Written BY: Meaghan Clark
For 52 years, the Daytona 500 has boasted that it is the biggest racing event in the books – sell outs, celebrity support, classic video reel and a crash course in real race car design, the Daytona 500 2011 will add to this race’s storied history.
It’s been hailed ‘The Great American Race,’ and this year the Daytona 500 is going to be no different – particularly as news has spread that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was shoved from the front of the pack to the bottom of the pit. At the top, like usual, you’ve got Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch all feeling fine to keep the speed running high at the Daytona 500.
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The news that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been shoved to the back was a shocker that rocked the NASCAR news world – the name Earnhardt is practically synonymous with the name NASCAR but when his fender bender during practice runs threw him to the back, the outcome of the 52nd Daytona 500 could be an abnormal affair.
The speed of a NASCAR vehicle and the flurry of Daytona 500 drivers rounding the track, the victory pit is just as sexy as the race itself. “There’s just no better place to win at than Daytona,” said Jeff Gordon following his 2005 win. “You know the sport’s getting more competitive. It’s getting bigger and it’s just one of those races if you pick one, this is the one you want to win.” A purse of a couple million dollars (2007’s was $18), keeps NASCAR enthusiasts and Daytona 500 drivers at the seat of their pants.
