind of talk Kevin white joy the rain stopped they are drying the track here in Daytona drivers get a chance to debrief with their crews as the jet dryers around Speedway getting things dried off we're joined by the Grand Marshal for the 45th Daytona 500 who is John Travolta and Larry when it's time to film the DW story do you see the resemblance about that I'd say one thing I love the way you said gentlemen start your engines yeah some action too well thank you well Bret mariah carey inspired me she's saying that so beautifully but I had to energy my body I just had to do it oh you did it I mean a lot of people that john was talking abut you were into it I was into it and just like that wreck there I don't know what you'd have been hauling where's the stunt man to the fact that or you're a NASCAR fan I used to live in Daytona Beach I'd come here all the time and I'm coming back I'm moving back so yeah I'm a fan and a couple of race drivers are my neighbors and friends so yeah I am well you live over Spruce Creek I used to all right maybe we ought not say that maybe that's right I don't live there anymore but I'm gonna move to Ocala so yeah yeah got anything cooking again you do it got a new movie called basic I didn't make it rain to promote a movie I promise you that we are shamelessly commercial it's okay yeah it's military thriller it's excellent very well-crafted movie I love it and I play an investigator and Sam Jackson the guy did pulp fiction went yeah he's in it with me yeah and it's it's trippy you've had a chance to be around a lot of sports and in study for your roles a lot of fast action things how does this compare oh well that I was in the pace car and I looked back and that was as exciting as it gets you know the more exciting would be to be in a race car itself which I did I hold the record as a celebrity at that amateur race thing in Orlando you know mum so that was pretty good but I fly jets you know I fly at 600 miles an hour yeah so I'm very used to speed and I got up to 130 miles an hour in the car and I was just ready to go I was ready to break ground and hit 600 well you see these parts will lift off yes they will fortunately not often thanks for joining my pleasure yeah John Travolta Grand Marshall great job today thank you very much Jeannie well we should remember these are racecar drivers they are competitors on the track but they are friends first rest awhile is taking the time to checking Ryan Newman's status he found that he's okay so you got a moment for us move to the back of pack because the little carburetor issue and now you find yourself at 18th a bit of a breather here to regroup and figure out where you go from here yeah well the cars run a really really good it they I tell you what he dropped the flag and I went through the center the past 28 cars and three laps I told my guys oh my god it's four on four laps in race I just got done passing a pole sitter that thing's really running great I'm real happy with it I got went to the bottom laying there after that tire change you got hung in the bottom behind a couple cars but all in all it's really handling good and running good so I'm real happy with it now you're getting used to all these pit stops it seems like the race is gonna be won and lost right there in the pits regardless of what you guys do out on the track is a pit stop so many times a lot of stops I'll tell you what I don't know if I'm for that rule you know it's yeah I think you're gonna pits too much to the truth but I don't finalized that's my job sure okay well then I'll stick with that but now my car is been great I'm real embarrassed about half the starting to back from my sponsors and my fans and stuff but hopefully made it back up I think at one point we're back up to fifth and again the cars running great and the pit stops are a lot no doubt about that and it's I think it's really coming down to a fuel mileage thing because we were one of the first guys on pit road then I looked in the mirror they kid then they started coming real quick but now we know what our fuel burn is and what it's looking like and how many laps we can run now it's in the hands of Mother Nature thank you wrestling Steve thanks Jeanne we've caught up with Jimmie Johnson Jimmy we heard you earlier in the week and practice on the radio talking to chat canal saying the car is good but I wanted to be good enough to win are you there I think so the problem we've got now he's worked so hard to get the handling figured out now today the temperatures up and deep in the pack our cars been running hot you know hopefully we have them cooped any water out and we don't have anything to worry about but it's been pretty warm we've been pretty worried about it so you know the cars been good I've learned a lot through last year and even through the shootout the IROC event and the 125 is about you know how to use the traffic and use the pushes did she get and how to set the passes up so I'm really excited having a good time looking forward to this engine cooling down so I go up there and race a little bit Jimmy interesting pitch strategy on the last stop about lap 44 your teammate Jeff Gordon took gas only you took four tires some tape off the grill what does that mean well you know we knew we are gonna have to stop and take the time to pull the tape and you know we had a little discussion whether just defueling tape or what but we're trying to you know in a sense race to halfway is one way to look at it and this gets us outside of what everyone else is doing and I'm pretty sure when we go back to green here a lot of these guys are gonna have to come in and get four more heck we don't even need tires really I think we'll probably put two on but well you know we should be in good shape so it's just a matter of the you know what's working with your car the way the strategy is going and you know right now we're in a little different cycle than everyone saw you and Jeff Gordon talking a moment ago what notes were you comparing really just trying to find out if my other teammates cars are running as warm as mine is Terry's is running really hot but Joseph Geoff's are fine so it's kind of HUD we've cut do cars over not overheating but running really warm the other two are fine we're little dumbfounded on that all right Jimmy best of luck once we get going let's go to dick Berggren thanks Steve Long Island Steve Park is one of the most popular drivers in this sport how's your day going it's going fair depends on car I mean we're 29th right now but I made a pit stop and kind of couldn't get in a box kind of run into but in that car and I kind of put a damper on our pit stop so we came back towards the back but it's so in the case of how the Pennzoil Chevrolet's running so uh we've got a lot of racing left hopefully this will clear out we'll get a chance to race and put that Pennzoil car up on top ten are you talking about the pit stop so I went across the street just a little while ago and I measured the stalls in the shopping mall and these pit stalls are almost twice as wide they're ten feet further long than the others why is it so hard for some of these guys to get in and out of the pit stops like grace fans know I'm gonna remember that the pit road speed is 55 miles an hour that's a speed limit on the highway so you see the guys smoking locking up brakes coming in pits because they're coming in so fast I mean they're coming in at probably 80 90 miles an hour slowing down to 55 and then the pits all look small at 55 miles an hour so it's hard to get in there and then we have guys that are coming in with the new fuel cells coming in early coming in late as you're coming in guys leaving and you're trying to get in your pit box so it's like a traffic jam so you want to try to keep the fenders on the on your race car and get in the pits and get your tires and gas and get back out there and do battle again what do you do from here go to the front I mean the main thing is you know with twenty-ninth right now that's not where we want to be so uh the further we get forward the more we have better drafting help so again we want to kind of pick our way up be smart get to the front and race them last 50 laps hey guess what just runs out let's go to Matty Elliott Sadler started back in 60 you work your way all the way up into second but you're boxed in with a pair of Chevy's yeah that's the only bad thing Matt I tell you this M&Ms for toss is very fast but in pretty good dilemma right now I know I cannot pull out at all to try to pass the eight because if 15s gonna go to the other way then the meantime he's also gonna try to get by me to get back today so I need to get some blue ovals up down kind of help me out a little bit but the cars really good and Raymond's doing a great job first time calling the race making some great calls and keeping me the track position I need so far we're having a great day and this is where a spotter comes in so handy because he can try to make deals upstairs although deals aren't worth a whole lot yeah that's right I mean Brett's doing a great job spotting and trying to get me help here and there but one thing I've learned the first 63 laps of this race is that the 15 8 to 24 into 20 I think their bumpers are chained together or something then just will not move away from each other and and that's good you got to have teammates like that to work with but I just kind of want to squeeze in you know my side I'm a little bit maybe take up some real estate to the end of the race but we'll see what happens they got my car handling great it's good on the bottom or the top so we'll just try to stay in line stay in front of the big ring hopefully be there at the end Elliott Sadler has been there at the end in the past in the last three races here at Daytona a second and a third to Chris Myers hi thanks very much and a Dale Earnhardt jr. our current leader 63 laps in the Daytona 500 of a slight rain delay but the Sun is peeking the rain has stopped and we hope to go racing again a great American race will be back live here on Fox in a moment walking back live the Daytona 500 in a slight weather delay but they are drying out the track the rain has stopped and the fans anxious to get back to racing and that's what we plan to do Hollywood hotel Jeff Hammond Chris Myers and I nice to have you with us and we heard earlier Dale Earnhardt jr. your current leader how relaxed he is leading looking in the jumbotron to see what's going on watching Fox but coming into this race and his domination his late father the nickname the intern of the Intimidator certainly Little League can be the Dominator the way he has handled this week but you talked to some crew chiefs and drivers this morning there were a little annoyed about just people kind of handing him the trophy already yes I went down that garage area this morning I said okay guys what you got for the eight car a couple of them said nothing I did talk to several of them who came to me and said we're trying to figure out a way how to beat this guy and one of them was Michael McSwain who's a crew chief on Bobby Labonte's car he said I'm not handing him nothing because as long as there's 500 miles and I've got a driver like Bobby Labonte I'm not about to quit and my driver is not about to quit now for unfortunately for those guys they've had some problems already but there's an attitude with several the drivers and several the crew chiefs that don't feel like it's because he's been strong all week that they want to roll over and play dead and as a crew chief I felt the same way I always want to try to figure out a way how to beat these guys in in 1989 perfect example we didn't have the fastest car we figured out a strategy and we took them down and that's what these guys got to do here today you have a pretty good driver there too but Kevin Harvick is showed a little bad attitude earlier as well and Richard Childress Racing Dei the rivalry and the talk continues he know he knows how to talk some smack for sure I think when you come from 42nd and go up to 8th like he has he's got a car that you've got to worry about in contend with so as Kevin so aptly put it you better be watching that big screen TV back on the back straightaway guys cuz I'm a coming now at the big screen a guy like John Travolta we heard from him earlier he was up in the booth with the guys he was the grand marshal that started the race mariah carey singing the national anthem all kinds of celebrities turning out for the Daytona 500 I had Steve Byrnes or ran into one of them earlier today here at the track Steve well Chris as exciting as racing is here television doesn't really do 31 degrees of banking justice so when you have the greatest skateboarder in the history of the world Tony Hawk you bring him in now Tony what you do is obviously pretty extreme but what do you think about the high banks here at Daytona I had no idea you know you see this on TV and it just looks like a sort of a bank turn and when you get here it's it's really steep it's a lot scary those thought write up the banking you go I got a star from the top seems so easy when someone called me about this you know all right now what kind of a ride was that at 31 degrees uh a lot faster than I ever expected it to be it was fun though would you want it pretty smooth along the bottom I thought that the where it meets the flat it would be a little more kink but that's alright I've added 185 miles an hour thanks back to you Chris all right thanks very much actually dick Berggren do that on his red scooter yeah I have two Tony's Tony Hawk can do a lot more and actually he'll be on the assistants tonight on Fox it's the simpsons 300 the 300th episode starring what are the biggest names in action sports Tony Hawk and the Simpsons follows an episode of king of the hill where's Daytona 500 hopefully resuming after 63 laughs let's go back for a moment too we heard dick Berggren talking about pit stops with a couple of the drivers and you weren't necessarily buying that the rule change is causing problems for the pit crews it's just creates more of an opportunity for a problem yeah I think what I want to point out here right now folks is it thirteen and a half gallons or 22 gallons when you're out of gas you're out of gas and first 42 of you still on the lead pack you know you still could have the same kind of problem I think that they've got valid issues about where everybody's kind of responding to it or over responding to the fact that you know they've got to stop more times and that could create a problem but you know this is still it's a 500-mile race the number of accidents we've had kind of broke things up so I mean I wouldn't totally just lay it off on the thirteen half gallon sales as far as what's happened here all right and earlier we saw that three car crash you heard from Brian Newman and involved Ken Schrader Bobby Labonte all three of the drivers are walking away treated and checked out fine let's go down to dick Berggren he's with Bobby Labonte dick and Bobby's sitting on a workbench here staring at his bent race car what happened out there Bobby the wreck happened out there in front of us came down pit road got down the end of pit road and I was to the inside of the few cars that were down there I already told the guys look like I made it through there and the 49 car can slide across something if he's using the wreck against some pride in heavy breaks her steering and centered him you can see the disappointment in his face his crew chief has fatback miss Wayne what are you gonna have to do to fix this car and get it back on the racetrack we got doing a lot about 20 this is gonna wait to the red flag we got some body damage on the front got a busted transmission got changed steering box so we got a long long day to go and it's really long when you're on the red flag condition it is because all I can do is stare at the car to genie well I asked Kenny Schrader's do you care whether we get the rest of this race in because now it stopped raining and what'd you tell me so of course I care oh yeah that's exactly what you said well I'm not maybe near as excited about it as I was but you know we had just had a decent run going had a good week down here scared the heck out of Carrot Top there you know and uh is this what happened did this happened when you got the damage here looked normal before the wreck you know and then it just it scared the heck out of them so uh Kara taught me never it looks normal we should just clear that up load him up and bring him back at Darlington we're gonna go Rockingham without him but glad to have him back right him just not the way we wanted to have the day go now you doing okay cuz I noticed there's like a chunk of sod over here that come out of the car did that come out of you where's this from here no I just got a little bit of side I think Ryan Newman got most of it but just glad to see Ryan's okay and everybody's alright just bad day for a lot of people I'm glad to see that we can stand here and joke and that you're doing okay as well all right Steve with Sterling Marlin is sterling listed as 11th right now how's that Coors Light Dodge Edmond baya it's pretty good they make you fun back you look what Jamie's doing what's he doing making faces at us it's been pretty good we you've been up to seventh and back to probably 15 back up the level and he's driving pretty good got a little bit tight one time never had a lil but a lot of guys you look like long we're running the worst her car's got handling so check it out senior hopefully we get to 40 or 45 laps in and at least get halfway they say it's gonna rain for 12 hours once gets here so you hope we can get cars that's a little better get on up front sterling you have led more races here 25 than any other driver did the math you've led about 1,400 miles what is it about this big super speedway that you like so much I don't know that pretty good research Edna pretty good I just always enjoyed racing it's fun track and have a good time to run about a hundred 95 98 and we wouldn't be worrying about blocking each other trying to use all the racetrack that come up off floors but you know we're not we'll just stuff what we got now and I gotta throw it should I throw it as Steve or as sterling all right Matt throws pretty good you know I don't know who you got well I think we will talk to his teammate Steve thank you jamie mcmurray first off you were just telling sterling what a great teammate he is a little sign for him just sterling is the king of playing pranks on people so come on I was just trying to get one ahead of him right now he'll get me back well you start at 19 how is your day gone not according to the plan you hoped for well in the Busch race yesterday the bottom was really good and that's behind Ward Burton and I thought I'm just gonna ride on the bottom so started down there and they got too wide then they got three wide and I looked up and I was dead last after a little while so car was really tight at the beginning but they've adjusted on it and have made it a lot better so I feel like we'll be able to work our way back up but told me just before I got in here he said man don't wreck and don't anything stupid he so you know just ride around for 400 miles try to stay with them they sit in the race last hundred so just trying to listen my car owner that's the best thing to do especially when he's paying your salary to Chris Myers I thanks Joe Matt and Jamie McMurry one of five rookies in today's Daytona 500 one of six drivers who are in their first Daytona 500 and in a rain delay but it is stopped raining and we hope to get going again somebody wake him up there's racing on Fox coming your way here in a moment [Music] welcome back live to Daytona thanks for spending your afternoon here on Fox and hoping to get racing again you see it's a little wet there but the rain has stopped and the dryers are out on the track Dale Earnhardt jr. currently leading Tony Stewart currently fourth let's go to dick Berggren to talk with tony deck well Tony car looks awful good how's it feel not bad right now it's definitely running real good right now and we're staying with the 8 in the 15 and got some really good partners that there right now so we just got stay up there we got a really good car it's just real early I mean just trying to be patient and stay in line with guys and we're all working together real good and there's some there's some guys that are in a big hurry and on a mission to get up there and try to lead a lap I guess so we're just trying to hold those guys off and stay with the partners we got are you having conversation with hand gestures with those guys you're working with spotters they just know how fast you are and as a result the three of you are working together I mean Jr and I always work real good together and restrictor plate tracks so you know we always plan on working together but you know Mikey and him have run real well together Mikey and I have run real well together here at Daytona last year in the 125 so you know the three of us know what we got it's just a matter of protecting it right now bunch of people are talking about running hot engines running on how's yours we've been warm at times but you know I got to do is pick the nose down a little bit get a little fresh air and give it a gulp of good cool air and it's a it brings the temperature right back down so we don't have too many problems there okay good for you nice to see you running so well today thanks dick and Tony moments ago you heard the Michael mcswaink roots you for the 18 car Bobby Labonte and affectionately known as fatback McSwain talking about the transmission of problems and that issue let's get on to Jeff Hammond from the Hollywood hotel he's in our valet parking area and the Ford cutaway car for a clear illustration and explanation of that Jeff yeah this a second ago Michael McSwain was talking about he's got to change the steering box on Bobby's and body car right here is a steering box it's located is held on by four bolts I have to disconnect the four bolts from there as well as a steering column in which to steer the steering column goes up and that's where the steering was connected to that the driver holds on to as well as the pitman arm down on the bottom that's a relatively easily changed except the fact they've got also disconnect all the power steering lines they go along with that once they get that accomplished then they can hook everything back up and make sure they've primed the pump and everything so they how experienced that will operate the drivability of the car once again for Bobby Labonte the other item he's got to change is the transmission now in our cutaway engine here this is where the transmission is located this is the bell housing this is the transmission they'll remove these four bolts on the that are connected to the bell housing as well as or the transmission support back here they'll disconnect that and the drive shaft that connects the rear in housing to the drive transmission they'll remove it then they'll take them this is a little bit of over exaggeration but they'll take and pull that transmission back away from the engine that will replace it and slide it back up in there make it line back up hook everything back up and hopefully they'll get Bobby Labonte back on the race track and give it give me my opportunity to save some valuable championship points before the day is over with Mike thanks Jeff while under a caution for Ryan Newman's crash brain fell in it rained hard here in Daytona Beach we've been under the red flag for rain now for 43 minutes but the track is just about dry and ready for racing they still have some work to do on pit road because that area is still very wet and we've seen how tough it is to get in and out of the pits safely when it's dry let alone when it's wet but we're making good progress toward getting this race back underway soon let's take a look back at the stock car portion of speed weeks 2003 the centennial of speed in Daytona they've been racing on the sands here since 1903 but they rolled into that tunnel and got ready to race here's Chad could house taking Jimmie Johnson's car through Winston Cup inspection Saturday night first time in prime time but shootout Dale Earnhardt jr. got his first checkered flag of this speed week rain cancel qualifying in the ARCA race on Sunday but come Monday Jr knocked his Dei teammate Michael Waltrip off the pole for the 500 and less than one minute later was displaced from the front spot by Jeff Green in practice Jack Sprague bumps Mike Skinner for car crash qualifying for the coolers 300 Busch race front row Joe Nemechek took the bowl then Robby Gordon on Thursday won the first hundred 25 mile qualifier no signal left turn by Kurt Busch Frank us on pit road in the second race Dale Earnhardt jr. to Victory Lane for the second time this week Johnny Benson used at the right side of his car Friday and wants to come practice and look at the finish of the Craftsman Truck Race Rick Crawford the old fashioned Daytona slingshot to win it coming off turn four but in practice for the Busch race carrier NAR crashes hard Saturday Jr again for his coke car owner Teresa Earnhardt Victory Lane in the coolers 303 checkered flags for the Prince of Speed week only fireball Roberts in 1962 has won more races in Daytona Speedway he took the race for the pole the all-star race the 100 mile qualifier won the sportsman race and the 500 that's the only time it's been done welcome back to Daytona mike joy with Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip and Darrell we're getting a lot of gray in the racetrack the water getting out of it we're getting close to going racing they're doing a wonderful job of drying the track and the track was hot and that caution had to come out those cars had kept going that vortex has kept spinning I don't think it ever right I believe do you believe keeping that heat in the air keeps it keeps that cloud away from the racetrack I believe it really does but I want to see here's what I want to see I mean they're juniors up there leading the race and Michael's been up there I want to see Kevin Harvick get up there and I want to see Elliott Sadler get up there because they won't ride they will mix it up they will mix it up and that's what we need is somebody to get up there and say look Dale jr. I can pass you and that's gonna put that's gonna make him think a little bit more about what he's doing I bet he'll quit watching TV and start watching his mirror last yesterday and the 300 mile race we saw only one lead change but as expected behind the leader single-file they're racing all over the place and I've seen that again today I mean I heard Michaels saying I've heard a lien you say it is hard to pass the leader you can get to the leader but you can't pass him even with help and the thing that's really making it difficult is the outside line going up to the high side and trying to get it running on somebody it just didn't work and you got to ride right around the inside and you've got that yellow line in there to protect anyone from going below you so the guy on the inside leading the race he's dictating what everybody else is gonna do so a lot of the racing for position Larry has been coming in and getting out of the pits I mean that's the thing I don't want to take anything away from Dale Earnhardt jr. in his Busch effort or Dei but the races that he won earlier in the week was short races the bud shootout you had two one pit stop when he won the hundred twenty-five mile or one pit stop even yesterday in the Busch Series race since they still run the 22 gallon fuel cells there was only two or three stops we still have about six or seven pit stops to go and we've already seen what mistake on pit road by Jeff Burton's crew can do to a good effort so again yeah del juniors got to get beyond his game on that racetrack but that pit crew and the calls that Tony Eury senior makes they have to be on their game on pit road so what about the small fuel cell Darrell well I'd like to go down in the cutaway car yeah I think Jeff's down there and just show you the two different sizes of the small cell 13 gallon and the one we did run the 22 gallon and I want to talk about a problem that some of the guys telling me telling me or they're having we have 11 gallon dumpkins and it in with 11 gallon dump Ken when the fuel cell is empty you put 11 gallon in the fuel cells almost full for 13 gallons when you go with the other 11 gallon it won't go in because there's too much pressure forcing it in the cell and you can't get it full so we need to do one of two things I believe in that's where I wanted to get just opinion in Larry's too we didn't need to have two smaller cans so that you can put two cans of fuel in the car or else one 13 gallon dump can so you only have to put one can of fuel in it what do you think guys well Jeff you know when you're down there to cutaway car you're looking at a dump Ken right here that's something that NASCAR has been on hard this week is mandating what these guys are doing with dumpkins they don't really say a lot like the fuel cell they don't say it has to hold a certain amount of fuel they have a dimension sheet for that dump Ken and there was guys running around hunting fuel dump cans Jeff because all of their kids were too big now Darrell you want to know better a 13 gallon dump Ken they used to exist better you used to have a couple of marseilles but larry was alluding to NASCAR right down that's why I asked crap NASCAR crackdown I said guys go back to our dimensions 11 gallons all we're gonna lie here on these cans but you've got an interesting thought process there my friend because again if you want to make the pit stops and make all this here kind of work I think that with the intent that NASCAR has come up with you need to go to two cans this is a 13 and a half gallons sale that everybody's got in right now this is the bladder it goes inside the can this is the bladder it's 22 gallons riding behind it you can see us quite a bit of difference between the two obviously because of the different size of the holds now the interesting part about it is you still have to come in and put fuel this thing when you're trying to dump 11 gallons and Darrell's talk about when you go back and grab the other dump can you try to put it in there is it creating a problem it could be could be this is what you do this is the probe that fuels the fuel cell itself the guy comes in he pushes this probe in fuel flows through here down inside the fuel cell itself and it once it's full it has to come out what I call this overflow it comes out this overflow this is the check valve that the guy catches overflowing right behind here now what it does the fuel says fuel cell itself is sitting right down inside here you see inside everyone welcome to decadence when you see a little bit better come in here now our car right now and still sit up for Rockingham unfortunately but this right here is a 22 gallon sail but this is where it sits in the back of the race car these guys now carrying 13 half gallons but when a fuel cell when he gets full it overflows out through this tube we've already seen when Larry's talking about mistakes on pit road this is one of the places that one guy has already had a problem that was Jeff Burton the overflow came got caught and this check valve this inside this hose area again you've got to eliminate mistakes it is what part of the game is today Darrell the guys have got what they've got and may be trying to figure out whether they need to go to smaller dumpkins may be a good idea whenever you come back down pit road next time in the exchange and everything maybe they go to an opportunity to go to maybe six and a half or seven gallon can't dunk cam so they can fill this thing up a little more reasonably well at 11 gallon dump can't full already weighs about 80 pounds I'm not sure adding more weight to that fuel er it's gonna be the best thing I like a toucans solution I think for here we should have two smaller cans that way when you fill this out fill the cell up you get the can't either sells half-full than the other candle going a lot easier huh drivers are being called to their cars and a big cheer went up from this crowd when that announcement was made just real quickly again the sun's out and they are headed to the cars I talked to John Darby competition director and he said one reason they were really cracking down on the size these dumpkins is they didn't want teams to have a can it would field at 13 half gallon set up a coach what does that do that puts the pressure on the tire change that evening quicker and that's when you have more attention to mistake with loose lug nuts on Pinto next weekend the scene shifts to Rockingham for another full weekend of racing action Friday Busch Series qualifying on speed followed by Winston Cup qualifying on Fox Sports Net Dale Earnhardt jr. certs the earplugs puts on the helmet and gets ready to climb back aboard he's our leader after 63 laps of the 45th annual Daytona 500 37 laps shy of half way as Dale Jarrett straps in 137 laps from the finish what I like about this is now you've had a chance to go talk to your crew chief talk to other drivers I think we'll see a better race I think these guys will come back out now pumped up they make changes of their cars and I think we're gonna see some real racing in the crew chiefs have had about an hour or so to think about their strategy on this pit stop right here you heard elliott sadler talked about you heard Jimmie Johnson even though we were under six laps of caution pit road was closed because of the record in the pit road with Kenny Schrader Bobby Labonte nobody could fit Jerry Nadeau about to get back aboard and get going there's Jamie McMurray who won a race in relief of Sterling Marlin toward the end of last year yeah over at Charlotte he just really took off there at the end they won that sucker now comes here as a rookie candidate and the defending Winston Cup champ Oney Stewart last year the first driver to fall out of the 500 but his team rebounded quickly came back and won the national championship and it takes a while to rebound from a last place finish at Daytona I mean it can take two or three months that's what Ryan Newman and the 12 groups gonna be up against being dead last after their record just it takes a while you fall in a hole you crawl out of it I mean it takes forever race notes up in our Fox box Michael Waltrip led the first 34 laps of this race and you'll see notes like that throughout the day to help keep you updated on where your favorite driver has been today and that's I mean we try our best to go back and talk about your favorite driver but we obviously can't talk about all of them so that way if one of us had a problem you'll see it up there nothing goes our post Center Jeff Greene is sitting there talking on his cell phone I guess he was calling home see how you looked on television [Applause] in the green and he's gotta wait on again there are two crew chiefs are the ones that's gonna have to agree on that because as long as those two cars are up running at the front I think it's important that they stay on the same strategy that way they can leave pit road together I guess Larry I mean maybe I'm old school that's what Michael tells me all the time but I always thought that under the caution I want to take forward because that's when I have the least amount that's when I have the most time the cars are running under caution under green I want to take to a four under caution so under green I have the option I'm not taking any or taking - I don't want to get myself in a box where I got to put tires on my car when I come down to pit road under green but I see Michaels point to track position is so important to be up in the front pack if everybody gets four tires in the pits it's a real cluster trying to get out and maintain track position if you just get two under that caution you can stay up front and if he's got a good enough car to get four under green he's got a really good car but I tell you if you're running in a pack in the draft and you take four tires and the other guys only take two under green you're gonna be way behind you're gonna have to chase them down or I like what he and the Dale jr. did the other day and the qualifying races they took no tires right and and so I just think that you give yourself so many more options under green when you got to do it quick if you do everything that you can under caution and what we need to make the Finns understand unlike next week at Rockingham it's not that four tires here at Daytona make you faster it just makes the driver where he can maneuver the car they're just gonna have better grip yeah you can hold the car wide open when you've got four fresh tires on it you saw Ricky Rudd who's been coming here for two decades trying to win the 500 maybe today is the day for the Chesapeake Virginia driver Steve Park from Long Island and there's Rudd making sure he's comfortable and has everything he needs to go the distance here Jeff Gordon now it's a struggle to get that window net strapped in Darrell it's explained why yeah well that we run these thing they're so tight because you do not want that thing to be if you get in a wreck like grind Newman did you want that to be fiddle string tight so that you don't get an arm or anything outside of it they fit see how I think just pitch right up against the body and these pieces where it hooks and everything it's really really strong in the driver I told you early last year I know you got out pulled on you fender but I don't know how you got you internet and all your paraphernalia back up and he said I didn't think I was going to be able to do it Wow he said I gave it three tries and on the third one I said this is it or I'm gonna have to go the pits to get the window net put in and from a performance standpoint the more you can make that thing think it's a solid piece exactly it reduces the drag on that car let's less air go in the car Bill Elliott two-time winner of the 500 getting set to go let's go to Chris Myers brew he's a race break all right let's arre crap recap the great American race which started a little bit early because of threatening weather so they moved up the start time and on lap 36 gas can problems causing a penalty in and out of the pit lap 42 Bobby Labonte it's the green car the 18 car spins out and it created the first caution he was okay he was very lucky all right everybody lucky here to Ryan Newman in the 12 car along with Kenny Schrader and Labonte involved and Newman amazingly survived this walks away in fact all three drivers involved were unhurt and there is Ryan Newman who was out of this race and I've left 64 the rains came with the Dale Earnhardt jr. leading Elliott Sadler is currently running second Michael Waltrip running third also in a de along with little e back with Jeff hammock Chris Myers in the Hollywood hotel just above victory land and this is a visa race break in between the weather and will this affect the strategy in terms of hey do we race to a hundred laps to make this official we're on the 64th lap or do we just take our time as if this was a 500-mile race no I think with the way the weather is right now Chris you've got to take chances and go ahead and throw that for tire stopping there like Michael and Willie we're talking about getting there try to give it up a past halfway and put yourself in the best position so that if it does go further then you can start off in four two tires now's the time to go ahead and get in that kind of position because we're not halfway we got about 37 laps before we get there and I think that's where the real race is gonna be we've seen terrific teamwork obviously with the Dei car guys with little E and Michael Waltrip who stands the best chance of giving them a challenge and will they have the right kind of help well we've kind of seen already I think where Elliott Sadler has been pretty strong if somebody can work with Elliott like a Kevin Harvick who's been coming up through the pack and told everybody hey I'm coming if those two guys can get together and if her cars will work if you work together he may be a factor before the days over with he could run these guys he could basically have it rain on their parade andia and the trash talk if you want to call it that all week with the Richard Childress Racing and and Dei I mean it's looking like they're gonna have a lot to say about who winds up whether this goes up 500 miles or just the 100 laps plus when this becomes an official race right and one of the other guys we've kind of left out of the mix as far as ves concern we're looking at Steve Park and he say this car was pretty good if he could get back up there he may also gonna help his teammate so when you're making all this strategy play you've got to look at maybe Michael and Lilly trying to get hooked up back here in the back doing the same thing on pit road or the 29 car in the 38 car hooking up together all these things are going to start playing out I'm sure there's a lot of deals being made right now in fit right Kevin Harvick during the rain delay talking big there's the pole sitter Jeff Green so something to look for as we resume action here getting ready to go want to be a grand marshal at a Winston Cup race introducing the V NASCAR Grand Marshal for a date contest here and tune into the first hour of each news boxes or FX is 2003 Winston Cup races look for the secret number on the animated car then log on to foxsports.com lotta Lycos and enter the secret number for your chance to win wave the checkered flag next year at Rockingham possibly turned out to be the lucky one the be a NASCAR Grand Marshal for a day contest begins Sunday right here and we're getting ready to go racing as you get a look at the drivers and their crews track looks dry and uh pit road looks so dry as well yeah everything on so that's our farce why can't by the way that is one of the neatest things I've seen in a long time that that camera come down pit road is really giving us a different perspective well it more into play when you you know guys come in there at 55 miles per hour and try to get in and out of there we've already had a lot of adventure in the Busch race and there's a look at the look of the camera yes waving at us that looks like let's see do you think Darrell Walker is very smart all right yeah okay that was pretty good I don't I don't know I don't know how smart that to fly cameras but it gives us great pictures and that's the important thing very smart I think you're stuck in that mode right now Chris word I should ask you something they had to be a yes question but yes you could you could have said about Jeff just this thing again the drivers in the it when they come into the pits in terms of how they could be cautious but obviously time of the essence getting in and getting out of there time is of the essence but more importantly you've got to be careful coming down pit road and getting any out of your pit box because we damage your race car no matter how much time you give up on the racetrack that can hurt you a lot worse something you don't knock the front end fenders the end of the quarter panels in take your time these smooth get in and out if you got a good race car you can pass the guys that beat you out pit road all right a Daytona 500 has never been rained out and I think we caught a break here and we started a little bit early we had the rain delay but we're getting ready to get racing and crank it up and should have an exciting finish again with Dale Earnhardt jr. leading the way let's go back upstairs to Larry McReynolds Mike joy Darrell at the front of that line is Dale Earnhardt jr. who started this race on the outside Pole six times the Daytona 500 has been won from the outside pole 15 times from the front row our pole sitter Jeff Green is at the opposite end of that train he'll restart last car on the lead lap he was caught up in part of the accident between Ken Schrader and Ryan Newman and Ward Burton they've had to pit to make repairs so he'll be the tail gunner on this restart yeah again we talked about pit road being closed those two cars came to pit road several times while pit road was closed and the penalty is when you restart the race you have to start it to tail them to the longest line so that's what will happen to Ward Burton and Jeff green drivers are in their cars awaiting the restart of the Daytona 500 after a red flag but so far been an hour and five minutes Dale Earnhardt jr. screw on the run toward that lead car I'll come back the car will not fire Jake when Terry ran a battery down there Tony your juniors running down their number of crew members from the bud guys are running down as evening help Dale Earnhardt jr. wreckers making its way to the front of the grid trying to give it a little push and bump start it there I mean we talked about this all the time Darryl you know to win the Daytona 500 you gotta have a good race car you can't make any mistakes but you know what you got to have luck on your side too yeah and this is unfortunate just like the batteries did maybe left something on when they got out of the car maybe left something on CD player that might be so good now this is not the kind of bump-drafting that you want to see boy and you know it and when you've had such a perfect week you're just waiting for the shoe to drop you know you just kind of walk around saying man what can go wrong it's been too good all right you know to change the pattern it's not a big big deal it's located in front of the left rear tire animation right here what you have to do take lifter top there's the battery right there you take that little aluminum door off this is a quick disconnect you just slide it apart it's a marine didn't quick disconnect slide the old battery out slide the new one in connect it back up slide the other one in quick disconnect put the door back on put the towel and I mean you can do it in a matter of seconds if you have to oh yeah we've done it and never lost a lap and the procedure that has been in place is that should a car require a push to restart on a red flag that is legal and he should not forfeit his position man go ahead get up on the paper bike the problem for Dale Earnhardt jr. simple he forgot to turn on the main power switch that's why it would fire kind of turn everything on to make it work and what these cars have they have a master switch that cuts all the power off to the battery and degrees they have that one it's a safety issue in case a car has a fire also when you stack are sitting overnight in the garage area you cut it off as well Jeff green still trying to get repairs made from the press coming out of turn four dick Bertram I took a walk around the car Mike and the car really is it bad but there's some minor sheet metal damage on the other hand at one hundred eighty-five hundred ninety miles an hour minor sheet metal damage can really slow a racecar down so they're gonna take their time here on pit road and get the car back as good as they possibly can yeah and it's right now is the right time to work on it man don't wait til later on you got the card we're under caution here work on it now get it back perfect and it'll run better now the pits were not open but since Green was already at the tail end of the longest line he'll serve no further penalty smart move because that just gives them that much more time to work [Music] in the garage work resumes on Bobby Labonte's car trying to get him back on to the Speedway after being involved in a crash with Ryan Newman Ken Schrader and Ward Burton that has run the race under its second caution of the day and the red flag now that's just pit road that's open that green flag the race is not back under green but pit road is open and virtually everyone will be there and I think you'll see a lot of people change in just two tires you may see just some fuel we're just trying to get that track position I think there's some guys that likes a man I was if I could get in front of that eight car maybe I could hold him off and the only way they're going to do it just your best opportunity Pat well the game plan for Dale learn our tuners simple there on the two tire rotation the last time they took on left's they're going to take on rights this time his last stop those two tires have to go the Steve dick tip Gordon in his pit box crew chief Robby Loomis says nice and easy boys bright side tires of gasps important--is away right front of Sterling Marlin a lot of congestion but hardly any contact his cars come on and off pit road if you beat a car off pit road you are able to improve your position there otherwise there don't passing under the caution flag so this will turn to the field slightly among the 38 cars that are on the lead lap 64 laps complete were getting ready to go back to racing in the Daytona 500 on Fox [Music] under caution the Daytona 500 now 65 laps complete Layton pit stops for Mike Skinner John Andretti and Jeff freed the field will form up behind Kaycee mayors of rookies believes the Daytona 500 no rookie has ever won the race in the former winner from last year's right behind him first time we've seen him up there near the front today Ward Burton we've been showing you our fuel gauges when they've been getting them empty now everybody has pitted there's Casey Mears there's more Burton there's Michael Waltrip nice full tanks now Michael Waltrip he led the battle off pit road of the cars that pitted because he took fuel only no tires his teammate Dale Earnhardt jr. Tony Stewart in the 20 as well took two right-side tires Michael Waltrip third car coca-cola racing family Tony Stewart the Winston Cup champion Harvick all on the top 10 now Casey Mears who was leading the race he comes to pit row but he got those five bonus points Ward Burton he also came to pit road second page Bobby Labonte's car in the garage under repair out of the race ken schrader and Ryan Newman everybody else on tracking on the lead lap except for John Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi both of them are on the lap down Jeff Michael I think I'm seeing right here as far as Ward Burton and the 41 car Casey Mears are concerned several the Dodge steam comin in concerned about the L together 35 or 36 laps like several hundred cars good so for these guys they may be coming down pit road to be able to make that magic halfway point in event of a rain does come back this might be the only way they could reach the halfway well in Jeff Ward Burton I think he was staying out there just for that to go ahead and run some of these cautions before he come to pit road remember though he was he was making pit stops when pit road was closed so he was going to have to start it to tell in detail so he would just let some of these caution laps wind down all right mr. Weather Channel let's have a look we've had a hard shower here that put us under the red flag for one hour and eight minutes and we're in the window Larry I mean here's Daytona Beach here's our weather moving this way we just need to get this race started and get going get that vortex go and eat up I'm telling you I've been doing this for a long time it works not if people left me all the time because there's it there's those 12 hours of rain Sterling Marlin was talking about all the way across the state but you know what they're doubled up I think we're gonna go racing I'm a little and I'm a believer in four days there's a lot of theories in racing people don't understand that's one of them aerial coverage courtesy of Budweiser fans back in the stands cars back on track were set to restart the Daytona 500 after the second caution of the day the first at lap 42 for Bobby Labonte spin the second lap 58 Ryan Newman's crash with Schrader and Bobby Labonte red flag at lap 64 we're going to begin lap 68 [Music] that twice the two buckety day now one thing this cooler weather has done a lot the cloud it has pulled the track temperature down about 13 to 15 degrees we stopped the race that just gives these cars more grip around the racetrack like those Oh engines run better too and they'll sound louder so we should we boogity twice what haven't we done yet today hey let's strap those television down crank it [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jr but those jr. have a problem that possible problem on the eight car he's reporting in his losing bolts and went from 10.8 now down to 10 minutes cars have a charging system very similar to Pastor call alternator system a charging system maybe a 70 L alternator and DW the only thing you can be right here especially while green-flag racing is and need to cut that blower over that helmet the koozie down yeah I know I hate to hear that two laps ago robby gordon up here on the outside was just ahead of his teammate Kevin Harvick Gordon swung up the racetrack Harvick got cut in the middle and he got passed on both sides now he's ducking underneath his teammate Gordon trying to get out and was not to be caught in that circumstance again dick Berggren does Elliott Sadler have a problem well Elliott Sadler had a problem like he had one of those electrical boxes go bad on him when the race restarted he switched boxes and said the car is ok now but he's lost several positions as a result one of the things that happens I believe Mike is the cars are hot and pulling down here they get wet and all that moisture the heat causes it to want you to get up in the wiring systems and everything else and they may fix themselves once the cars get hot again and draw all that out just like we've seen before a single-file the first four cars then double a triple water as they jockey for position back in the field right now Kevin Harvick in the 29 he has that team made of Robby Gordon the 31 hooked up that inside were the ones he wants to get up her kevin harvick want to get up there they see Robby Gordon 31 told me Thursday after winning the qualifying race they came down here tested in January they did the bodies off all the cars completely redid them and came down here for speed reads from a whole different package but we've made a big deal we made a big deal out of you know the Dei cars in the Childress cars working together sharing information but I think that game might be over all right then the Black Plague is being displayed it's for Sterling Marlin in the 40 cars on the backstretch this yellow line right here that's out of bounds you cannot go below that in advance your position and there he's dipping below the line to pass that car there black flag that could put him a lap there again a mistake you can't make was the only thing that I don't like about that Larry is he can be forced under that you get a run on the guy you get down there and he forces you below the yellow line he can actually put you numbers has to bring in since it's all so hard to subjectively determine whether you drove down there were pushed down there bass Carter said the line is the line no matter what we saw yesterday in the Busch Series racing some guys get down there backed up a little bit and did not advance that position these cars behind me happy going to back up dick Berggren conversation and the drivers meeting this morning and Mike Kelton said that if anybody pushed into that they are liable to get a black flag or if you should keep trying below the yellow line you're liable to get a penalty either way to Steve Sterling's trying to you see he's got his hand out he's a the whole field behind him Darrell you're exactly right Sterling Marlin just radioed Lela : said the car to my right took a heart left I didn't have a choice I had to come down well use it to your advantage come down pit road pop the thing up the fuel get back out there in a hurry and he's headed to pit road now remember he can't make any more mistakes but he gets that oh he's gonna have his cuz we just to fresh out from a restart all the fields going to be together and he's going to be all by himself Jeff Darrell what I was watching right there Elliott Sadler had a cognition problem remember he got off of it had to switch boxes I believe he was slowed down on the back straightaway because of that and Sterling was trying to avoid him when he went below the line you know there's officials everywhere they're watching from from up here calls are subjective you know and they made the call like Mike Mike said the yellow lines the yellow line sometime how you got done there's you know nuts not not debatable [Music] he needs that costume black bag he actually came out of shape down the back let's see here they're coming they're just now starting off the turn turn three he's got to land to the back straightaway laughs to Harlan back-to-back winner of the 500 1994 almost a left behind and let's show you again what happened to Sterling Marlin did he boot to advance or was he pushed below the line let's see here he comes oh I don't know I'd hate to make that call but it's a ball and strike call Darrell it really is as they say in racing it is what it is and teammate Dale Earnhardt jr. who would dominated these restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega lead at 76 lat [Music] the Daytona 500 on Fox is brought to you by UPS what can Brown do for you [Music] UPS the official delivery company of NASCAR delivers a chance to win four tickets to next year's Daytona 500 log on to foxsports.com keyword UPS racing we're talking about Sterling Marlin and the penalty that he just served and call them just what to expect if they went below some of you have figured out that in order to protect your spot you can move down and right against the yellow line and to keep somebody from going around you on the inside that's ok but if you do it while that guy is trying to get around you if you move him down there when he's got a quarter panel or a fender up alongside of you in our opinion if you've made him go down there and he can't check up quick enough to get in behind you if you've made him go down there then you're subject of black lashes that is how the rule was explained with who chiefly McCall now leaves we saw you pleading your case the officials on pit road what did they say well I guess they said well yeah yell I'm but we were forced down there and you know what we'll just see what we can get here hug forget a cautions down within layout but it's unfortunate situation and let's go to Matt Yocum and Steve an update on Dale Earnhardt jr. back on lap 75 he said the votes are now down to nine and a half last time by he says it's at the edge of the gauge they're just gonna tell him to keep riding it out they're hoping the next band of showers hits while they're still up cross his father tried to win this race for 19 years and had everything possible go wrong cut tire on the last lap Seagal hit the oil cooler you name finally on the 20th try Dale Earnhardt was successful in winning the 500 and I'm sure now Darrell he's cut everything off except engine that's the only thing needing a power supply right now but to go back and talk about Sterling Marlin we've been watching his lap times he's running like 49 9250 flat the pack is running 49 flat so he's getting beat us that group which means in five to six laps you will be left and back about their junior here's the thing I always say a driver in my opinion you have a luck Bank you know you you start off the year with it full of luck and he is used an awful lot but down here so forth I hope he's not overgrown you brother best you can looks like some more rain is coming this way just keep runner kid that's his spot at Tyler's talking to Dale Earnhardt and look at that front pack Waltrip junior Tony Stewart Kurt Busch you won three of the seasons last five races and behind them look at this pack double-file todd bodine getting overhaul by the two Childress cars Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon now working together and you know that's good to see because I get skepta shifts watching those two in the beginning race they weren't working together like they should but now it looks like they are but Richard possibly during that Reds life they during that red flag until mr. Childers probably had those boys over in his red truck talking to them about Jerry Nadeau Danbury Connecticut X road racer who restarted 18 and now he has that army tank coming along in 5th place it's make an army tank went over to Afghanistan a few weeks ago and actually drove a tank it's been about a week over with our troops just a few miles from the enemy lines like a tight push like a dumptruck you see it push like a dumb replacing a Ken Schrader I really like to see us go long green here even make a green flag pit stop and come back up coach we heard Jeff Gordon talk about long runs I'm really good and I think that's going to be what what's going to make the difference in this race if we can stay under green and make some long runs you'd like to see that sterling ball and wouldn't he wilts a caution flag no he's they've got him in his sights now it won't be long now they'll be up there put him a lap down but he's got a good car he can hang tight and precaution comes out in well michael waltrip is playing the range strategy mic that's why they came in and just took gas only no tires that was a real quick pits off that's how come he's in the lead but without taking those tires the car has gotten a little bit loose they have just enough gas to go to about the halfway point at which point they hope it starts to rain and don't win the race 15 laps to half way the couple on the outside there that point the race would become official if it has to time we've seen cars go to the outside and make passes and what we really need and I think Kevin Harvick's going now you see them they're getting down now if there's for good his teammate at the top Robby Gordon and the two Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon acceptors Harvick in the abut shootout no jr. made all his passes on the outside this is what we need look at this if we can go long great look at Michael he jumps over and try the Harvick now see you there Junior [Music] the middle now let's see if Robby Gordon the 31 yeah he's going to slide look will he look like he was walking try to slide that bottom booth picking up learn then this is picking up Matt Yocum w he says the car is starting the cut end on and off in fact the last lap he told his spotter time horns to talk to Tony Stewart spotter tell him that my car is starting to cut out and off he's hitting me I don't wanted to spin me out he is waving he's going to pin he can see his hand waving in the monitor he's going to pit next time by one of if not the best car during speed weeks may have lost his chance for a Daytona 500 victory the battery needs to maintain a certain amount of voltage to fire those spark plugs and junior doesn't have enough fire and there's so many things about race car it always amazes me how they run three and a half 500 by three and a half hours five miles and everything works you know I mean there's a lot of moving parts on that sucker out there hold 190 miles an hour he does not pit junior stays out on the racetrack yummy Fox Trax of speed 176 miles an hour little bit off the pace not badly off the pace but that problem likely will not improve itself it's not going to get better so they're going to get worse for what he's track down this is the dilemma you know anyway in another what they're trying to do is nurse that thing to see if we can't get to halfway you and this is a lot of things going on you have the weather coming your batteries going down and you try to make that decision to become a pit road and do it now do we try to wait now the call is now yeah and they take coach sterling he's getting ready for that death I thought he might be this the fly in the ointment here is Michael got to him that Harvick might be able to get to the outside of Michael but Michaels putting a bomb on him but here goes Harvick up on the outside there you see the battery right there with the quick try to get that battery in there that lose as much time as they can now Tony Stewart CK what's he going to do down the back Harvick outside Walter inside to work on the left rear he's got the tire up he's getting the battery out they're going to change the battery now it's just a question of how much time he is going to lose how fast they can get this battery change if they can still hold on that lose enough time so they can still try to keep their hopes for Kevin Harvick lost his teammate Rafi closed in traffic way back and that was the end of Harvick's charge of the outside but the cow Sterling Marlin fighting to stay on the lead lap is pulling these guys around there he's holding them off he's got a fastball we know that he could be the guy who really makes it everyone who's going to lead this race so if the caution come out now Marlo would get a free pass and come all the way around if michael waltrip gets past him sterling has stuck a lap down and you know he hadn't he's protecting the bottom and Sterling's really not affected apple girl I just think that Michael at Dale Earnhardt jr. he just come off pit road he's gonna go two laps down so he's gonna be well more than two laps down 1 minute 7 second it stopped trying to come back up to speed and the car still sounds flat 91 laps complete nine laps to halfway michael waltrip leads the daytona 500 on five [Music] eight this time look at Harvick I mean it's all he guts you you the daytona 500 off trouble trouble turn 3-1 car smashing off the wall and sliding to a halt caution is out that's our post center Jeff great in a thirty car Sterling Marlin gets his left back there yeah he does and Jimmy Spencer is involved in the number seven slides to a halt right near the entrance to pit road at lap 95 the third caution flag of the day there is Spencer's spent I tried to get outside Jeff Green is okay you heard Spencer say he tried to get outside and could not to miss the crash this comes right on the heels of most of the teams fixed to come to pit road and make green flag pit stops so we're not going to get that long green again that I think some of the guys were hoping for okay do you stop or do you wait out lap 100 and see if it sprinkles in his book Larry read about the guy he said to the radar comebacks and everything's great Larry it's all green or no he said everything's great but then it start raising a fog for debris on the blimp I start picked up and the showers are on the way Jeff hammer now we're gonna find out who can sit on that hot stove as they say and sweat them bullets and get by with it Michael Waltrip and several these teams they're gonna have to stop here the next five or six laps being real interesting to see how this little scenario plays out the one thing I find interesting is for somebody like Sterling Marlin is going to be the very back of the pack he can come and get four tires he wanted to he could really make things interesting leaders are in at the back of the pack off of the weights like it wanting to go and I'm going to see if the shrinkie nice are coming in the gamble paid off dick you see guess only for Timmy Johnson he's away right side tires on the 24 of Jeff Gordon cars that did not pit in fluid Todd Bodine and Ricky Craven look at those dark clouds coming I mean the 40 car he's been in a pen he topped up with fuel he's got some mental apps to play with clean righted this says some situations right here out of state out the youngest of the three brothers from shamone New York Todd bow tied as the new leader of the Daytona 500 Jimmy Spencer walked from his car he was okay after that crash short to you as it unfolds here Jimmy Spencer was trying to get around the outside as Jeff Green was spinning and just ran out of racetrack just what enough racetrack up there to get by me he just clips him this would sound like the tire just blew on that thing about the middle of turn three and cool yeah and Jeff Green is also out of his car and we'll take the mandatory ride to the infield care center 96 laps complete do you pitch or do you pray for rain you pop up and you pray for rain we'll come back and find out nuta Winston Cup this year the McDonald's drive-through challenge powered by powering all pit stops will be timed and the eligible crew with the shortest total time on pit road each week wins $20,000 the season long winter it's a quarter million we're come down juniors car and you've got to be agile when you're on pit road watch Todd Colburn the jack man who Phil Elliott trying to scooch out of the way is Jack Sprague goes by Todd gets upended it's right back up back at it well most all of the cars that did not pit when the pits were first opened at pitted now as we're on one to go Steve Byrnes with chat canals Chad tell us about your strategy fuel only and did you get enough fuel in the car well we got enough to get out ahead of these other guys you know we're just gonna have to wait and see I hope that the rain comes it's hard to predict what's gonna happen you know there's a big storm coming our car is really good we've been trying to get out front all day now that we're there if Jimmy can keep it there from say for the next 20 laps the rain comes we'll win the Daytona 500 if it goes more than 20 25 laps from her gonna be in trouble so we just have to see what happens last year Johnson was a rookie he won the pole for the 500 in one of Jeff Gordon's best cars from the year before but he crashed out of the race early it's a million three million three hundred thousand gamble I think it's worth it it's gonna rain its comment you could feel it you can see you they loans a smart car yep low clouds moving in over the Speedway Jimmy Spencer and Jeff Green were both checked at the infield care center and released they are okay as we're going to get to see what it would be like if it was ten to go distractions and head off in the turf one just wrapped high gear hunting 45 miles an hour with the restrictive plate of the carburetor it takes about a lap to get up to full sleeve you see Jimmy almost dropped to the inside and then he looked back and saw Tony was hanging to the outside he's going to have to do some era driving to keep these guys behind him now Chevy versus Chevy Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing and one car slices down to the inside Michael Waltrip they're all real funny great job baby and now this race would be official 48 right in the middle of right behind Michael is the 24 car now Darrell do to get those two teammates together right now they're split by Michael Waltrip get under Michael off of one of these corners either either alpha-2 off before so he can get up there and get with his teammate comes down to cover the spot single file might be a person on the bottom in the 20km like we've seen on some other restarts and bunny let me tell you the intensity is picking up at the front of the pack Jeff Gordon goes hi Jimmy Johnson moves up high to pick up his teammate in the draft and then you lose the lead help is on the way for Michael though there his teammate there we go got it you got it part with the problem going down toward turn one here smoke and flame from that last part line Mike Skinner something broke you saw it smoke just a couple laps ago something in the left front looks like it's locked up right now we still agreed no caution where Michaels all over the back of the 48 car and here comes his teammate if I was Jimmy Johnson has been trying to pick EULA the cars behind him to help his car move forward now the caution is out but Dale Earnhardt jr. they they took the caution so he won't be able to get this lap back they had already taken the caution flag those lifespans are a few feet less Mike Skinner will try to make it back around he will make it to pit road Tonia I don't know about y'all but I think my heart rate is taken up considerably haha everybody's pulse rate goes up we're past halfway in the Daytona 500 the 45th annual Daytona 500 on Fox is brought to you by Chevrolet wherever there's a winner's circle we'll be there 104 laps complete they given them one to go we'll go back to green next time buy a carpet of clouds has descended over this Speedway you can see that rain off turn number two in the not-too-distant future and it's headed this way listen why my heart rate picked up considerably Dale jr. is racing to get his lap back he gets into the side of Tony Tony gets into the side of Gordon and Tony turns his car sideways that's that may not look like that much but when it's 190 mile an iron you get that but poor out of shape lucky to save it much less he forces his way under him and I'm tell you Tony did a great job of hanging on that bad boy and that's why we talk about three-wide being a bad deal right there and Jeff Gordon ended up in 10th place as a result here's the field on the lead lap there are 34 cars contending for the win Jimmie Johnson the leader number 48 15 Michael Waltrip 97 the first Ford in line is Kurt Busch his teammate Mark Martin is lined up right behind him and that could be a potent combination on this restart and right behind them the 2 Richard Childress Chevy teammates Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon then Tony Stewart Mike Wallace Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon I just think it's incredible how the complexion of the race at gauzy and talked about all day Kurt Busch and Mark Martin where they come from well you came from they've been riding around backer because they didn't have to show their hand now the shows about to come to an end they're up during the hunt 96 laps to go if it does not rain thanks Carl is in Jimmie Johnson California moves him down Jimmie Johnson's hung out the ground he's in second place right now they're just going to keep drop kicking to Johnson for the back and Johnson had no choice by the rules he had the start of the outside lane and did you see the mood Mark Martin made from the top to the bottom to Hegel to his teammate Kurt Busch mark in the six car senior pastor we're gonna see what all these guys are got now now baby he let it all hang out sidetracked [Music] you caution is that great costumes the defending champion of the Daytona 500 Ward Burton driving for Bill Davis crashes at lap 107 and [Music] Jimmy Tysons routine Chad Knaus not happy and Dale Earnhardt jr. games back one of the lattices behind it that's why you never give up you know you set up and you say what the heck is he doing up there well you never know what can happen and the good thing about it no more cars that lap down Jeff he's gonna be able to come in and get four fresh tires they go right back near the front again on the inside line yes he will and the good thing about that he's gonna be in front of what's going to be happening behind Michael and the rest these guys because everybody realizes the race is going to be ended here very shortly [Applause] comes out he gets the free pass because the pace car picks up the leader he get all the way around and one of the most emotional speeches I ever heard Jimmy Valvano the coach I mean he said that is the that's the way racers have to race you can you never give up too many things can happen you don't drop your head and pack up your tool box and go home you keep racing and you race hard especially when you got a fast car Junior was two laps down he's got one of those laps back let's show you what happened at number 22 the Dodge of Ward Burton at turn four he'll be coming from the right side of your screen it just looks like he was up in the high side just lost it totally on his own there was no one near him in behind but this is hard to impact on the driver's side right there man I think he lucked out though he hit them right a left front and then snapped it into the left rear don't believe the drivers going that heartless and hook up Burton's car and haul it back to the garage where he'll join Jeff Green Jimmy Spencer Kenny Schrader and Ryan Newman right now because where his car is almost at the interests of pit road pit road is closed right now once they get that car drug away then we'll see pit road open and you'll probably see a little bit of pit road action but probably not by the guys up at the front no I think Jimmy Johnson's one is biting his fingernails right now or at least his crew chief Chad can outs because they didn't get that car full of fuel these caution laps are certainly happening by the he go very long he's gonna be in trouble let's watch from Bill Elliott [Music] the Daytona 500 on Fox brought to you by dodge you can take life as it comes or you can grab life by the horns stop by Pizza Hut home of the new stuff trust gold Pizza by H&R Block in H&R Block Financial Advisors and by United States Army Reserve an army of one with Jeff Hammond Chris Myers in the Hollywood hotel just above Victory Lane as the rain is starting to fall under our fifth caution and a couple of important things happened here because we're on our 109th lap 270 miles so if it needed to be called the race would be official but on that last caution literally and sterling marlin got laughs back yeah they sterling right now he started way back there next thing you know he's worked all the way back to 17th and little ladies already showed how strong he is once again if the Rangers stay away I wouldn't count him out yet but the guy right now who made the best gamble all day was checking out on Jimmie Johnson guys right here they've really made a great little call right there they only put one can of fuel in it but they were betting the fact that the rains would come before they needed a second can so it looks like right now they're in the catbird seat all right Michael Waltrip who led to earlier in the race so let's go down and check with dick Berggren his crew chief dick well everybody on top of Michael Waltrip pit box except his crew chief Slugger Labbe he was sitting here under umbrellas you don't have or at least you didn't have one until I showed up you don't mind the rain now I hope it keeps on raining - I hope NASCAR and Daytona haven't paid their light bill so they don't turn the lights on so we can just end this thing get it over with but uh map of Chevrolet's been good for the last 10 days soon as wind loads been fast off the truck qualified for finished second 125 our teammate and it's been strong all day and it has been a lot of hard work we started building this car back in May of last year our big goal after won the July race was to come back here in February win this race and we're hoping her we can do it one here in 2001 it looks awful good for them to win in 2003 Mike they're going to rent flaca Langston cars coming down pit road behind the pace car as you watch helmet cam on Michael Walter look at him and that's his ex his leg right there look at I don't want it up in there you know he's six five I don't know how he gets that big body down inside that race car but he does he's sixth I was about five for the legs and Ward Burton was not injured in that crash and turned four went to the care center they just quickly released him work Burton is okay hey Michael DW up in the tower how you read bud how u feel bud fab you happy something's up I've never heard Michael answer a question with one word before we're told in another car besides Dale jr. is having electrical difficulties and that's Robby Gordon not sure if it's the same problem the alternator not charging or a different one hey what what the deal was Michael II want to get out of there they're gonna put the car cover on he had to get out of there so we're red flagged for rain for the second time today there's a big band of showers on the back straightaway and over turn number three I'll tell you NASCAR fans are a hardy Bunch even though they're limited what they can bring into the Speedway hope they've got ponchos our Pepsi fan cam has been busy today around the grandstand as these folks have toughed it out through one red flag for rain and now here is the second one [Music] the Daytona 500 109 laps complete we have our second red flag for rain we'll be right back [Music] [Music] the 45th annual Daytona 500 on Fox is brought to you by Budweiser the best things in life are the things that are true Budweiser our Budweiser aerial cam is up but maybe not for long because off here to the west and over here are some big wide bands of showers the rains led up right now if they can quickly dry this track we might get back to green but who knows for how long dick Berggren with Jimmie Johnson currently running in worry a third spot I kind of ganged up on you out there did they I knew I was in trouble one way one shape I don't know I'm a little lost for words right now you know I'm about five laps short on the rain and when I was leading on the caution but I'd rather win this thing under green I didn't know what to do in that situation and and I only have two options in with junior and junior having or Michael having junior there there was multiple options there but 33 got a slow start and let Michael jump in the lanes gonna follow the momentum and Michael had the momentum and everybody knows how strong the two Dei cars have been so I'm just happy I fell in line where I did and if jr. wasn't there we'd still be leading right now it's just just how it is but I have to thank everyone at team Lowe's race for a little hard work and I know I had all the employee-owners up on the edge of their seat sir for a little while hopefully hopefully we get back to green and we can go back out there and try to get the lead what will you do when we go back to green I'm gonna push Kurt Busch as hard as I can and try to get him past that 15 and take myself lime - okay good for you it's good of Chris stick and Jimmy and remember twice of the history of the Daytona 500 the race has been shortened by rain in 1965 Fred Lawrence and won his only 500 after over 332 miles in and then in 1990 1966 Richard Petty took his second trophy a two lap short of the schedule to distance and we are officially a race here if they can continue as you get a look at Dale Earnhardt jr. now let's talk about the first rain delay we had he was sailing along clearly ahead and then there were some mechanical problems yeah they had a alternator a battery problem either come up on the Budweiser Chevy and you know they elected to stay out and you know I guess on hindsight you'd be like think about coming in if they had a perfect opportunity to change that battery and I believe right then you saw Dale Earnhardt jr. talking to his crew chief Tony Eury jr. and they're probably thinking about that if we could have got that done a little sooner we'd still be in good shape and he showed how strong he is because he's already got one of his two laps back if the rains do stop you know he's been a good position once again to possibly get that lap back side let's just see what the weather does because he's clearly not out of this races a lot of racing together yeah crew chief has to play weatherman as well let's go to his Dei partner and Michael Waltrip who is currently leading the race with our Matt Yocum at and Michael Waltrip keeps looking around you're looking to the skies do you feel like the heavy stuff is already coming goners or more coming I don't think the heavy stuff is gonna come down for quite some time now I feel good about where we're at obviously dw1 southern 500 by doing a rain dance could you cut him loose up there and let him drive around a little bit we can cut you loose I can't I can't dance but uh you know when I pray to God I pray for first for him to forgive me of my sins and make me a better person and then I ask him for what I want so I've done all those things and I want it to rain really bad let's talk about the move that you put on young Jimmie Johnson well he was an event of aspyn and you know you can only control your own car and my plan was for hopefully junior to get a great start in the 33 not to get such a great start and I could get between them and push by luckily for me it worked and I was able to get the lead and it's we it's wild of the plate race usually the last 20 laps it's no holds bar everybody's running into you it's all crazy but now with the weather it's it's it was all that way forever and so uh I had a bunch of stuff going on and I'm just so thankful that I've been able to have the luck I've had to get our car up front thanks to slugger all the boys Klausner furniture all my sponsors Oreo Napa we're ear down and we're gonna enjoy it hopefully uh hopefully we can win this race Daytona people don't understand this is a Daytona and the Daytona 500 it is it's all those things and it just moved my heart to be in this position and I want to win no matter what rain shine if it's an official race and I want it don't even ask me if I cared if it rain cuz I don't you told me also that was gonna be very special for you if you could win this race for Slugger I just wanted to win it for di you know Slugger is a big part of di he's helped complement the eight and make them better he's helped complement the one that make them better he is a wonderful human being he puts his heart and soul into what he does and you you appreciate people with passion that's why as mad as I get it race car drivers I love them because we're all passionate about this sport and about driving race cars and sluggers that way about working on them and he just doesn't quit working until he thinks he's given me the best car to drive and right now the one he's built is looking good thanks to Richie Gilmore all the folks that I make this possible just just thankful for the opportunity and you know they have lights here I'm figuring we'll race more but I'm gonna hope we don't well it's all about being at the right place at the right time the chrismyers all right thanks very much Dei cars have actually led 90 laps in the field and there is a Tony Eury jr. crew chief for little league with the Slugger Labbe the crew chief for Michael Waltrip and Gilmour right to the left out there and I think Burton's got some more information for us well I was Kurt Busch he started in 36th position all the way up to second you've passed a lot of cars what do you think we're gonna get the rest of this race in you happy where you are both sides of the fence we're happy where we're at the Taurus is running pretty smooth against all these other Chevy's and you know for all these great race fans and then of course our TV audience today with everybody being weathered out it'd be interesting to get back going again I've got a teammate couple cars behind and we're just doing like we can we just got to find the right hole and make sure we stay plugged in where is the car strongest following the DI cars but you got to get by at least one of them I'd love to and it's an interesting element that we have with Dale jr. having his battery issue getting laps back we know which way the 15 is gonna go I hope the eight doesn't get back on the lead lap but if he does it'll be the same matchup with two RCR cars there's two Ford's up here with my teammate mark there's a lot of elements that are going to this this is just a very you know eventful 500 distance every year a light rain is beginning to pick up - Jeannie well I figure if we want to know the weather we go to the guy that lives in this area so you're gonna give us the answer we gonna get more racing in here or what it's hard to say the story I've been hearing all along was when it got here the second time it was going to be here for good but but I really don't know it's coming down pretty good right now I don't know I'm so proud of Ben Leslie in this Viagra team man you know we really have worked hard and really these guys deserve a great result and you know they've they've just put me in a great race car today it took a lot of a lot of figuring and a lot of smart people to put this all together for us but so it's been a really good run so far where did you come from it two names that surfaced just before the rain delay here Kurt Busch and yourself quietly out there all day just getting the job done and suddenly making a move well we've had a good handling car and we haven't had good speed but you know with all that wind stirred up from all those cars you know we managed to work our way up there great pit stops great strategy and you know just a fabulous team I've got a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to 2003 could be our year we hope today is your day we get more racing at Steve Byrnes with Robby Gordon Robby you're sitting six right now tell us about your day well Kevin I mean we almost caught him at one time we got stuck on the outside then Kevin had to get back in Lanikai got stuck there but I was fortunate to get back down in front of Tony got a fast race car got Tony Stewart behind us is also very fast so hopefully we get back out and do some more racing here we got you know what 90 97 laps to go or 92 laps to go and I'd like the opportunity to go out and go for it we've been kind of sitting around riding most today taking take care of our race car and it's time to go Robby how frustrating is it for you to start and stop start stop yeah it's not that big of a deal I just you know you just want to you think about it and you can't work on your car these run flat conditions and you're like okay we can do this this and this right now we probably good enough cars running real good got my fingers crossed so we'll get this thing back in and if we do we got shot at it thanks Robbie let's go to dick burgers with teammate Kevin Harvick here we are again back underneath the rain umbrella what do you think well I think I think it's raining I think if it keeps raining we're gonna be running out of time we're picking them off one by one Jim good race cars really good where are you best are you best on the outside the bottom where does the car work best I'm best wherever that 31 is yeah that's our plan right now there's two of us up there whether he's in front of me or I'm in front of him that's that's our plan is to do everything we can to stay together because that's that's gonna be to our benefit but our cars good anywhere we just that much if we could have just cleared the 15 and we'd have been all good so always have to wait and see what the rain does and hopefully it stops it's a Daytona 500 we can't cut it short I know you want to win this race anyway let's go to Chris all right thanks dick and that's one of the advantages during the rain delay sure look at Michael Waltrip our current leader after the second rain delay here at the Daytona 500 we have a chance to talk to drivers in the middle of the action and crew chiefs Jeff we heard from robby gordon on their thoughts of stopping starting waiting out the rain from a crew chief perspective you're juggling a lot of things and we saw the gamble too with Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson right right now what you're sitting there as far as the crews he's concerned you've been over there you've been looking at what NASCAR is gonna do about the weather you're watching the weather reports yourself you're trying to make a decision is it over or are we just kind of like in a holding pattern if you're in a holding pattern you start thinking strategy what do what do you need to do next I'm gonna have some more rain coming if not on that problem just like the eight car have a battery problem I'll have a radio problem all the little things that can come up this is what the car chief and the crew chief we're doing right now they're trying to think some more about strategy until NASCAR jumps up and says hey guys we can't go no more all right let's get more on this from Daryl and Larry with Mike joy upstairs gentlemen five caution flags two red flags due to rain 11 lead changes among eight drivers most of those happening during the Pitts exchanges with Darrell the one car that's have been able to fight his way to the front on the outside if he has help has been Kevin Harvick he's been making a race of it why don't things they question it the two Childress cars would like to get hooked up now they've only got one car up there to worry about the 15 although to eight bad news for everybody he's gonna restart on the inside it's gonna be right up there beside Michael again now could that play against Michael you no could he hold Michael is outside and somebody to get under him that's something Jimmie Johnson needs to think about but what I do like I like the way my I said from the very beginning Michael is running his own race he's had no problems he's made great pit stops they've had good strategy and he's been up front all day long without anything happening you know in an uneventful race so far for him so having Earnhardt jr. line up on the inside could either be the best or the worst thing well you saw what happened on that last restart and that could work against Michael this time Larry of you're Dale Junior's crew chief what do you want him to do on the restart I mean I want him to try to get hooked up with Michael because there's no question if he's up there with Michael and Michael's leading the race Dale Earnhardt jr. is gonna get his lap back if we get another caution but I look at Jimmy Johnson nice to know we still have a long way to go he's in amongst teammates you've got Mark Martin and Kurt Busch up there that's teammates you have Kevin Harvick Robby Gordon up there that's team mates and you have Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt jr. that's up there and even though Jimmie Johnson has three teammates their way at the back he has no help up there whatsoever plus he has a problem he's gonna have to come to pit road now everybody probably will when we go back to green but he's out of he's gonna be out of fuel pretty soon he took a short quick stop and didn't take a full load of fuel so he's getting low on fuel he's gonna have to come to pit road soon now it used to be you wanted to have a teammate so that you could share resources in the shop and share testing dates but now today at this Daytona 500 team racing has really taken on a new meaning in this sport and you know what we've watched Jimmie Johnson all weekend long we've had cameras in his car cameras in Jeff Gordon's car we've we kind of critiqued his driving what he was doing what he was not doing and I believe it's helped him because he's driven a really smart race today and he's driven he's used to traffic you know he was complaining about I don't know which lane to go with and how to keep cars from passing me he's done a lot better job today than he did in practice it's hard to believe it's only his second Daytona 500 you're Steve Byrnes Mike with Jeremy Mayfield who has a top ten finish as of right now do you want to get this thing restarted Jeremy seemed like it was really running good after the rain too you know at the rain delay so we feel pretty good about it but right now we're sitting in the top ten so we're really not a concern either way you know if it did rain it out we'll take what we got and go home but if we go back we feel real calm that or Adagio hopefully saying the top to him Jeremy you guys struggled a bit last year do you feel better about how your team is progressing this year I feel real good about it you know we've even before we got here we felt real good about you know the way the chemistry and all the people is that we got there now is working together and really feel good about it you know and just want to keep working hard and you know be competitive week in and week out and I think this is probably the best chance I feel like we've had in a long time by as far as the team chemistry and stuff so we feel good about it you know a lot of people overlook that fact you know they think racing they look at the driver but it really is a team sport it requires that chemistry you're talking about it really does and sometimes you have all the best people in the world and this can't work together very well or don't communicate well and you know that's you know why teams face setters well I team's I'm down the pit row here this says face down right now but this is probably the best situation I've been in a long time and you know got Kenny Francis and Josh Brown and my ship with Eric you know ray and all the guys been really doing a good job about you know trying to build that chemistry deal and I think this is a the best food I've ever had all right best of luck Jeremy that's the Daytona 500 to the moments and 109 laps completed Michael Waltrip leading Kurt Busch Jimmie Johnson third and we'll be back live here at the Daytona internet International Speedway in a rain delay you're watching NASCAR on Fox ladies and gentlemen it's official the rain has persisted it's going to continue through the night the race has been called and Michael Waltrip is a two-time champion of the Daytona 500 I tell you what what a thrill what a great accomplishment for him his team and just kind of make look at here let it rain baby [Applause] [Music] great speed weeks we've done three races Kurt Busch finishes second Jimmie Johnson and his third [Applause] [Music] and a kiss by Buffy for 45 years Michael so many drivers have tried to win this race and never want it you've won it twice how special I can't believe it I was telling Buffy I heard that it hadn't been shortened since 1966 I said there dude it's got to be about time one got shortened up again so thankful so thankful for Dale Earnhardt he made this place even more special to me watching him over the years and I know his heart and he was about this place and I know he's smiling now and he was about this place he just he he this place and he were one and if you're gonna die when it's time to die you need to go somewhere where you where you feel so at ease and at peace and at home and that describes Dale I Daytona I'm just thankful for the opportunity gave me thankful for Theresa who's running di all the guys it's amazing it's just amazing that we put that car in the front and then it started raining and it's just people don't know what I mean you just don't know what Daytona means you can't know unless you live your life pursuing dreams better that come true here thank God for a nice rain shower and I pray for it to rain I pray for God to forgive me for the dumb things I do and to make me a better person and then I asked for what and today I really wanted some rain whoo slugger you told me that you dreamed of winning this michael has a ring you desperately wanted a ring how special for you to get your first it's awesome you know we won here in July and when we left here we said we're gonna come back in February and we're gonna do it all over again so to win the last few races they telling a special man for being a kid from Maine to win Daytona 500 it feels you know I'd like to say a special hello to Helen Watson her husband passed away and I'll see you guys Monday now people don't realize how much effort you have put into this it's time Nora's comes in 1600 on track miles with this race car in testing let's start okay tree lane I want to go we can get that trophy 1,600 miles of untracked testing with this race car forty hours in the wind tunnel tell you Steve mill and Andy Johnson even Paul Weis you know Paul Wise was there helped us win this race and make this car the best it can be we gotta go this way but uh well they've changed it because the Train that's why it's throwing you off as is it raining I didn't know that kind of known but you know like I said it has so many people worked on this race car we started building it back in May like like we told you earlier we di built the speedway program for General Motors of the 2003 Monte Carlo and this is the carbonyl development work so it's been fast off the truck and it just makes me look good and having Michael as the best restrictor-plate racer in the good news you're losing that car today Tony USA congratulations so I appreciate a car owner from North Carolina a driver from Kentucky a crew chief from man win the Daytona 500 you know I'm so happy for Michael Walter because two years ago when he won this race he really couldn't enjoy because just a few hours after taking that checkered flag his best friend his car owner was pronounced dead but you know what they can enjoy it because trust me Dale Earnhardt singers enjoy this victory for these guys well there's a lot of people that that Michael I'm sure be glad saw him win this race but the two people I think he pushed most could've seen him was Dale Earnhardt in our data 33 drivers finished on the lead lap and it's on to Rockingham Fox will have coverage of Subway 400 next Sunday let's meet the driver who finished third here's dick Jimmie Johnson almost won the Daytona 500 in the lead and the two de our cars would blow it on by okay to finish third it's you know if we the rain would have been there 10 minutes earlier Chad's great pit calls would have lost Daytona 500 but just like you know we're trying to call ourselves last year we're so close to the championship and it slipped through our fingers now you've got to loosen before you want them and I'm so proud of all the effort put forth by the team Lowe's racing group and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports you know come out with a new car and everything that's been going on and be this strong right out of the box is great I've learned a lot out there and it's just a total team effort I'm very proud of everybody on the Lowe's team and and I disappointed but I knew I was in trouble one way or another there when we're going back to green and tried to play my cards the best way I knew how but unfortunately the 33 got a bad start and it allowed Michael to drop down and once happen I was high and dry but we're you know we're happy thirteen points maybe second points cuz we led some laps and way to start the season sure is you got a lot to be proud of congratulations Mike Chevy congratulates Michael Waltrip at the number 15 monte carlo team on today's big win another reason why chevy says wherever there's a winner's circle will be there five yellow flags two red flags for rain a lot of single filing in the front of the show but the pass for the win Michael Walter follows his teammate underneath and that was seven [Applause] [Music] [Applause] a lot of single filing at the front of the show but Darryl the racing in that last green flex segment that had everybody's pulse racing well that was the race and everybody knew it but you know i drugged that little scoundrel down here when he was seven years old to watch me race already I didn't get now he's won it twice you know you talked about it Darrell you know probably the best race car here all week long he may justly use that luck bank up because a part is probably less than $200 possibly cost him a Daytona 500 victory but his teammate prevailed from it Dale Earnhardt jr. like his dad so many years came down here and had little things cost in the 500 after a week of success the Dale Earnhardt incorporated is in victory lane for the 500 hope you've enjoyed it Chris Myers all right thanks guys well it was a little bit anticlimactic but certainly dramatic for Michael Waltrip and only the eighth driver to win the Daytona 500 more than once what about em you see there they're certainly enjoying every moment the dominance of not only Dei at the track would put chevrolet clear-cut right now these guys here they have definitely got the number of this racetrack but the dominance of Michael Waltrip been here at Daytona starting to come through it come pretty clear also because hey he's won got three Daytona wins he's got three 500 and a 400 so he likes his place pretty well which driver has the biggest beef about this thing being a called early officially not not that questioning that but certainly that they missed an opportunity to win a race they could have won second on back anybody was in the lead lap including Dale Earnhardt jr. who's still a one lap down they all have a legitimate gripe of saying if you could went on another bit 200 and what 70 miles I could have won this race I mean there's a lot of guys are gonna be saying what could have happened didn't happen Michael Waltrip the winner and we'll see if he can keep it rolling next weekend the scene shifting to the rock for another full weekend of racing action Friday the Busch Series qualifying on speed followed by Winston Cup qualifying on Fox Sports Net Saturday it's NASCAR Busch Series racing presented by John Deere that's on that fence followed by Winston Cup practice and Sunday start your day with NASCAR this morning on Fox Sports Net followed by the world's best riders going Welford a bumper at the rock of the subway 400 nascar returning next weekend across the fox family of networks and it has been an incredible speed weeks as there is a Theresa Earhart the owner of Dei with the wife of Michael Walton over speed weeks we've covered more than 2,700 lapped cars going around at 6,900 seven miles you could drive and over the Fox family of networks of more than 100 hours of the coverage of whether that be Fox FX for Speed Channel the coordinating director of NASCAR on Fox already kept her today's race produced by Neal Goldberg pit producers Pam Miller and David Platt also Dave Hill and Steve stump technical producers Gary Lang produced the opening sequence associate directors Greg scopa Tony Barry Landes and Derek Manning socio producers bill Richards and Chris long broadcast associates Eric bill acquire and Judy Wong and Jeremy Greene technical director Richie Vassili audio mixer Fred all those pre-race show produced by Scott Ackerson directed by rich Russo director Charles Chuck McDonnell coordinating producer of NASCAR on Fox Ritchie signs Jack Simmons senior producer Phil Brown executive producer of Fox boards on Ed Goren 10-david Hill for all of us here I'm Chris Myers thanks for being a part of our NASCAR coverage join us each weekend for more making appointment viewing the great American race was sweet especially for Michael [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: NASCAR

Views: 73,574

Keywords: NASCAR, motorsports, racing, stock car, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, chase elliott, fantasy sports, fantasy fastlane, glass case of emotion, ryan blaney, crash, wreck, pileup, pit road, penalty, race track, super speedway, highlight

Id: y-5nQprMLFg

Length: 173min 44sec (10424 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 04 2020