NASCAR Full Race Replay: 2003 Daytona 500

let's go to the side of the track, ladies and gentlemen, we ask you to stand up and take off your hats as the United States Army Military District of Washington, the 3rd United States Infantry Continental Guard from Fort Myer Virginia presents today's colors, stand tall as Lt. Gen. Dennis D commanding the cockpit. General of the United States Army Accession Command Fort Monroe Virginia will lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a pledge to the greatest of all American flags. I swear allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic that represents 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 humanity, 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 racing 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 stand for our nation. anthem brought to you by the #1 selling female artist of all time, Grammy-winning Monarch Island recording artist Mariah Carey, whose broad strokes Mariah Carey, ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause for those four F-16s from Air Force 79th Fighter Squadron.

Downtown Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina from the upcoming Columbia Pictures staple film. Welcome to the most famous words of motorsports superstar actor John Travolta, gentlemen, start your engines. Bogg revs the Simpson 300 tonight as today we celebrate the 45th

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of the Daytona 500 hello everyone and welcome to the most famous car oval in the world Mike Joy with Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip Darrell you won three Winston Cups 19 racing here but tell me about February 17, 1989 Mike, am I excited? because let me tell you why when you come to Daytona everyone has had three months to prepare for this

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you are beating the best you are racing the best when they are at their best when you win this race you go In history people always remember who won the Daytona 500, if they remember nothing else about you, they remember Larry McReynolds, you won this race twice as a crew chief with Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt, but today is the 500.

It's going to be run like no other before, that's true and I want to say that a lot is on everyone's shoulders, the drivers, the observers, the team, but believe me when I say that so much is on the shoulders of the crew chiefs with the small fuel cells, double the stops in the pits and believe me, stay tuned. because the decisions made on pit road could determine the outcome of who wins a state 100 500 20 years 23 wins in this sport, but believe me, two days that I will never forget will be with me for the rest of life is highlighted here in the victory lane as the winning crew chief of the Daytona 500 are on the pace laps there will be at least two, maybe three, they can hurry because there is the threat of rain coming from Tampa Bay throughout the state of Florida, this race has never been rainy, it has been trained short and they chase away the rain and the odds of how to break the clouds, maybe a little smoke and smoke in the water and be sent to the Daytona 500, look at this cool.

Speedway starting at 11:00 a.m. m., those seats are starting to fill up and now everything is ready for the 45th annual running of NASCAR's great American race, the Daytona 500, and this is our new Fox Fly camera traveling above pit road . You can't get any closer. into action than this, we're going to give ourselves some wonderful shots, but it'll really help us Mike is to see when things go wrong in the pits Official Budweiser Beer of NASCAR proud sponsor of the Button Pole Award given to the fastest qualifier in each Cup Race NASCAR's Winston Jeff Green and only his second Daytona 500 is our pole winner since 1979 Anheuser-busch has awarded more than eight million dollars as the title sponsor of the pole awards program talking about what is your biggest concern today Jeff, what you have to do? worry about the majority, make sure I don't make any mistakes, another race car, parents, wait, man, I know the whole country is watching today in particular, friend, brother, I wish you the best of luck today and good luck and good luck , the youngest of three racing brothers from Owensboro Kentucky as you look at our AOL track data on Daytona International Speedway Dale Earnhardt, the most stock car wins of any driver in the history of this great Speedway, here it is our Napa starting grid for today's race.

Jeff Green starts alongside Dale Earnhardt jr. who has won every Speedweeks stock car race so far this year on the second row Robby Gordon, teammate of Greens and Michael Waltrip, the 2001 champion, Ricky Rudd is the 26th attempt to win the 500 and Tybone Eye and his best start in this race. Sterling Marlin, '94 and '95 and Tony Stewart, Winston Cup champion rho4 rho5 Jeff Burton, runner-up in 2000 and Kimi Johnson, pole winner last year, Dale Jarrett, three-time 500 winner and John Andretti, who won here in July of '95, Jeff Gordon, two-time winner of the 500 and Bill Elliott also two-time champion of this race Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler last year's runner-up Ward Burton the defending champion of the race and Mike Wallace wrote and the rookie Jamie McMurray and Jeremy Mayfield row 11 Kenny Wallace and Bobby Labonte, runner-up in 1998 Jimmy Spencer and Jack Sprague, leisure truck champion in row 12 Ricky Craven and Mark Martin, Winston Cup runner-up last year Greg Biffle, rookie, defending Busch Series champion and Ken Schrader runner-up in 89 row 15 rookie casey mears and kyle petty his 22nd 500 Kevin Harvick, who led much of last year's race and Steve Park returns after losing last year to Tony Raines of the Busch Series and Christian Fittipaldi, Brazilian Matt Kenseth, who won five races last year and his teammate Kurt Busch, who has won three of the last five Ryan Newman, last year's Rookie of the Year teammate team Rusty Nuts in his 21st 500 Dave Blaney, former World of Outlaws and Johnny Benson champion Terry Labonte, his 25th start in the 500 and Jerry Nadeau Finally, Mike Skinner, who finished fourth in 1999, that's the 43 cars with which the 500 racing team will start.

You go to your old boss, Richard Childress, for help. The two have dominated the supertrack since then, but who could have continued starting on laps two, three and four? The Daytona 500 began as a family affair, although latterly as a result of a family dispute. Mac Genius seems like racing and superstitions go hand in hand and Dale Earnhardt jr. He has his this week. It started on Saturday night. His car was the last one to go through the inspection. He won the race on Thursday and his car was the last to go through inspection. He won the race today.

His car was not going to be the last to go through the inspection and lo and behold, the cards could be from cousin Tony Eury Jr. he said there is something wrong with the windshield tear yes so finally who was the last one to go through the medical inspection is number 29 Kevin Harvick has one of the fastest cars in the field but yesterday in the final practice session his engine overheated, the team changed that the engine rules required an engine change to be followed the car goes all the way back Harvick says he could win from behind deceivers since he won the 1999 Daytona 500 Jeff Gordon's average finish here on Daytona is 23rd in the last seven races it's been a quiet speed weeks for this team in which crew chief Robby Loomis says that's how he likes it Mike Joy, thanks Steve, there's blood here ready to go and It feels like 43 cars, 500 miles, it's 200 laps and because of the small fuel cell they have. using this year they can't get very far with a tank again and they can double that before, so lots of pit stops, lots of green flag stops, Cyprian, kind of billiards nation, lazy, unlucky, one up on the roll, already in the Jeffrey.

I'm going to run at him down the stretch, he's what I call sent and ready because they're going to come there and catch him and he calls like he brakes hoping to get to him. You are traveling with Harvick Bark. They bark and just ahead they started to enter the field along with Johnny Benson and Casey Mears because there are no more prisoners today we are running at

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speed teammates arrow all bets are off working together there is nothing like that right now it's just that everyone On days the problem is turning around, a lot of trust in the referee is in the air of the cards and then the wind itself just pushes the cars and they are so close together, if they happen to bounce, they bounce off each other, which causes a huge red dot is a try to hit one hundred and ninety miles an hour, not Elliott, much later, that red dot and these pieces, the dragons are on the wheel, Mike and these fans are standing, very excited to be here and watch TV , look at those ten.

Cars I'm going to take I'm making a move Mike Skinner back, last in two and a half laps, we're wary of several, whatever position he was in on the last lap, he won't be there, this slab just looks and goes. being like this, friends, all day long, it's so mental that it requires so much attention, so much concentration, what will change this, just two of those and it's a double or triple row on the way back from your little drafting pumping recruits, okay, we saw it in the race yesterday. but the ship is finally complete because you're bouncing, you get a buck shot and it's going to cause the big one, yeah, you'll miss the corner, but you'll hit the wall.

Michael Waltrip Robin Hood Dale and Tony Stewart defend these drivers. they're busy mandarin, everyone cares about what I'm seeing and I won't accept what your teammate enters the third turn on the outside and forward until you can pick up your teammate in the draft, well, a car with very good handling at times. It takes a lap or two to get ready and get going because the tire pressure has to go up, not after the center, he's second out of everyone we have, but that great start he had was the worst thing that could happen to you .

If I really am an easy target and next to you on the left and on the right, believe me, 187 miles per hour, you will see the gap to the leader right now, Michael Waltrip, although he is in 20th place, they are steno with about a second half difference between each other. but now the look of the race changes as the warm-up drivers line up single file you will see a huge variation in speed. Now the riders will not be as fast going down into turn one because they have a headwind going into one. but when we look at our American flag, which is our wind indicator, you'll see that we're going to get a big push down right away, as much as a

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bomb on our difference, which is what I use when I didn't know there was another cat in the curve two, thank you.

You imagine he will stand on a hand defense balloon, hold the flag, look at the big wave waters on the lake and discover what they needed now there, 187 miles. and if you listen, the RPM never changes around 7,000 rpm right now and later in the day, at the end of a race, it's if this guy can, Daelin Arjuna told his spotter that he's tying up ours, he's struggling against laryngitis today, tell Michael that I have to stop. breathes water 220 so I'm going to crouch a little bit and what that means is they're going down the straight Michael Wood trying to block them Jr.

If he said okay, I'll try the pony, I'll go outside or inside. but what they say is that I'm going to stick my nose out but I don't have seven laps, the Daytona 500 becomes two different races, the fast these cars form a single file at the front of the field and behind them is that. the single file pack is lined up nicely as they are drawing heavily behind them Sheldon fury when this happens here the guys in the front line up when you are in the middle of the group behind their father is in the crib that second group they are starting to line up and they already did and when you line up that means you can run faster and you run to that path now at the beginning we were in the water now we are in the group, this is a group here when we start to get hung up, that is the front of the second group trying to catch the leader in single file.

The leader of that group is polesitter Jeff Greene in car 30. He would love to have that group lined up where they are. Could I meet Mike, no one ever again? It'll be time for you to sit there for a while, but at some point, buddy, since I've had enough of this, Steve Mike at the top of the show, you mentioned that rain is forecast and All these crew chiefs outside the pits know it just before the start of the race and Randy Dorton, who runs the Hendrick Motorsports engine program, tofu, musiccheap rock that feels and that will affect all these team leaders.

Michael Waltrip just called his team. and told him he would run low, he said the junior running behind him could run a little, his teammates work together in positions 1 and 2, the smartest and grateful to Michael for doing it that way, Dale jr. I can't get that group around him on the high side. We know that the background is the hallway and there I know that you are very aware of the weather. I know, but you are familiar with the land. Those cars drive it. Hits that rain, those rain clouds I used all that high speed, all that wind from up there and down here and everywhere, the clouds move away, all this hot air keeps a hole right above this table.

I have the exhaust on all cars. that engine is now a virtual crew chief question vote now when you're single or wireless by texting 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 bill of the 9 cars. Elliot won the Daytona 500 twice. I talked to his crew chief, Mike Ford. They were very concerned that this car wouldn't absorb what that means when someone pushed it, it wouldn't reach the bumper of the car in front of it, but right now it looks like it's in good shape, but I think Bill there has to be someone behind him who pushed him with that new car here's the deal on the bill if he can stay up there on that main chart in a single row like that one over there I think you'll be happy for him to stay there , but if they start Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt jr.

Tony Stewart and last year's polesitter, Jimmie Johnson, traveling in fourth place, Darrell. I love this photo of those who were in the car, friends, it's all a matter of hands and eyes to have them here, the cars handle well, it has John in it, John, over there, come in, oh. nice and smooth you can see it's just the cars going over the bumps but the car seems very complicated if the county has really gone up to about 245 you're talking about the temperature these Chevrolet guys seem to me to have a little burst of heating. all week that's because they have a new car and a new nose and the grills in a different position than their coach and of course they have duct tape on the front which is why they put duct tape on the front , which is the radiator inlet. you run, it really decreases the drag of that car it makes you run faster on the straightaway, we see Terry Labonte in the five cars, he has problems on the high and smooth side, 172 miles per hour is anisotropic, where yeah, you never know what there may be something wrong. the car or it could have been deformed almost crashed into the wall they said, wow, I have reinforcements here and I'm taking my friend 17 to the Daytona 500 on Fox, brought by Home Depot, the NASCAR home improvement store, for Pizza Hut, home of the news golden pizza filled with Coca-Cola official soft drink of NASCAR and Napa Auto Parts 21 complete laps Michael Waltrip in front from lap number one his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in tight formation then they piled up chat with me Stewart Jimmie Johnson and Bill Steve Byrnes terry labonte fall to the back of the group what's up Mike is a mystery even to this team lost power changed the ignition boxes these teams have ignition boxes that did not cause any problem started slowing down as fast as it cut out and restarted, regained power again is running in 43rd position, they still don't know this is Levanti's 26th in the Daytona 500 finished second three Sometimes these cars have a kill switch, the holder stays open, or for some reason I need you to quickly turn off the engine.

I've been driving my car before the palm of my elbow or something hit that switch and turned off the engine and it took me a while. A little bit to realize what had happened Darrell, we're looking at the back of Dale Jarrett's car. I listen to the car's 88 climbs, it started 11. It's there with Terry Labonte in every restrictor plate race. We see Dale Jarrett in this agenda. He moved to the back. the field what he's trying to do is stay out of the eye of the biggest storm but that hasn't worked every time he's done it there oh no, I mean, I always think about Levante, his teammates in the back have an accident, Tony runs third Labonte is in 28th place and they end up on top of each other, so there is no really safe place at this speed, even with the car positioned like this, but right now you have what you have, now you are talking to your boss equipment. saying that you're going to have to do something.

I have been angry. I've been mad at everything before starting from thirteen and up to seven, he fights Robby Gordon, who is no relation on the high side, and they prepare as if he is no relation. Kurt Busch, release the detect that lap from 10:00 to 11:00 now it hurts you Robbie lift the accelerator they are also coming out of a corner that means their car is a little tight the front tires are gripping and we have already lost with the windshield cloth we were running 255 290 we're going to have to wash the windshield pretty good cars driving pretty good taking a fall are two things they're talking about right there Kurt Busch's crew chief Jimmy Finney these are Lexan windshields or plastic and they put a transparent film on them. put two or three of them through three coats and this is looking down the windshield and what that means, once these windshields get really greasy, all sandblasted, they can rip them off, oh if I already had three at the beginning of this trench, it will also be lost.

For example, there it is right there, which means they have to run 475 miles, just one cut, the other thing is talking about the front tape, they have those tabs to open a few more openings in the radiator. at 32 to 35, if it lasts much longer, it consumes energy. We used to use a standard windshield like we have on your passenger car and that thing would get drilled and polished at the end of the day, I mean, that's it. It would be nice to see the cars in front of you, especially if you've been drafting all day, but Darryl, you mentioned it before in every buddy here over the weekend.

It has been water fighting tips for problems. Every brand has a new nose and you have to learn how they can lift these noses, maybe compared to what they had in the past, it's a learning process, but you team leaders are all the same, you do it to the driver every time. Sometimes they want to play as much tape as they can and tell us to do it. take care of yourself but you start with too much it's easier to take it off than to put it on absolutely in the cold temperatures here today probably caused them to run a little 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 that left no record from the first lap is 35 laps led by Bill Elliott in 1987 after abandoning the first 35 laps.

Elliott used that system somewhere in that range, meaning within a window of about 10 laps. of having to come to the pits, so now what these crew chiefs are doing is questioning their drivers in the first pit stops of the day that will be made in the next 6 to 10 laps while Michael Waltrip leads the Daytona 500 on Fox, the Daytona 500 on Fox is presented by Budweiser the best things in life are the things that are true Budweiser 57 complete laps this time and look at this package problems for Newman hits the wall comes evaluator and Newman is explosive rookie lo written from the car As it slides down the asphalt, that car, come on, get out of the accident on pit road.

Bobby Labonte crashed into Ken Schrader and Schrader slid across the infield grass. The problem was that Schrader was already broken. They went down pit road. I don't think he could be any straighter. controls his car Brian is moving in the car, so he's moving trying to get out, there's not much he can do to hold on like that, I mean, he's gotta have help, pretty big guy, he didn't do it when Kenny Schrader came out, Newman has pointed out that he is fine, he is a strong young man, yes, he is used to driving speed cars with open wheels.

You know Darrell, this is a problem trying to unhook that car backwards, well you got it, you got seat belts, you got the Hans device, I mean there's so many times you gotta have help, man, the back cover tore off under that race car when it sank into the grass right there and started wrecking the car Brian Newman USAC Silver Crowned Champion and Purdue University Engineering Graduate is going to get out of that car with help here Bobby Labonte and Ken Schrader I think Schrader was in the accident and he was coming down here and I think his car must have gone out of control and Bobby Labonte was coming up and he just slid to the front.

Are you looking at the Pilates team to see if they are so damaged that they can't get back into the race? You go randomly and rot there the second caution flag of the day Newman's car flipped into the outside wall and then slid into the field when it hit God's Grass in the air, let's look at your here and see what happens. Oh, Kimmy Schrader got out of control, she messed with him all the time, that's what happened. Mike, his right rear tire came off, the car goes airborne and then when it hits the ground it sinks and just destroys it, let me tell you how these cars are on the inside, it's like it's in a capsule in there and that's why These cars have done an incredibly good job with driver safety and protection. these cars look at that thing lifts up Larry just takes off like a plane that weighs 3,400 pounds people just lifts up in the air like a feather and the right rear wheel sinks into the ground and rips the entire back of the car off, yeah, yeah the tire to come off the wheel, it probably wouldn't have flipped like that, but once the tire came off and it just said it had sunk and flipped it now, as Schrader's car was heading toward the pits, he was basically a passenger as the front of his car had been badly 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 the traitor, you see the whole right side working back there. her right sides alternate where she went into the wall 12th best news anchor Ryan Newman got out of that car in his ricky rudd clip here I've seen Rusty Wallace Neff on the terrace Richie petty and Flint beer Dale Earnhardt clip here I've lived here and we've all left.

It's still amazing how they designed these cars. It's a testament to what NASCAR has done for the safety of these cars. That's why when they tell you to choose something or change something, you don't do it. I hesitate to do so. The team of Kenny Schrader and Bobby Labonte are trying to see if they can get back into this race. 42 drivers and all of us are going to take a minute to get our heads back in the game. The Daytona 500 continues at Fox. After this, the Daytona 500 at Fox comes to you through errand sales and lease ownership.

Let Aaron's bring your dreams home today in a stacker to the world's most powerful fat burner by Pepsi-Cola. Experience the joy of Pepsi and Cingular Wireless with nationwide coverage. Affordable calling plans. and a really fast car, we're under yellow here at Daytona Brian Newman turns upside down but Dara looked like Kenny Schrader could have used a little push, yeah I think Ward Burton could have hit him a little from behind, as seen saw. Kenny was coming out of turn four, I think he must have had to get up right, no, that's what happened. I think Rusty Wallace approached Kenny, he had to let off the accelerator a little bit to let Rusty in and when he did he got hit behind my block, he ran towards it, chain reaction and look at number 12, Ryan Newman.

I think all that action was due to the right rear tire coming off and letting air rise under the car that he lifted. the car lifted up and then sank into the grass and just smashed it into all the pieces. Ken Schrader went behind the wall, we're going to watch Chris Myers movies, erase the boring and we're coming to you from the Hollywood hotel, right above Victory Lane, this is a career break he said, we had four different leaders , second yellow flag and it was on lap 57 that you saw Ryan Newman able to escape from that accident, a three-car accident, and he was brought into the spotlight, we'll give him one the update seemed fine Dale Earnhardt jr. leader for a year and some raindrops apparently fall in the area, but let's go to the cut car and Jeff Hammond will explain how Ryan Newman was able to survive because of the way the car was put together, that spectacular and wild accident, huh, that's right , Chris.

Right now, let's take a look at what NASCAR has done. Many of these cars have to be this way due to safety concerns, first and foremost it is the window netting that prevents your arms and head from leaving the car and looking in. Here you see a lot of material in terms of the structure of the roll cage,this halo bar that goes around the driver's head, there's a bar right next to his head that protects it here in the center, as well as this special seat that everyone's gone to. If they keep your head protected, watch the bounces when the car flips over, think about Ryan's head sitting here instead of clapping from right to left, it's actually secured inside this huge headrest, as well as his six point system up now. as far as the restraints go, they keep him in this spot as far as the seat goes, he has to be very tight inside that pod that Darrell talks about.

This is the driver's capsule. It has to be well built, really strong and inventive. Crash like we just saw and you can see how well it held up now. One thing is that you saw that this is the back of the house under our sectioned car. It's intact. You can see the spring here, the arm of the truck, but what happened to the wheel? The tire was torn off even more The wheel was torn off It sank and tore off Let's look here at the house in section He tore off the entire casing from under this race car He literally tore off the spring He saw the springs fly out of the ground with three air This whole house You know she was torn completely from this race car, that's how vile the accident was, but you saw Ryan Newman able to leave thanks to NASCAR Chris, thank you very much, Jeff Hammett in the Ford car cut up under the Hollywood Hotel and the many Of course, Remember this is the track where Redell Earnhardt lost his life, but since then there have been a number of safety upgrades for the sport and testing to buy Ryan Newman's car so he can walk away.

Let's go back up now and Mike Julia with Ryan Newman's. I probably could have been a Purdue linebacker and these drivers, Darrel, they don't just show up on Sunday and run, they have really strict conditioning programs to help them endure a wild accident like this one we just went through, listen, let me tell you when. People say racing drivers aren't athletes, they just don't understand what these drivers do. until Sunday look here's Ward he leans over and gets into Kenny's left rear Kenny wants Kenny Schrader Schrader then goes to the right one hits the wall now here comes the car hard, it's a hard impact right there I'll see that opening right there which is probably what ripped the rear end out from under that run exactly one trip to get tired, yeah, the tire on the rear, yes, but Mike, I just want these guys to work hard and heavy three days a week, run and their endurance is excellent.

They are in good physical shape, they watch what they eat, they train hard to be able to tolerate these types of conditions now that Newman's car was in the air Darrell, I saw well, not an exhaust pipe because they both look intact, it looked like one of The arms of the truck have been torn off so that when that rear end hits the ground it could easily fly away. I mean, again, this is coming out of turn four, you'll see Ward Burton in 20 to get into Kenny Schrader, 49 gets into the side of Ryan Newman in 12 around here this is what we were talking about, it's bouncing through the wall, there's an opening and that's what tore the tire off, but I'll tell you what surprised me watching the last

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, Geoff Hammil.

It was a rush to house the trailing arms under that thing, they're like steel outlets and they're bent junk, that's how violent that was here, you see those two trailing arms, just put them underneath, there's a hope swearing in its place and The car is really and truly there. Friends, when you see the car falling apart like this, it is good news, you are dissipating energy as the car falls apart, it is slowing down and not stopping suddenly and hurting the driver. Driver's brain starts to fall out here at Daytona International Speedway, this storm system has been moving.

Throughout Florida all morning he was expected to arrive here sometime this afternoon. Here are the various scenarios. Hopefully we can complete this race this afternoon, dry the track and compete again. If not, the track is lighted for night racing. he didn't complete 100 laps, which would be halfway there and make this race official, so let's read that these guys can still work on the car once they show the red flag. Oh, let's see, a race car if you're going to try to put it back on the field and there's a NASCAR official looking at that standing right behind them there and as soon as the cars stop, he'll say, "Okay, guys, somehow stop working on it because I'm looking down at the flag that's up right now, the flag, but he's got the yellow flag flying but they're waiting for all the cars to come to the pits and stop, there. is when the red flag will be shown and the red flag is not due to the accident but due to the rain, yes, and all the cars need to probably pass the start/finish line Larry for scoring purposes so the teams will cover their cars and cover your pit spots we've been taking Bobby Labonte Ken Schrader went to the infield spotlight but they've been released Tony Eury Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a cousin and crew chief so it's raining at Daytona and we'll be back with the 45th Annual Daytona 500 on Fox. We started the day in Daytona with over 160,000 sun drenched race fans who are now just soaked, it's boring all with Cats and Dogs here in Daytona, one person has a smile on his face and he's with Matt and that's Dale Earnhardt Jr. talking to his crew chief Tony Eury senior at the first stop you were playing weatherman a bit did you think this is a big 12 hour sale? Yeah, it looks pretty bad right now.

They continued talking about the weather all morning. They said whatever got here is going to be here for a while, but I hope there's a window somewhere. I don't want it to stop more than halfway. I mean, we've spent two weeks down here, we have 500 and two miles to go. I mean, that really stopped the run after the half. but hopefully NASCAR will stick around even tomorrow. Now you said you weren't going to shoot anyone, but you were requesting that maybe someone spend full time at the radar station. Yeah, I thought about the hunchback yesterday and he's like Managing Someone Full Time.

Down here on the radar he said: Hi, AJ 41, several races like that, so I helped. I hope he has never lied to me yet, so he has always had good advice. Well, you don't know people standing around here beyond her, so I got someone down there and look at that radar you've been in the front you've been in the back of a race car Junior's life is pretty good every Chevrolet seem to be running you know we're not leading my car runs around 200 leading at 235 in the draft and you know I mean it's still not harmful and it's hot but the hotter it gets the harder it is to run and the slower it is the car, so you want the optimal temperature to be about 210 315, no more than 220 so you can run and do well, you know, but the car slows down a little bit and warms up, I guess, and leads where it is now When you are in the final stretch, you look to your left and what did you see?

All Jumbotrons. I can see the race. Myself, half, at least, how much can you see happening at 190? Well, there's two of them back here, so I've seen all the

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s of all the head crashes and a couple of the pit stops, I saw them, I saw the 43 car having trouble on pit road. I don't really know what else is going on when you're up front, Connie, it's hard to know who's having trouble and who's got the bailout and what's going on, so it's a little boring, yeah, I've got good coverage. The sponsor will try to work that coverage for you.

There's a big thing here in the pit laughing at a Napa commercial that Mike Hale Jr. starred in with Michael Waltrip. Watching NASCAR on Fox while leading the race at 185 miles per hour, in my opinion, it doesn't get any better than that. That's as good as it will get Jeff Gordon to speak well to his junior team. He has a lot to smile about because he has been the best in speed weeks in all the races so far. He has reached Victory Lane, but this race has not reached the halfway point yet, it cannot be called official, they will have to continue this race as soon as possible.

How can we dry the rink, okay, I have an idea, Larry, work with me here, okay, Jeff, you number the pieces on the wall, you build these tarps like curtains, and when it starts to rain, you pull the tarps down over the rink, You hook them at the bottom. and when it stops raining and you let them go you can run again, you know what a two and a half mile tarp would cost, I bet they have thanked you, that has always been my motto, good intonation, Jr has been the best, but Who else looks strong?

At first, well, it's really hard to pick anyone, but the guy who's really impressed me so far has been Elliott Sadler. I mean, he's coming from, you know, where he started 19th at that pit stop. up to fourth place looking for faults and he's here fighting for the lead so it's a good time for him and he ran second in this race last year so he knows how to race at Daytona and then of course Michael at Dale Jr. and it seems like maybe the Childress guys aren't working well together today. I know another guy you didn't mention and I've been keeping an eye on him and I think Steve Byrnes may be with him at the moment, don't rule him out just yet, thanks.

Larry's map, we met with Jeff Gordon Jeff Robby Loomis said this morning, actually yesterday, that you guys have been under the radar, you know there's been a lot of attention with the DUI and RCR teams and he was happy about that, yeah, he did. they know. it allows us to focus on our car, our program, you know, it allows us to communicate a little better, you know, you get all the expectations, you get all the pressure on you and all of a sudden you start to focus. maybe too much about that, enough about what you really have to do to win this race and it's a great race and we all want to win it and now I think we proved it right in that long term and we certainly have a car that can do it, how Did your race car react on the track today?

Jeff, my cars are great. I mean, obviously, I like the long runs that we do in single file, we can start picking them off one at a time, you know, I have to work. with some guys out there you know I can make some moves with Robby Gordon and I made some moves up there and you know I want long runs, but I got it. I have to be a little higher up when those long runs come because I'm telling you you know the handling starts to go away, but those guys pull away, Donna's too far away.

I keep getting knocked back, you know? And I have to work too hard to get there, so there's a lot of work there. but we're not going to stop doing those things for Jeff. He was going to ask you that a lot of people want to go ahead and get Dale Earnhardt Jr. the trophy, but do you have the strength? Go up and win this race. I think so, they do, especially when it comes to driving. I mean our cars handle so well that I'm so proud to steal from these guys the way they did. I have the balance you know this is a team sport and a team race, it doesn't just take a fast race car, junior, you know he's out there, he's strong.

I'd like to reach out to him and see what we have for him, but we're not there yet, so we have some work left to do, Jeff. I read a quote from you earlier in speed weeks where you said the key to speed is attention to detail. What did you mean by that? Well, you know it's getting so competitive and the times are so close between everyone, the cards are so even, I mean, it's that tenth or hundredth of a second that you know you can get out of the car or in a pit stop, you know you can't.

It's about making mistakes. It's just being focused, it's all you know, it's having the whole package together and that's what I've seen coming into this season, in the weeks of speed that our team really has. I mean, maybe we didn't have the fastest car on qualifying day. I know we didn't win the 125, but I think we've really paid attention to all the details we need to win this race, Jeff, I think the good news is the blue sky is there, yeah, keep looking because I don't know. That's going to be there for a long time. I mean, I want this to work.

I didn't want it to stop because our car was actually coming, but the weather forecast doesn't look very good, but we have lights here, they told us. I'm sure we'll get it running eventually, yeah, good point, I like night racing, okay, thanks Jeff, well there's a blue sky on that horizon, it's just poor, the hardest train I've ever seen in Daytona Beach , but the rain has stopped like someone. flipped a switch, the sky is lighting up and they're going to start drying the track right now, we'll be back walking live back to Daytona, thanks for joining us here at Fox at the great American race, there's never been a doubt of rain before twice.

It rained a little in the Daytona 500 and we are 63 laps in and the rain delay at this timeafter that accident, all three drivers were treated and released from care, including Ryan Newman, he's with our Jeanne Zelasko Jeannie and Chris Ryan Newman. You'll be fine, but tell us what happened there. I still have a little bit of dirt on my teeth and in your ears, but yeah, your ear, you're good for it. We're here, yeah, we just rolled a three. I know we were here. three wide and I don't know if my car washed out or what, but I felt the car go light and I washed out and went with Schrader, whoever was next to me and the way I hit him, I just shot him.

I was facing the wall and I don't know what happened to the rest of them. I saw Schrader and Labonte in the spotlight there and told them I'm not really sure what happened, so if you're mad at me. Let's give up and fight about it now, but you know they were, they were really just worried about me and their own health and happy to get out of the Dodge car in one piece, lots of drama, the car flipped and everyone was waiting for you to arrive. to rule out any loss of consciousness or you were simply trapped in the car.

I was trapped in the car. There was like a pile of grass about six or eight inches thick and about two feet long that was actually in my lap and I had my feet on the ground. on the back of the seat and my head towards the windshield and I couldn't turn around, you know, you know, I'm a pretty small guy too and I couldn't turn around to get out of his car and, in fact, he had to help me out of the car when was there so it was actually more painful to get out of the car than it was during the accident and you mentioned that you saw Bobby and Ken Schrader's body at the care center where they are.

They were fine too, they were getting out and running towards their truck, yeah, I mean, we timed it pretty well. When we did this interview, we didn't want it to stop raining, yes, but you made us stay here in the rain. so if you take anything away from that then that's it, don't complain to me. Glad you guys are okay, thanks Jeannie and Ryan and with Jeff Hammond, Chris Myers here at the Hollywood hotel. above Victory Lane and not even an engineering degree from Purdue can help you in that situation, but an interesting description of Ryan Newman trapped in that car, you and Jeff explained in the cut car the protection drivers have and certainly some The safety improvements that have been made are amazing, he's standing there talking about it after what we saw, that car fell apart.

Chris, we know it's really amazing, but at the same time, when you look at these race cars and how well built they are. and all the effort the crews and NASCAR are putting into taking care of the drivers now I find it a little funny that he had a piece of grass lying in his lap like he was talking. I don't think NASCAR ever planned on that, but I'm sure they will look at it, but you have to understand that these guys have now really made leaps and bounds in terms of protecting the driver again, if the seats are made and everything, and you can see them. when he got into trouble mm-hmm, they beat him up. of the N crusher in destroy car benign Newman is in the 12 on the right, they were hit by Ward Burton Kenny came up, got into Ryan and Ryan hit the wall when he hit the rear tire, like he said, he threw, broke the tie rod crimp the RAM caved in and when they did it literally tore that rear end off, now you see it come down the front right away and that in itself is very scary, to have such a heavy piece of equipment fly in that race car the way it is because of and This is Dale Jarrett from his car, a camera watches as this car flies by almost like an airplane on the left side as this happens and Jeff there goes is Ryan Newman and like Darrell Waltrip I was saying, it's almost a good thing because that capsule and the cage that protects the driver that the car itself is dissipating as it rolls, it actually dissipates energy every time a piece comes off, he just softens the blow now, he can It might be a little hard to believe, but as it goes, it's taking that energy away and dissipating it, so Ryan was referring to the hardest thing was getting off the race card again and that's a tribute to NASCAR, to all the guys that They work on these teams in terms of taking care of the drivers. where they did Michael Waltrip Dei's car that is currently in third place for part of this race Dale Earnhardt jr. the current leader, but Michael is waiting with our Matt Yocum, so let's go there Matt Chris Michael Waltrip sitting quietly impatiently Pitts informing himself Michael yes, making sure my whole body understands what we are here to achieve, I am very proud of the Napa Chevy you are running. great, the handling of him is good, I think that will give me some options as the day progresses.

Hopefully we keep our car in front, that's where it needs to be to have fun here now, this should give you a chance to look ahead at the near forecast. At the end of the race, what you want to try to accomplish here as far as where you need to get into position to try to make that move and that's what it's all about, just positioning yourself for the end of the race, luckily for me RT kepner. I'm doing an amazing job directing the race broadcast. Are you watching the Jumbotrons on the backstretch for Yanni to time the moment where when I come out of turn two during the caution I can look up and see all the replays and the crashes and the things that are going right? work Artie, we are here in the field enjoying a track dominoes pizza with a coke relaxing ready for this great American race to resume.

I thank God for the honor of being able to drive for this team. It's so much fun to have these big ones. The Napa guys behind me, well the Dei contingent, are having fun at the track, now let's talk to their counterparts in the Chevy camp, the RCR guys with dr. show of the day dick thanks Betty Kevin Harvick started at the back of the pack today as a result of an engine change when you change engines you have to start completely at the back of the pack but you're all the way up to eight, how's that?

Pass all those cars. It's great when you see the start of the race and everyone going in all directions, but Jim Goodman's car was really good during all the speed breaks and it's still good here. Sunday, so Oh, rubber head on the side, he's got our pit mate here like he screwed us up, the rubber had to find that rubber made rubber head 97 Kurt Busch, whatever you want to call him, screwed us up at the first stop in the pits that was on our pit stop again so that set us back a little bit and we've got it back again so we'll just keep going and keep the fenders on and we'll be fine.

Dei's guys say they can watch TV while this. The race is on, how about you tell them to keep watching because the 29th is approaching? That kind of talk Kevin White Joy it's stopped raining, they're drying out the track here in Daytona. Drivers have a chance to brief their teams as the jet dryers around the Speedway Drying things off, we're joined by the Grand Marshal of the 45th Daytona 500, who is John Travolta and Larry, when it's time to film DW history. Do you see the similarity? I would say one thing. I love the way you said it.

Gentlemen start your engines yeah some action alright thank you well Bret Mariah Carey inspired me she says it so well but I had to energize my body I just had to do it oh you did it I mean to a lot of people John was talking about. you liked it, I liked it and just like that accident there, I don't know what you would have been carrying, where the stuntman is and the fact that you are either a NASCAR fan. I used to live in Daytona Beach. I would come here all the time and I will come 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'm fine. You live in Spruce Creek. It used to be fine. maybe we shouldn't say that maybe it's true, I don't live there anymore, but I'm moving to Ocala, so yeah, yeah, I have something brewing again, do it, I have a new movie called basic. I didn't make it rain to promote a Movie I promise you we are blatantly commercial, okay, yes, it's a military thriller, it's an excellent movie, very well crafted, I love it and I play an investigator and Sam Jackson, the guy who made fiction pulp, he said, yes, he's in this with me, yes, and it's amazing.

You've had the opportunity to participate in a lot of sports and study for your roles, a lot of fast action stuff, how does this compare? Well, I was in the pace car and I looked back and that was about as exciting as it gets. You know, the most exciting thing would be to be in a race car, which I did. I have the record as a celebrity in that amateur race in Orlando, you know mom, that was pretty cool, but I fly airplanes, you know, I fly 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 ready to go.

I was ready to break ground and hit 600, well you see, these pieces will take off, yes they will. fortunately not very often, thanks for joining, it's a pleasure, yes, John Travolta, Great Marshall, great job today, thank you very much Jeannie, well we have to remember that these are racing drivers, they are competitors on the track, but they are friends , first rest for a while, take the time to review Ryan Newman. been, found out it's okay so you have a moment for us to move to the back of the group because of the little problem with the carburetor and now you find yourself in 18th place, a breather here to regroup and figure out where you go from here, yeah , well, The cars run really very well, I tell you what dropped the flag and I passed through the center the last 28 cars and three laps.

I told my guys, oh my God, it's four against four laps in the race. I just passed a pole. Babysitter, that thing is really working very well. I am very happy with her. I was lying there at the bottom after that tire change. You got hung up on the bottom behind a couple of cars, but overall, it's handling great and running well, so I'm. I'm really happy with this now that you're getting used to all these pit stops. It seems like the race will be won and lost right there in the pits, regardless of what they do on the track, it's a pit stop a lot of times. of stops I'll tell you what I don't know if I'm in favor of that rule, you know yeah, I think you're going to face the truth too much, but I'm not done, that's my job, sure, okay, then I.

I'll stick with it, but now my car has been great. I'm really embarrassed that my sponsors and my fans and stuff make me half-ashamed of the beginning, but I hope I'm back. I think at one point we're back to fifth place and Once again, the cars are running very well and the pit stops are a lot, there's no doubt about that and I think it's really a question of fuel consumption because we were one of the first to get to the pits, then I looked in the mirror, they joked and then it started coming very fast, but now we know what our fuel consumption is, what it looks like and how many laps we can run.

Now it's in the hands of Mother Nature, thanks for the wrestling Steve, thanks Jeanne, we've caught up with Jimmie Johnson, Jimmy, we're listening. earlier in the week and I practiced on the radio talking to the chat channel saying the car is good but I wanted to be good enough to win are you there? I think so, the problem we have now has worked very hard to resolve. Today, the temperatures went up and deep in the pack, our cars got warm, you know, hopefully, we'll have them locked in and we have nothing to worry about, but it's been pretty hot, we've been pretty worried about that, so you know, The cars have been good.

I've learned a lot over the past year and even during the shootout, the IROC event and the 125 it's about knowing how to use traffic and use the pushes you got and how to set up passes. I'm really excited to have a good time waiting for this engine to cool down, so I get in and run around for a bit. Jimmy, interesting launch strategy on the last stop, around lap 44, your teammate Jeff Gordon took gas, just you took four tires, some tape. off the grid, what does that mean? Well, you know, we knew we were going to have to stop and take the time to pull the tape and you know we had a little argument about whether we just took the fuel tape off or what, but we're trying to let you know in a way Feel the race. to the middle is one way to look at it and this takes us out of what everyone else is doing and I'm pretty sure when we get back to the green here, a lot of these guys are going to have to come in and get four more.

Hell, we don't even really need tires, I think we'll probably put two on, but hey, you know we should be in good shape, so it's just a matter of knowing what works with your car, the way the strategy is going and you. I know we're in a bit of a different cycle now than when everyone saw you and Jeff Gordon talking a moment ago. What notes were you comparing? I'm really alonetrying to figure out if my other teammates' cars are running as hot as mine. Terry's is running very hot. but the Joseph Geoff ones are fine, so it's a kind of HUD, we've cut the cars so they don't overheat, but they run very hot, the other two are fine, we're a little shocked by that, it's fine Jimmy, very good 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 the sport How is your day going?

It goes well depending on the car. I mean, we're in 29th place right now, but I made a pit stop and couldn't get into a box. I ran into that car and hit the brakes for our pit stop, so we headed back, but that's the way the Pennzoil Chevrolet works, so hopefully we have a lot of races left. this will become clear, we will have a chance to race and put that Pennzoil car in the top ten, are you talking about the pit stop? So I walked across the street just now and measured the stalls at the mall and these pit stalls are almost twice as wide and ten feet longer than the others, why is it so hard for some of these guys getting in and out of pit stops as Grace fans know?

I'm going to remember that the pit road speed is 55 miles per hour, that's a speed limit on the highway, so you see the guys smoking, locking the brakes when they come into the pits because they're coming so fast, I mean, They're probably coming in at 80 or 90 miles an hour, slowing down to 55. and then all the pits look small at 55 miles an hour, so it's hard to get in there and then we have guys coming in with the new fuel cells, which They arrive early and they arrive late, since you come in, the boys leave and you.

You're trying to get into your pit, so it's like a traffic jam, so you've got to try to keep the fenders on your race car and get into the pits and get your tires and gas and get back out there and fight again. Do you do it from here, go to the front? I mean, the main thing is that you know with the twenty-ninth right now that's not where we want to be, so the further we go, the more help we'll have for writing, so again we want to write. about picking our way up, being smart, getting to the front and racing them the last 50 laps, hey guess what's over, we're going with Matty Elliott Sadler, he started in 60, you work your way up to second place, but you're boxed a couple of Chevys, yeah that's the only bad thing Matt, I'm telling you these throwing M&M's are pretty fast, but I'm in a pretty good dilemma right now.

I know I can't go out to try to pass the eight because if the 15 will go to the other one. So in the meantime, he's also going to try to pass me to get back today, so I need to put in some blue ovals to help me out a little bit, but the cars are really good and Raymond is doing a great job the first time he calls the race. making some great calls and staying in the follow position that I need so far, we're having a great day and this is where a spotter comes in very handy because you can try to make deals up top, even though the deals aren't worth much, yeah, that's right. true, I mean Brett is doing a great job spotting and trying to get me help here and there, but one thing I've learned in the first 63 laps of this race is that 15 8 to 24 to 20 I think their bumpers are chained or something like that. so we just won't walk away from each other and that's good, you have to have teammates like that to work with, but I just want to join in, you know, on my side, maybe I'll take up some real estate by the end of the race, but we will see what happens.

My car handled really well, it's good at the bottom or top, so we'll try to stay in line, stay at the front of the big ring, hopefully be there at the end. Elliott Sadler He's been there at the end in the past in the last three races here at Daytona, a second and a third for Chris Myers. Hello, thank you very much and a Dale Earnhardt jr. our current leader 63 laps in the Daytona 500 with a slight rain delay, but the sun is peeking out, the rain has stopped and we look forward to racing again, a great American race will be back live here on Fox in a moment walking back The Daytona 500 is live with a slight weather delay, but the track is drying, the rain has stopped and the fans are eager to get back to the races and that's what we plan to do at the Hollywood hotel, Jeff Hammond , Chris Myers and I, it's a pleasure to have you with us and we heard about it earlier.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. his current leader, how relaxed he is leading, looking on the jumbotron to see what's going on, watching Fox, but coming into this race and his dominance, his late father, the nickname, the Intimidator's intern, certainly, Little League may be the Dominator because of the way it has handled this. week, but you spoke to some team managers and drivers this morning, they were a bit upset because people were already giving them the trophy. Yeah, I went to the garage area this morning and said, "Okay guys, what they got for car eight a couple of ago.

They didn't say anything. I talked to several of them who came to me and told me we were trying to find a way to beat this guy and one of them was Michael McSwain, who is the crew chief on Bobby Labonte's car. He said I'm not going to give him anything because as long as there are 500 miles and he has a driver like Bobby Labonte. , I'm not going to quit and my driver is not going to quit now because, unfortunately for those guys, they've already had some problems, but there is an attitude among several drivers and several team bosses that they don't feel that, because it's been strong all week, they want to roll over and play dead and, as a crew chief, I always want to try and figure out a way to beat these guys in 1989, the perfect example: we didn't have the fastest car, we came up with one. strategy and we beat them and that's what these guys had to do here today.

You've got a pretty good pilot there too. but Kevin Harvick also showed a bit of a bad attitude before and Richard Childress Racing Dei, the rivalry and the conversation continues, he knows how to say something, sure, I think when you come from 42nd and go up to 8th like he did, You have a car you have to worry about, so as Kevin so aptly said, you better watch that big screen TV in the back, guys, because now I'm coming to the big screen, a guy like John. Travolta we heard him before he was in the booth with the guys he was the grand marshal who started the race mariah carey singing the national anthem all kinds of celebrities attended the Daytona 500 I had Steve Byrnes or I ran into one of them Today early, here at the rink, Steve, well, Chris, as exciting as the races are, television doesn't really do 31 degrees of banking justice, so when you have the greatest skater in the history of the world, Tony Hawk, you bring him Now, Tony, what are you doing?

Obviously it's pretty extreme, but what do you think of the high banks here in Daytona? I had no idea, you know, you see this on TV and it looks like some kind of bank turn and when you get here it's very steep, it's a lot. scary, those thoughts write the benches, you go, I got a star from above seems so easy when someone called me to tell me this, you know what kind of trip that was at 31 degrees, uh, much faster than I expected. Although it was fun, would you like it to be quite smooth on the bottom?

I thought where it meets the flat it would be a little more crooked, but that's okay. I added 185 miles per hour. Thanks again, Chris. Okay, thank you very much. Actually, Dick Berggren does that on his red scooter, yeah, I have two Tonys. Tony Hawk can do a lot more, and in fact, he'll be in attendance tonight on Fox. It's Simpsons 300, the 300th episode starring the biggest names in action sports. Tony Hawk and the Simpsons follows an episode of King of the Hill where, hopefully, the Daytona 500 resumes after 63 laughs. Let's go back for a moment too. We heard Dick Berggren talk about pit stops with a couple of drivers and you weren't necessarily believing it. the rule change is causing problems for pit crews it just creates more opportunities for a problem yeah I guess what I want to point out here right now folks is thirteen and a half gallons or 22 gallons when you run out of gas. you ran out of gas and the first 42 of you are still in the lead group, you know you could still have the same kind of problem.

I think you have valid questions about where everyone is responding or over-responding to the fact. You know they have to stop more times and that could create a problem, but you know this is still a 500 mile race. The amount of accidents we've had broke things, so I mean, I wouldn't do it at all. just leave it at thirteen half gallon sales as to what happened here, and earlier we saw that three car accident that you heard about from Brian Newman and it involved Ken Schrader, Bobby Labonte, all three drivers left treated and checked out ​well. let's go down to dick Berggren he's with Bobby Labonte dick and Bobby is sitting on a workbench here looking at his bent race car what happened there Bobby the accident happened there in front of us he came down pit road he got to the end of the road pit and I was inside the few cars that were there.

I already told the boys. It looks like I made it through there and car 49 can slide on something if it's using the wreckage against some pride that breaks its steering and centered it. I can see the disappointment on his face. His crew chief has Miss Wayne. What are you going to have to do to fix this car and get it back on the track? We've done a lot around 20. This is going to wait until the red flag. We have something. Damage to the bodywork at the front. The transmission broke. The steering box was changed, so we have a very long day ahead of us and it is a very long day when you are in the red flag condition.

It's because all I can do is stare at the car to be a genius. I asked Kenny Schrader if you mind if we have the rest of this race because now it's stopped raining and what did you tell me so of course I care oh yeah that's exactly what you said well maybe I'm not so excited. It was like it was, but you know, we just had a decent race, we had a good week here, I scared the shit out of Carrot Top, you know, and uh, is this what happened? Did this happen when you took the damage here it looked normal before the shipwreck you know and then it scared the shit out of them so Kara taught me it never looks normal we should clear that up, load it up and bring it back to Darlington we'll go to Rockingham without it , but I'm glad I have it. him back, him, but not the way we wanted the day to go, you're okay now because I noticed there's like a patch of grass over here that came from the car, did that come from you?

Where is this from here? No, I just arrived. a little aside, I think Ryan Newman caught most of it, but I'm glad to see that Ryan is okay and everyone is okay, just a bad day for a lot of people. I'm glad to see that we can stay here and joke around and that you're doing it. "Okay, too, okay, Steve with Sterling Marlin is on the sterling list at #11 right now, how's that Coors Light Dodge Edmond bay? It's pretty good, they make you have fun, look what's on Jamie doing, what he's doing making faces at us, it's been pretty good, us." I'm up to 7th and probably back to 15th again in the level and he's driving pretty good, he got a little tight one time, he never had a little, but a lot of guys you look like, we're running with the worst handling of his car, so Take a look, senior, hopefully we get to 40 or 45 laps and at least get halfway there.

They say it's going to rain for 12 hours once he gets here, so you hope we can get cars that are a little better. Get in front. Sterling, you've led more races. here 25 more than any other driver did the math you've led around 1,400 miles what is it about this great super circuit that you like so much? Don't know. Very good research. Edna. Very good. I always enjoyed running. It's a fun track. have a good time running a hundred 95 98 and we wouldn't worry about blocking each other trying to use all the race tracks that come out of the floors, but you know, we won't, we'll just fill in what we have now and have to launch it, Should I cast him as Steve or Sterling?

Okay, Matt throws pretty well. You know, I don't know who you got. I think we'll talk to his teammate Steve. Thanks, Jamie Mcmurray, first of all, you were telling Sterling. what a great teammate, that's a small sign for him, just excellent, he's the king of playing pranks on people, so come on, I was just trying to get one over on him right now, he'll get me back, well you start at 19, how is your? The day did not go according to the plan you expected. In the Busch race yesterday, the background was very good and that's behind Ward Burton and I thought he was going to ride the background, so I started there and heThey opened too wide and then opened. three wide and I looked up and I was last after a while so the car was really tight at the start but they tweaked it and made it a lot better so I feel like we'll be able to work our way through it. back off, but he told me right before we got here, he said, man, don't crash and don't do anything stupid, so you know, just ride for 400 miles, try to stay with them, they sit in the race for the last hundred , so I just try to Listen to my car owner, that's the best thing you can do, especially when you pay Chris Myers his salary.

Thanks to 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 on a rain delay. but it has stopped raining and we hope to start again. Someone wake him up. There are races on Fox coming this way in a moment. Welcome back live to Daytona. Thank you for spending the afternoon here at Fox and hoping to compete again. You see, it's a little wet there, but the rain has stopped and the dryers are on the track Dale Earnhardt Jr. Currently leading Tony Stewart Currently fourth, let's go to Dick Berggren to talk to Tony Deck.

Well, Tony's car looks great. How do you feel? Not bad at the moment. It's definitely working really well right now and we're down to 8 out of 15 and we've got something. There are very good partners at the moment, so we have to stay there, we have a really good car, it's very early. I mean, I just try to be patient and stay in line with the guys and we're all working together really well and there's some. some guys who are in a real hurry and are on a mission to get there and try to lead a lap I guess, so we're just trying to keep those guys at bay and stick with the partners we have.

Are you conversing with hand gestures? Those guys you're working with with the spotters just know how fast you are, and as a result, the three of you are working together. I mean, Jr and I always work very well together and with restrictor plates on the tracks, so you know we always plan to work together, but you know, he and Mikey have run very well together Mikey and I ran very well together here at Daytona on last year at the 125 so you know the three of us know what we've got it's just a matter of protecting it right now a lot of people are talking about running hot engines running with how yours is we've been hot at times but you know So what I have to do is lower my nose a little bit, get some fresh air and give it a breath of good fresh air and that brings the temperature back down so we don't have too many problems, okay, it's good for you, It's good to see you running so well today, thanks Dick and Tony.

A few moments ago you heard that Michael Mcswaink is supporting you in car 18, Bobby Labonte and affectionately known as Fatback McSwain talking about transmission problems and that topic, let's talk to Jeff Hammond from the Hollywood hotel, he is in our valet parking area and the Ford car for a clear illustration and explanation of that. Jeff, yeah, this was a second ago. Michael McSwain was speaking. about him having to change the steering box on Bobby's car and the body right here is a steering box that's held on by four bolts. I have to disconnect the four bolts there, as well as a steering column that the steering column goes on. up and that's where the steering that the driver holds onto was connected as well as the pitman arm down on the bottom that is relatively easily changed except for the fact that they also have to disconnect all the power steering lines that they go with it once.

Once they accomplish that, they can reconnect everything and make sure they have primed the pump and everything so they have the experience that will operate the car's drivability once again for Bobby Labonte. The other thing that needs to change is the transmission now. on our cutaway engine this is where the transmission is located this is the bellhousing this is the transmission they will remove these four bolts that are connected to the bellhousing as well as the transmission bracket back here they will disconnect that and the driveshaft that connects the rear of the casing with the transmission transmission they will remove it and then take them away.

This is a bit of a stretch, but they will take that transmission away from the engine. replace it and slide it back up, get it lined up again, plug everything back in and hopefully they'll bring Bobby Labonte back to the racetrack and give me a chance to save some valuable championship points before the day is over. Mike thanks Jeff while he was under caution for Ryan Newman's accident. His brain fell out. It rained a lot here in Daytona Beach. We have been under the red flag for rain for 43 minutes, but the track is almost dry and ready to race.

They still have something. work to do on pit road because that area is still very wet and we have seen how difficult it is to get in and out of the pits safely when it is dry let alone when it is wet, but we are making good progress to get this race back on track. start soon, let's take a look back. the stock car portion of the

2003

speed weeks, the centennial of speed at Daytona, they've been racing in the arenas here since 1903, but they went into that tunnel and got ready to race. Here's Chad, who could take Jimmie Johnson's car to the Winston Cup inspection on Saturday night. first time in primetime but shooting Dale Earnhardt Jr. took his first checkered flag this week in rain-cancelled qualifying at the ARCA race on Sunday, but on Monday Jr knocked his Dei teammate, Michael Waltrip, off the pole for the 500 and less than a minute later he was knocked out of first place by Jeff Green in practice Jack Sprague hits Mike Skinner by car accident qualifying for the refrigerators 300 race Busch front row Joe Nemechek took the bowl then Robby Gordon on Thursday won the first hundred qualifying miles of 25 without a 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 the right side of his car on Friday and wants to come practice and watch the end of the Craftsman Truck race.

Rick Crawford, the former Daytona slinger to win, came out of turn four, but in practice for the Busch NAR racer crashes hard on Saturday Jr again for his coke car owner Teresa Earnhardt Victory Lane in the refrigerators 303 checkered flags for Prince of Speed ​​week only fireball Roberts in 1962 won the most races at Daytona Speedway won the pole race the all-star race the 100-mile qualifier won the sportsman's race and the 500 is the only time welcome back to Daytona mike joy with Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip and Darrell we're putting a lot of gray on the racetrack the water coming out of it we're getting closer to the race they're doing a wonderful job drying the track and the track was hot and that caution had to come out those cars had moved on that vortex kept spinning No I don't think that's right.

I think you think that keeping that heat in the air keeps that cloud away from the race track. I think it really does, but I want to see, this is what I want to see. I mean, there are young people up there. leading the race and Michael has been up there. I want to see Kevin Harvick go up there and I want to see Elliott Sadler go up there because they're not going to run, they're going to blend in, they're going to blend in and that's what we need, is someone. to go up there and say look Dale Jr.

I can overtake you and that will make him think a little more about what he's doing. I bet he'll stop watching TV and start looking in the mirror yesterday and in the 300 mile race we only saw a lead change, but as expected. behind the leader in single file they are running everywhere and I saw it again today. I mean, I heard Michaels say. I heard a lien. You say it's hard to pass the leader. You can reach the leader, but. You can't get past it even with help and what really makes it difficult is that the outside line goes up to the high side and you try to get it past someone, it just didn't work and you have to go around the inside. and you have that yellow line there to protect anyone from going under you, so the guy inside leading the race is dictating what everyone else is going to do, so a lot of the race for position, Larry It's been in and out.

From the pits I mean that's what I don't want to take anything away from Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his Busch or Dei effort, but the races he won earlier in the week were short races, the shootout, he had two, a pit stop when he won the hundred and twenty-five miles or a pit stop even yesterday in the race of the Busch Series, since we are still using the 22-gallon fuel cells, there were only two or three stops, we still have about six or seven pit stops left and we have already seen what mistake on pit road Jeff Burton's team can contribute to a good effort, so again, yes.

The juniors had to go above and beyond their game on that track, but that pit crew and the calls Senior Tony Eury makes have to be on their game on pit road, so what's up with the little fuel cell ? Darrell, well I'd like to go to the sectioned car, yeah, I think Jeff is down there and he's just showing you the two different sizes of the 13 gallon small cell and the 22 gallon one that we run and I want to talk about a problem that some of the guys told me or they We have 11 gallon dumpkins and we put it in with the 11 gallon dumpkins.

Ken, when the fuel cell is empty, you put 11 gallons into the almost full fuel cells for 13 gallons; when you use the other 11 gallons it doesn't go in because there's too much pressure forcing it into the cell and it can't fill up so we have to do one of two things I believe in, that's where I wanted to get Larry's opinion too, we didn't need have two smaller cans. so you can put two cans of fuel in the car or a 13 gallon can so you only have to put one can of fuel in it, what do you think guys?

Jeff, you know when you're down there to cut the car. We're looking at a dump, Ken, right here, that's something NASCAR has been working hard on this week. It's demanding what these guys are doing with the garbage dumps. They don't actually say it's much like the fuel cell. They don't say it has to hold a certain amount of fuel, they have a dimension sheet for that landfill, Ken, and there were guys running around looking for fuel cans, Jeff, because all their kids were too big now, Darrell, you want to know a landfill better 13 gallons, Ken, they used to exist better than you.

I used to have a pair of Marseilles, but Larry was referring to NASCAR, so I asked nonsense about the NASCAR crackdown. I said guys, let's go back to our dimensions, 11 gallons, we'll all stay here in these cans, but you have an interesting idea. Process there, my friend, because again, if you want to make the pit stops and make this whole thing here work, I think with the intention that NASCAR came up with, you have to use two cans, this is a 13 and a half gallon sale . that everyone has right now this is the bladder that goes inside the can this is the bladder it has 22 gallons behind it.

You can see a big difference between the two, obviously due to the different size of the holds. Now the interesting part. The thing is you still have to go in and put fuel in this thing when you try to dump 11 gallons and Darrell talks about when you go back and grab the other dump. Can you try putting it there? Are you creating a problem? could be could be this is what you do this is the probe that feeds the fuel cell itself the guy goes in and pushes this probe so that the fuel flows through here into the fuel cell itself and once it's full has to come out what I Call this overflow, this overflow comes out, this is the check valve that the guy catches overflowing right behind here now what the fuel does says the fuel cell itself is sitting right inside here it is go inside everyone welcome to the decay when you see a little bit We better get in here right now, our car right now and still wait for Rockingham, unfortunately, but this right here is a 22 gallon candle, but this is where it sits on the back of the race car, these guys now carry 13 half gallons, but when a fuel cell when filled, it overflows through this tube, we've already seen it when Larry talks about mistakes on pit road.

This is one of the places where a guy already had a problem, it was Jeff Burton, the overflow got stuck and this check valve. this inside this hose area again you have to debug, that's today's part of the game Darrell, the guys have what they have and they may be trying to determine if they need to go to smaller dumpkins, it may be a good idea every time come back to the pits next time at the swap and everything, maybe they'll take the opportunity to goto a six and a half or seven gallon chamber that they can't get wet so they can fill this a little more reasonably well.

With an 11 gallon pourer, it can't be filled as it weighs around 80 pounds. I'm not sure adding more weight to that fuel will be for the best. I like a toucan solution. I think here we should have two smaller cans that way when you fill this, fill the cell, you will get that the can is also not sold for half as much as the other candle, it goes much easier, huh, the drivers are being called to their cars and a huge cheer arose from this crowd when that announcement became real. The sun quickly rises again and they head to the cars.

I talked to competition director John Darby and he said one of the reasons they were really cracking down on the size of these dumpkins is that they didn't want teams to have a can that could be presented in a 13-half gallon brew. coach, what does that do?, that puts pressure on changing tires that night quicker and that's when you have more attention to the loose lug nut mistake at Pinto next weekend the scene shifts to Rockingham for another full weekend of racing action. Friday's Busch Series sprint qualifying followed by Winston Cup qualifying on Fox Sports Net Dale Earnhardt jr. certifies that he puts on his earplugs puts on his helmet and prepares to get back on board he is our leader after 63 laps of the 45th annual Daytona 500 37 laps from the halfway point as Dale Jarrett buckles up with 137 laps left.

What I like about this now is you. I had the opportunity to go talk to the crew chief, talk to other drivers. I think we will see a better race. I think these guys will come back now excited, they'll make changes to their cars and I think we'll see. Some real races in the crew chiefs have had about an hour or so to think about their strategy in this pit stop right here, you heard Elliott Sadler talk, you heard Jimmie Johnson even though we were under six laps of caution, pit road was closed due to record on pit road with Kenny Schrader Bobby Labonte no one could fit Jerry Nadeau about to get back on board and get going there's Jamie McMurray who won a race in relief of Sterling Marlin towards the end of last year yes, in Charlotte, it really took in the end they won, that fool now comes here as a rookie candidate and the defending Winston Cup champion, Oney Stewart, last year, the first driver to fall from the 500, but his team recovered quickly, came back and won the national championship and it takes a while to recover from a last place finish at Daytona, I mean it may take two or three months, that's what Ryan Newman and the 12 groups will face coming last after your record, it just takes a while to fall into a hole that you crawl through. outside of this, I mean, take forever race notes 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 you stay up to date on where your favorite driver has been today and I mean, we try our best to go back and talk about your favorite controller, but obviously we can't talk about everyone, so if one of us had a problem, you'll see it up there, no big deal in our Jeff Center post.

Greene is sitting there talking on his cell phone. I guess he was calling home to see how you looked on TV on the green and he has to wait again. There are two crew chiefs that are going to have to agree on that because while those two cars are running at the front, I think it's important that they stick with the same strategy, that way they can come out of the pits 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 caution I want to move forward because that's when I have the least amount of time that I have the cars are running under caution under green I want to take a four under caution so under green I have the option I'm not taking any or taking - I don't want to get into a box where I have to put tires on my car when I get to the pits under green, but I see that Michaels points out the position on the track, it is very important to be up. in the front group, if everyone puts four tires in the pits, it's a real group trying to go out and maintain track position, if you only get two under that yellow flag, you can stay in front and if you have a good enough car to to put four under green he has a really good car, but I tell you that if you are running in a group in the draft and you use four tires and the others only use two under green, you will be very far behind and you will have to chase them. down or I like what he and Dale jr. which we did the other day and in the qualifying races they didn't use tires correctly so I think you have a lot more options under green when you have to do it fast if you do everything you can under caution and what we need.

Make the Finns understand that unlike next week at Rockingham, it's not that four tires here at Daytona make you faster, they just make the driver able to maneuver the car, they'll just have better grip, yes you can keep the car wide open when you got four new tires, you saw Ricky Rudd, who's been coming here for two decades trying to win the 500, maybe today is the day for Chesapeake, Virginia driver Steve Park of Long Island, and there he is Rudd making sure you are comfortable and have everything you need. to go all the way here, Jeff Gordon, now it's a struggle to get the window net tied to Darrell, it explains why yeah, well we run these things, they're so tight because you don't want that to be like that if you You get into an accident like Newman grinds, do you want it to be tight with the violin string so you don't have an arm or anything outside of it?

They fit, he looks at how I think he just leans against the body and these pieces where he latches on and everything is really very strong. In the driver, I told you at the beginning of last year. I know they hit your fender, but I don't know how you got the Internet and all your paraphernalia came back up and he said he didn't think he was going to be able to do it. Wow, he said I tried it three times and on the third one I said this is it or I'm going to have to go to the pits to get it. the window netting in place and from a performance standpoint, the more you can make that thing think it's a solid piece exactly, it reduces the drag of the car, the less air in the car Bill Elliott, two-time winner of the 500, getting ready to start let's go to Chris Myers' beer, it's a break in the race, okay, let's recap the great American race that started a little early due to the threatening weather, so they moved up the start time and in On lap 36, gas can issues caused an entry and exit penalty. from pit lap 42 Bobby Labonte is the green car, car 18 spins and created the first yellow flag, he was fine, he was very lucky, everyone was lucky here for Ryan Newman in car 12 along with Kenny Schrader and Labonte involved and Newman.

Surprisingly he survived this walk, in fact, the three drivers involved were unharmed and there is Ryan Newman who was left out of this race and I left 64, the rains came with Dale Earnhardt jr. Leader Elliott Sadler is currently in second place. Michael Waltrip is also third in a de along with Little E behind with Jeff Hammock Chris Myers at the Hollywood Hotel just above Victory Land and this is a visa race between the weather and will this affect the strategy? In terms of, do we run a hundred laps to make this official? We're either on lap 64 or just taking our time like it's a 500 mile race.

No, I think with the way the weather is now, Chris. you have to take a risk and go ahead and throw that so the tire stops there like Michael and Willie, we're talking about getting there, try to leave it halfway and get in the best position so that if it goes further. "Then you can start with four tyres, now it's time to push ahead and get into that kind of position because we're not halfway there, we've got about 37 laps before we get there and I think that's where the real race will be." . I've seen some great teamwork obviously with the guys in the Dei car with the little E and Michael Waltrip who has the best chance to challenge them and they'll have the right kind of help, well we've seen that, I think where has Elliott Sadler state.

It's pretty strong if someone can work with Elliott, like Kevin Harvick, who's been moving through the group and telling everyone, hey, I'm going, if those two guys can get together and if their cars will work if they work together, he can be a factor before. the days that were over, he could race with these guys, he could basically make it rain on his parade, andia and the trash talk, if you want to call it that, all week with Richard Childress Racing and Dei, I mean, it looks like they're going to have There's a lot to be said about who finishes, whether this goes up 500 miles or just the 100 more laps when it becomes an official race, and one of the other guys we've left out of the mix as far as we're concerned.

We're looking at Steve Park and he says this car was pretty good if he could get back there he might as well help his teammate so when you're doing this whole strategy game you gotta look at maybe Michael and Lilly trying to hook up back here doing the same thing on pit road or car 29 on car 38 connecting, all of these things are going to start to develop. I'm sure there are a lot of deals being made right now. right, Kevin Harvick during the rain delay talking big, there's pole winner Jeff Green, so there's something to look for as we resume the action here getting ready to go I want to be a grand marshal in a Winston Cup race featuring NASCAR Grand Marshal V for a dating contest here and tune in to the first hour of each news box or FX is the

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 a chance to win wave the checkered flag Next year in Rockingham you may just turn out to be the lucky one to be a NASCAR Grand Marshal for a day.

The competition starts on Sunday right here and we are getting ready to compete as you watch the drivers and their teams the track looks dry and uh the pit road looks very dry too yeah everything is ready so that's our farce, why can't I? By the way, it's one of the nicest things I've seen in a long time: that camera going down pit road is really giving us a different image. Perspective, well, comes into play more when you know guys are getting there at 55 miles an hour and trying to get in and out of there. We've already had a lot of adventures in Busch's career and there's a look at what the cameraman looks like, yeah, waving at us, looks like let's see, do you think Darrell Walker is very smart?

Okay, yeah, okay, that was pretty good. Don't know. I don't know how smart that is for blowing up cameras, but it works for us. great photos and that's the important thing, very smart, I think you're stuck in that mode right now Chris, I should ask you something, it had to be a yes question, but yeah, you could have said about Jeff, just this again, the drivers. in that when they come into the pits in terms of how they can be cautious, but obviously time is of the essence getting in and out of there, time is of the essence, but the most important thing is that you have to be careful going down to the pits and getting some your pit box because we damaged your race car, no matter how much time you lose on the track, that can hurt you much worse.

Something that doesn't hit the front fenders, the end of the side panels to take your Right now, these entrances and exits are smooth, if you have a good race car, you can pass the guys who beat you on pit road. Okay, the Daytona 500 has never been rainy and I think we took a break here and started a little early. We had a rain delay, but we are getting ready to run and accelerate and should have an exciting finish again with Dale Earnhardt jr. leading the way, let's go back up with 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 was won from the outside pole 15 times from the front row, our poleman, Jeff Green, is on the opposite end of that train, he will restart the last car on the leading lap.

He was caught in part of the accident between Ken Schrader and Ryan Newman and Ward Burton, they had to pit for repairs, so he will be the tail gunner on this restart. Yes, again we talked about pit road closure. Those two cars came. to the pits several times while the pits were closed and the penalty is that when you restart the race you have to start to follow them to the longest line, that is what will happen to the drivers of Ward Burton and Jeff Green who are in their cars waiting hereboot. of the Daytona 500 after a red flag but it has been one hour and five minutes so far Dale Earnhardt jr.

To hell with the race to that lead car. I'll be back, the car won't shoot Jake when Terry used a battery there Tony, your juniors are depleting the crew members of Bud's guys are running while helping Dale Earnhardt jr at night. Spoilers make their way to the front of the grid trying to give it a little push and start there. I mean, we talk about this all the time, Darryl, you know to win the Daytona 500 you have to have a good race car, you can't. make some mistakes, but you know what you have to have luck on your side too, yeah, and this is unfortunate, just like the batteries, maybe they left something on when they got out of the car, maybe they left something in the CD player That could be so good now.

It's not the kind of drawing you want to see, boy, and you know it, and when you've had such a perfect week you're waiting for the shoe to drop, you know, you just walk around saying, man, what's wrong, that's been too good, you know, changing the pattern, it's no big deal, it's located in front of the left rear tire animation, right here, what you have to do, take the lift, there's the battery, right there, take that little aluminum. open the door, this is a quick disconnect, just slide it apart, it's a marine product, it didn't quick disconnect, slide the old battery out, slide the new one in, plug it back in, slide the other one in for quick disconnect, put the battery back in door, place the towel and I mean, you can do it in a matter of seconds if you have to.

Oh yes, we have done it and we have never lost a lap and the procedure that has been implemented is that if a car requires a push to restart at a red flag, it is legal and should not lose its position, go ahead and get on the bike. paper, the problem for Dale Earnhardt jr. simple, he forgot to turn on the master switch, that's why it came on, he turned everything on to make it work and what these cars have, they have a master switch that cuts off all the power to the battery and the degrees they have, that's a problem of safety in case a car catches on fire, plus when you stack you are sitting overnight in the garage area, you cut it too.

Jeff Green is still trying to make repairs with the press coming out of turn four, Dick Bertram, I took a walk. Mike and the car are really bad, but there is some minor sheet metal damage, on the other hand, at one hundred and eighty-five hundred and ninety miles per hour, minor sheet metal damage can really slow down a race car, so it's They will take their time. here on pit road and get the car back as best they can, yeah, and now is the right time to work on it, man, don't wait until later, you already have the card, we're under caution, here, work on it now. get it back perfect and it will work better now that the pits weren't open, but since Green was already at the end of the longest line, he won't serve any more penalty with a smart move because that gives them a lot more time to work.

Garage work resumes on Bobby Labonte's car, trying to return it to the Speedway after being involved in an accident with Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader and Ward Burton, who competed in the race under his second yellow flag of the day and the red flag is already out. pit road is open, that green flag, the race is not back to green, but pit road is open and pretty much everyone will be there and I think you'll see a lot of people change on just two tires, you might see just some fuel. I'm just trying to get that track position.

I think there are some guys who like the man I was. If I could get in front of that eight car, maybe I could stop it and the only way they're going to do that is your best chance, Pat. Well, the game plan for Dale, learn our tuners, is simple, in rotating two tires, last time they took the left, this time they will take the right, at their last stop, those two tires have to go to Steve Dick, leaning Gordon into his hole. Cash crew boss Robby Loomis says nice, calm guys, plus-side tires, gasp, are important.

He is far away, right in front of Sterling Marlin, there is a lot of congestion but almost no contact. His cars enter and exit pit road. If you beat a car off pit road, they can improve their position there, otherwise they won't go under the caution flag, so this will shift slightly towards the field among the 38 cars on the lead lap. 64 full laps were getting ready to compete again in the Daytona 500. at Fox under caution Daytona 500 now 65 laps complete Pit stops at Layton for Mike Skinner John Andretti and Jeff released field will line up behind Kaycee rookie mayors believe Daytona 500 no rookie has won race on last year's former winner right behind him first time we saw him there near the front today Ward Burton we've been showing you our fuel gauges when they were emptying them now everyone's pitted there's Casey Mears there's more Burton there is Michael Waltrip nice full tanks now Michael Waltrip led the battle outside the pits of the cars that entered the pits because he only took fuel without tires his teammate Dale Earnhardt jr.

Tony Stewart in 20 also took two tires from the right side Michael Waltrip third Coca-Cola racing family car Tony Stewart Winston Cup champion Harvick all in the top 10 now Casey Mears who was leading the race comes to pit row but he got those five bonus points Ward Burton also pitted second page Bobby Labonte's car in the garage being repaired out of the race ken schrader and Ryan Newman everyone else following on the lead lap except John Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi both are on the lap down, Jeff Michael, I think I'm looking here in regards to Ward Burton and car 41.

Casey Mears is worried about several Dodge Steam worried about the L together 35 or 36 laps like several hundred cars, well, for this. guys you might be heading down pit road so you can get to that magic halfway point in case it rains again this might be the only way you could get to the halfway point at Jeff Ward Burton . I think he stayed there just because he went ahead and executed some of these precautions before he got to pit road, remember he was making pit stops when pit road was closed so he was going to have to start counting it in detail to let some of These cautionary turns end well, sir.

Weather Channel, let's take a look, we've had some heavy rain here that put us under the red flag for an hour and eight minutes and we're in the window, Larry, I mean, here's Daytona Beach, our weather is moving this way , we just need to start this race and get going, get that vortex, go and eat. I tell you. I've been doing this for a long time. It doesn't work if people leave me all the time because there are those 12 hours of rain. Sterling Marlin I was talking statewide, but you know, they're doubling down. I think we are going to compete.

I'm a little bit and I think that in four days there are a lot of theories about racing, people don't. I don't understand it's one of those aerial coverage courtesy of Budweiser fans in the stands, cars back on the track. They were ready to restart the Daytona 500 after the second yellow flag of the day the first on lap 42 for a Bobby Labonte spin on lap 58 Ryan Newman's crash with Schrader and Bobby Labonte's red flag on lap 64 let's start lap 68 twice The two days of buckets, now one thing is that this cooler weather has done a lot, the cloud has lowered the track temperature by 13 to 15 degrees, we stopped the race, which gives these cars more grip on the track, like those engines Oh they also run better and will sound louder, like this that we should dance twice, what haven't we done yet today?

Hey, let's tie up those TVs and turn them on Jr, but those jr. has a problem, that possible problem on the eight cars that he's reporting on his missing bolts and it went from 10.8 now to 10 minutes. The cars have a charging system very similar to the alternator system called Pastor, a charging system, maybe a 70L alternator and DW, the only thing. You can be here, especially when there's green flag racing and you need to cut that blower over that helmet, koozie down, yeah, I know I hate to hear that two laps ago, Robby Gordon, out here, was right ahead of his teammate.

Team Kevin Harvick. Gordon took to the racetrack Harvick was cut in the middle and was passed on both sides now he's ducking under his teammate Gordon trying to get out and he wasn't going to be caught in that circumstance again dick Berggren Does Elliot Sadler have a problem? Well, Elliott Sadler. He had a problem like one of those electrical boxes went bad when the race restarted, he changed the boxes and said the car is fine now, but as a result he lost several positions, one of the things that happens, I think Mike is that the cars are hot and pulling down here they get wet and all that humidity the heat makes you want to get up on the wiring systems and everything else and they can fix themselves once the cars warm up again and get all that out just like we have done it. seen before in a single file the first four cars then turn a triple water as they compete for position again in the field right now Kevin Harvick in 29 has that team made of Robby Gordon the 31 connected that inside were the ones he wants to lift it kevin harvick wants to go up there come to Robby Gordon 31 he told me on Thursday after winning the qualifying race they came here for testing in January they did the bodies on all the cars they completely redid them and they came here for speed readings from a completely different package , but we have done a great business, you know, the Dei cars in the Childress cars work together sharing information, but I think the game could end well, then the Black Death is shown.

For Sterling Marlin in the 40 cars down the stretch, this yellow line right here is out of bounds, you can't go under that position in advance and there he's diving under the line to pass that car there, a flag black that I could give it a spin there again. One mistake you can't make was the only thing I don't like about Larry is that he can be forced to pass, that you run on the guy that you take there and he forces you to go under the yellow line that he can actually put. your numbers have to be incorporated, as it is very difficult to subjectively determine whether you drove down, were pushed down, low.

Carter said the line is the line, no matter what we saw yesterday in the Busch Series races, some guys went down and backed off. a little bit and I didn't move forward in that position, these cars behind me were happy to support Dick Berggren's conversation and the drivers' meeting this morning and Mike Kelton said if anyone pushed into that, they'd probably get a black flag or else I should keep trying. below the yellow line, you will likely receive a penalty either way. Steve Sterling tries to see that he has his hand outstretched. The entire field is behind him.

Darrell, you are absolutely right. Sterling Marlin just radioed Lela: he said car to me on the right, he took a heart on the left, I had no other choice, I had to get off, use it to your advantage, go down pit road, open the thing, pumps up the fuel, rushes back out and he heads to pit road, now he remembers he can. He doesn't make any more mistakes, but he understands that, oh, he'll have his cousin, fresh out of a reset, all the fields will be together and he'll be alone. Jeff Darrell, what I was seeing right there, Elliott Sadler had. a cognition problem, I remember he got off, he had to change gear.

I think he was slowed down in the backstretch because of that and Sterling was trying to avoid him when he went under the line. You know there are officers everywhere they're looking. here the calls are subjective, you know, and they made the call like Mike Mike said the yellow lines, the yellow line at some point, how did you do it, you know, the crazy things are not debatable, he needs that black bag in disguise, actually It was deformed at the back. Look, here they come, they're just starting the turn, turn three, he has to land backwards immediately, he laughs at Harlan, back-to-back winner of the 1994 500, he almost fell behind and we're going to show you again what happened.

Sterling Marlin pulled forward or was pushed under the line, let's see here he comes, oh I don't know, I'd hate to make that decision, but it's a ball and strike call, Darrell, it really is like they say in racing. It is what it is and his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Who would have dominated these restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega? He led at 76 lats. UPS brings you the Daytona 500 on Fox. What can Brown do for you? UPS, the companyNASCAR's official giveaway, offers you the 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 he just served and call them what to expect if they fall below.

Some of you have discovered that to protect your place you can do so. move down and right against the yellow line and to avoid someone going around you on the inside, that's fine, but if you do it while that guy is trying to go around you, if you move him down when he has a quarter panel or a fender. In our opinion you are on your side, if you got him down there and he can't look fast enough to get behind you, if you got him down there then you are subject to black tabs, that's how the rule was explained with who mainly McCall is now leaving we saw you pleading your case the officials on pit road what did they say well I guess they said well yeah shout out I am but they made us go down there and you know what we just Look what we can get here, hug, forget about the caveats within the design, but it's an unfortunate situation and let's go to Matt Yocum and Steve for an update on Dale Earnhardt jr.

At round 75, he said the votes are now down to nine and a half last time, he says he's on the edge of the gauge, they'll just tell him to hold on, they wait for the next band of rain to come. While they were still angry, his father tried to win this race for 19 years and everything went wrong. he cut the tire on the last lap. Seagal hit the oil cooler you name finally on the 20th attempt. Dale Earnhardt managed to win the 500 and I'm sure now Darrell has cut everything except the engine, which is the only thing that needs a power source at this point, but to go back and talk about Sterling Marlin, we've been watching his lap times.

He's running like 49 9250, the pack is running 49. flat, so he's beating us on that group, which means in five to six laps they'll drop you off and you'll go back to his junior. This is what I always say, a driver in my opinion, you're lucky, Bank, you know, you start the year with that. full of luck and they use it a lot but down here and stuff I hope it hasn't grown too much bro best you can looks like there's more rain coming around here just keep the running boy that's his spot at Tyler's talking to Dale Earnhardt and look at that front group of Waltrip junior Tony Stewart Kurt Busch, you won three of the last five races of the season and behind them look at this group in a double file, Todd Bodine being checked by the two cars of Childress, Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon now working together and you know that's good. to see because I have skepta turns watching those two in the initial race, they weren't working together like they should, but now it seems like they were, but Richard possibly during that life of the Reds, during that red flag until mr.

Childers probably had those guys in his red pickup truck talking to them about Jerry Nadeau Danbury Connecticut In fact, I drove a tank. He has spent about a week with our troops just a few miles from enemy lines in a tight shove like a garbage truck. You see him push like a fool replacing a Ken Schrader. I really like to see us stay green here even. making a green flag pit stop and returning to the trainer, we heard Jeff Gordon talk about long races. I'm really good and I think that's going to be the difference in this race if we can stay under green and do something. long runs you'd like to see that sterling ball and wouldn't you give it a caution flag?

No, they've got him in their sights now, it won't be long, they'll be up there now, put him down a lap, but he's got a good car, he can hold on and caution is important, well, Michael Waltrip is playing the range strategy mic , that's why they went in and just took gas, no tires, it was a very quick stop, that's why they are in the lead, but without removing those tires, the car has loosened up a little, they have enough gas to get about halfway there , at which point they hope it starts to rain and the outside couple doesn't win the race 15 laps to go.

At that point, the race would become official if the time comes. We've seen cars go outside and make passes and what we really need, and I think Kevin Harvick is going now, you see them, they're going down now if it's forever. his teammate at the top, Robby Gordon, and the two acceptors of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, Harvick, in the nearby shootout no jr. he made all his passes on the outside this is what we need look at this if we can go far great look at Michael he jumps and tries the Harvick now see you there Junior the middle now let's see if Robby Gordon the 31 yes, he's going to slide, look, he's you'll see like you're walking try sliding the lower cab picking up learn so this is picking up Matt Yocum when he says the car is starting the cut end turns on and off in fact on the last lap he told his observer to time the horns. talk to Tony Stewart spotter, tell him my car is starting to stall and hitting me.

He didn't want to spin me, he's waving, he's going to pin, you can see his hand waving on the monitor, he's going to pit next. time for one of the best cars, if not the best, during speed weeks, you may have lost your chance to win the Daytona 500, the battery needs to maintain a certain amount of voltage to fire those spark plugs and junior doesn't have enough fire and there are so many things about race cars, it always amazes me how they run three and a half 500s in three and a half hours five miles and everything works, you know, I mean, there are a lot of moving parts in that sucker that can go 190 miles an hour, does not enter the pits. junior stays on the track delicious Fox Trax speed 176 miles per hour a little off the pace not too off the pace but that problem probably won't get better on its own it's not going to get better so they're going to get worse so it's tracking this is the dilemma you know anyway in another what they are trying to do is take care of that thing to see if we can't get halfway and this is a lot of things that are happening, the weather is coming, your batteries are working. down and you try to make that decision to become a pit road and do it now we try to wait now the call is now yes and they take the coach Sterling is preparing for that death I thought this might be the fly in the ointment here it is Michael, he told him that Harvick could get to the outside of Michael, but Michaels put a bomb on him, but here goes Harvick outside, there you see the battery there with the quick attempt to get that battery in there.

They waste all the time they can now Tony Stewart CK what are you going to do in the back? Harvick outside Walter inside to work on the left rear he's got the tire up he's taking out the battery they're going to change the battery now it's just a question of how much time he's going to lose, how fast they can change the battery, if they can still hold on, lose enough time to try to keep his hopes up because Kevin Harvick lost his teammate Rafi, stuck in traffic. back and that was the end of Harvick's charge on the outside, but the Sterling Marlin cow fighting to stay on the lead lap is dragging these guys there, he's keeping them at bay, he's got a fastball, we know he could be the guy who really makes it. everyone who is going to lead this race, so if the yellow flag comes out now, Marlo would get a free pass and do the full lap if michael waltrip passes him.

Sterling has made a comeback and you know he didn't do it, he's protecting the bottom and Sterling really isn't the affected apple girl. I just think Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Michael. just came off pit road he'll be two laps down so he'll be more than two laps down 1 minute 7 seconds he stopped trying to accelerate again and the car still sounds flat 91 full laps nine laps to the halfway point michael waltrip leads Daytona 500 in five eight this time look at Harvick, I mean it's all guts, you come out of the Daytona 500, trouble, trouble, turn 3-1, car hits the wall and crashes stops. a thirty Sterling Marlin car has its left back there, yes it does and Jimmy Spencer is involved in the number seven slides to a stop right near the pit road entrance on lap 95 the third caution flag of the day there Spencer is spent I tried to get out Jeff Green okay, you heard Spencer say he tried to get out and I couldn't miss the accident, this comes right after most of the teams prepared to hit the pits and make green flag pit stops, so we won't have the long green again that I think some of the guys were hoping for.

Well, do you stop or wait until lap 100 and see if it splashes on his book? Larry read about the guy, told radar that he's coming back and everything is fine. Larry, is it all green or not, he said everything is fine, but then he starts raising a fog instead of debris on the blimp I start packing up and the showers are on the way Jeff Hammer now let's find out who can sit on that hot stove as they say and sweat bullets and make do with it Michael Waltrip and several of these The teams will have to stop here in the next five or six laps.

It's really interesting to see how this little scenario plays out. The only thing I find interesting is that someone like Sterling Marlin will be the last one of the group who can. him to come and get four tires that he wanted, he could really make things interesting. The leaders are at the end of the group, without the weights, as if I wanted to go and see if the good psychiatrists are entering the bet. Damn, I guess just for Timmy Johnson, he's away from the right side tires on Jeff Gordon's 24 cars that didn't get into the fluid.

Todd Bodine and Ricky Craven look at those dark clouds looming, I mean the 40 cars that have been in a corral they filled. with fuel has some mental applications to play fair straightened out this says some situations right here out of state the youngest of shamone's three brothers New York Todd tied up bowing as new Daytona 500 leader Jimmy Spencer walked from his car was fine after that accident, brief for you, as it plays out here Jimmy Spencer was trying to go around the outside while Jeff Green was turning and he just ran out of racetrack, there was enough racetrack there to pass me, he just cuts it off , this would sound like the tire just blew up on that thing halfway through turn three and cool, yeah, and Jeff Green is out of his car too and we'll take the obligatory trip to the infield spotlight. 96 complete laps.

Do you throw or pray for rain? You show up and pray for rain, we'll be back and discover nuta Winston Cup this year, McDonald's driving challenge powered by all pit stops will be timed and the eligible team with the shortest total time on pit road each week wins $20,000 throughout the winter season, it's a quarter of a million, we come from the junior car and you have to be agile when you're on pit road. Look at Todd Colburn, the jackman that Phil Elliott tries to get out of the way, it's Jack. Sprague passes Todd turns around he's back well most of the cars that didn't pit when the pits first opened pit now as we're on one to go Steve Byrnes with chat channels Chad tell us about your fuel only strategy and did you get enough fuel in the car?

Well, we've got enough to get ahead of these other guys. You know we'll just have to wait and see. I hope it rains. It is difficult to predict what will happen. I know there's a big storm coming, our car is really good, we've been trying to stay out front all day now that we're out there, if Jimmy can avoid it, let's say it rains for the next 20 laps, we'll win Daytona. 500 if she goes over 20, 25 turns of her will 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 previous year, but crashed. leaving the race early is a million three million three hundred thousand gamble I think it's worth it, it's going to rain his comment, you can feel it, you can see yourself, they lend you a smart car, yes, low clouds moving over the Jimmy Spencer circuit and Jeff Green Both were checked at the field care center and released.

That's fine, since we're going to see what it would be like if the distractions were ten o'clock and they headed to the grass. One just got involved in high speed hunting at 45 miles per hour. With the carburetor restrictor plate, it takes about one turn to reach full sleeve. You see Jimmy almost fall inwards and then he looked back and saw Tony hanging outwards. He will have to drive a bit to keep up. these guys behind him now Chevy versus Chevy Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing and a carcut to the inside Michael Waltrip everyone is so funny great job baby and now this race would be official 48 right in the middle right behind Michael is the 24 car now doing Darrell to reunite those two teammates right now they are separated by Michael Waltrip pass under Michael in one of these corners either alpha-2 before so he can go up there and go down with his teammate to cover the spot single file there could be one person at the end in the 20km, as we have seen in other restarts, and bunny let me tell you the intensity is increasing at the front of the pack Jeff Gordon salutes Jimmy Johnson climbs high to pick up his teammate in the draft and then you lose the lead, help is on the way for Michael, although there it is his teammate, here we go, you got it, you got it, he sets off with the problem going into turn one here, smoke and flames from that last one. partial line Mike Skinner something broke, you saw him smoke just a couple of laps ago, something on the left front looks like it's blocked right now, we still agree there's no caution where Michaels is in the back of the 48 car and here he comes his teammate if he were.

Jimmy Johnson has been trying to EULA the cars behind him to help his car move forward now that the yellow flag has been canceled, but Dale Earnhardt jr. They took the yellow flag, so he won't be able to make up this lap. They had already taken the yellow flag. Those useful lives are a few feet less. Mike Skinner will try to turn around. He will arrive at the pits. Tonia, no. I don't know about you, but I think my heart rate has picked up considerably haha, everyone's pulse is racing, we're already halfway through the Daytona 500, the 45th Annual Daytona 500 on Fox is presented for Chevrolet wherever there is a winner's circle. we'll be there 104 full laps they gave them one to go we'll go back to green next time buy a carpet of clouds has descended upon this speedway you can see that rain in turn number two in the not too distant future and it's heading this way listen why my Dale Jr.'s heart rate increased considerably.

He's racing to make up his lap, he pulls in next to Tony Tony pulls in next to Gordon and Tony turns his car sideways, that may not seem like much, but when it's 190 miles, one iron you get it, but it's out of range. shape. he's lucky to save him let alone fight his way under him and I'm telling you Tony did a great job holding off that bad boy and that's why we talked about three wides being a bad deal right there and Jeff Gordon ended up in As a result , 10th place here is the field on the lead lap there are 34 cars competing 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, Richard Childress' two Chevy teammates, Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon, then Tony Stewart, Mike Wallace, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon.

I think it's amazing how the career aspect of chiffon is seen and talked about by everyone. The day Kurt Busch and Mark Martin, where they come from, well, you come from, have been hanging around Backer because they didn't have to show his hand. Now the shows are about to end. They are up during the hunt. 96 laps to go. wow if it's not raining thanks Carl is on Jimmie Johnson California moves it down Jimmie Johnson is hanging on the ground he's in second right now they're just going to keep kicking Johnson in the back and Johnson had no choice under the rules.

He had the start on the outside lane and did you see the mood that Mark Martin created from top to bottom towards Hegel and his teammate Kurt Busch, Mark in the six-car lead shepherd? Let's see what all these guys have got now. Baby he let it all slide, your caution is the costumes are cool, defending Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis, crashes on lap 107 and Jimmy Tyson's Chad Knaus routine is not happy and Dale Earnhardt jr. The games go back to one of the lattices behind that, that's why you never give up, you know you set up and say what the hell is it doing there, well you never know what can happen and the good thing about it is that there are no more cars let them spin Jeff.

He'll be able to come in and get four new tires that will be back near the front again on the inside line. He will, and the good thing about that will be that he will be in the forefront of what will happen behind Michael and the rest. guys, because everyone realizes that the race is going to end here very soon he comes out, gets the free pass because the safety car picks up the leader, turns around and one of the most emotional speeches I have ever heard in my life, Jimmy Valvano, Coach. I mean he said that's how runners have to run.

You can never give up. Lots of things can happen. You don't hang your head, pack your toolbox and go home. You keep running and you run hard, especially when you have a fast car Junior was two laps back he has one of those laps back let's show you what happened on number 22 Ward Burton's Dodge in turn four will come from the right side of your screen looks like he was up on the high side he just missed it completely just there was no one near him behind him but this is hard to hit on the driver's side right there man I think he got lucky though he hit them head on the left one and then it broke. in the rear left, don't think the drivers are getting so cruel and hooking up Burton's car and dragging him back to the garage where he'll join Jeff Green, Jimmy Spencer, Kenny Schrader and Ryan Newman right now because his car is almost in the interests. pit lane pit lane is closed right now, once they remove the drugs from the car we will see pit lane open and you will probably see some action on pit lane, but probably not from the drivers guys who are in front, no, I think.

Jimmy Johnson's guy is biting his nails right now or at least his crew chief, Chad, can get out because they didn't fill the car with gas. These cautionary turns are certainly happening when you get too far, you'll be in trouble, let's look at it from Bill. Elliott, Daytona 500 on Fox, presented by Dodge, You can take life as it comes or you can grab life by the horns, Stop by Pizza Hut, Home of New Things, Trust Gold Pizza by H&R Block at H&R Block Financial Advisors and from the United States. Army Reserve An Army of One with Jeff Hammond Chris Myers at the Hollywood Hotel just above Victory Lane as the rain begins to fall under our fifth yellow flag and a couple of big things happened here because we are on our 109, 270th lap miles so if it needed to be called the race would be official but at that last yellow flag literally Sterling Marlin laughed again yeah they are sterling right now he started way back there next thing you know he worked up to 17th place and the ladies already showed how.

Strong is once again if the Rangers stay away. I wouldn't rule it out yet, but the guy who right now made the best bet all day was looking at Jimmie Johnson, guys right here, you really made a great little call there. They only put in one can of fuel, but they were betting on the fact that the rains would come before they needed a second can, so it looks like they are now in the seat of the catbird, Michael Waltrip, who led early in the race. So let's go down and check with Dick Berggren, his crew chief, Dick, well, everyone on top of Michael Waltrip's box, except his crew chief, Slugger Labbe, he was sitting here under umbrellas that you don't have or at least you didn't have one until I. appeared, you don't care about the rain now.

I hope it keeps raining. I hope NASCAR and Daytona didn't pay the light bill so they don't turn on the lights so we can get this over with, get this over with, but uh the Chevrolet map has been good for the last 10 days , as the wind loads were fast from the truck, they qualified to finish second 125, our teammate and has been strong all day and it's been a lot of hard work. We started building this car in May. last year our big goal after winning the race in July was to come back here in February to win this race and we hope we can do it here in 2001 it looks great that they win in 2003 Mike go to rent cars skinny Langston that come down the street from pits behind the safety car while you watch the helmet cam on Michael Walter look at him and that's his ex his leg right there look I don't want her up there you know she's six-five I don't I don't know how she gets that big body inside that race car, but it does.

He is sixth. I was about five years old on my legs and Ward Burton was not injured in that accident and he served four years and went into care. They quickly released him. Burton work. okay, hello, Michael DW, up in the tower, how are you reading buddy, how are you feeling buddy, fabulous, you're happy, something's happening. I've never heard Michael answer a question with a word before it was told to us 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 was the deal. Michael II wants to get out of there. They are going to put the car cover on. I had to get it. Out of there, we're red flagged for rain for the second time today, there's a big band of showers on the backstretch and into turn three, I'll tell you NASCAR fans are a resilient bunch even though they're limited in what they can do. can you bring to the Speedway, I hope you have ponchos, our Pepsi fan chamber has been busy around the grandstand today, as these people have endured a red flag for rain and now here is the second.

Daytona 500 109 laps complete we have our second red flag for rain we're back the 45th annual Daytona 500 on Fox is presented by Budweiser the best things in life are the ones that are true Budweiser our aerial camera Budweiser it's active but maybe not for long because here to the west and around here there are big bands of downpours that the rains caused right now, if they can dry this track quickly we could go back to green, but who knows for how long, dick Berggren with Jimmie. Johnson is currently worried about a third place finish. I joined you there.

Did they know he was in trouble somehow? I don't know, I'm a little speechless right now. There are five laps left in the rain and when I was leading under the yellow flag but I preferred to win this under green, I didn't know what to do in that situation and I only have two options with Junior and Junior having or Michael. Having Junior there there were multiple options but the 33 got off to a slow start and let Michael jump into the lanes to follow the momentum and Michael had the momentum and everyone knows how strong the two Dei cars have been so I'm happy to have fallen. line where I did it and if jr.

If I wasn't there we would still be leading right now, that's just the way it is, but I have to thank everyone in the Lowe's team race for some hard work and I know I had all the employee owners on the edge of their seats. Sir, for a while, hopefully, we'll get back to green and we'll be able to go out again and try to take the lead. What will it do when we turn green again? I'm going to push Kurt Busch as hard as I can and try to get him through those 15 and drink lime - okay, good for you, good for Chris Stick and Jimmy and remember the story of the Daytona 500 twice, the race was shortened by rain in 1965 Fred Lawrence won his only 500 after over 332 miles and then in 1990 1966 Richard Petty took his second trophy within two laps of the distance schedule and here we are officially a race if they can continue while watching Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Now let's talk about the first rain delay we had. He was clearly cruising ahead and then there were some mechanical issues, yeah, they had an alternator, a battery issue, or he showed up in the Budweiser Chevy and you know they chose to stay out and you know I. I guess in retrospect you would think about coming if they had the perfect opportunity to change that battery and I think that's when you saw Dale Earnhardt jr. speaking with his team leader Tony Eury jr. and they're probably thinking that if we could have done it a little earlier we would still be in good shape and he showed how strong he is because he has already made up one of his two laps if the rain stops, you know? he has been in a good position once again to possibly get that lap back, let's see what the weather does because he is clearly not out of these races, many races together, yes, the crew chief also has to play meteorologist, let's go with his partner Dei and Michael Waltrip, who is currently leading the race with our own Matt Yocum and Michael Waltrip keep looking around, you're looking at the sky, do you feel like the heavy things are already leaving, or are there more coming?

I don't think the heavy stuff is going to Baja for quite some time. I feel good about where we are, obviously, at dw1 Southern500 doing a rain dance. Could you just drop him off there and let him drive around for a bit? We can let you go. Can't. I can't dance, but you know, when I pray to God, first I pray that he forgives me my sins and makes 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 a lot, let's talk of the move you made on young Jimmie Johnson, well it was an aspyn event and you know you can only control your own car and my plan was for hopefully junior to get off to a great start in 33. not having such a good start and I was able to get between them and push, luckily for me it worked and I was able to take the lead and it's us, it's a wild race usually in the last 20 laps, there are no barriers, everyone bumps into each other.

To you, everything is crazy, but now with the weather, it was like this forever, so I had a lot of things happening and I'm very grateful that I was able to be as lucky as I was. put our car in front thanks to the slugger to all the guys Klausner furniture all my sponsors Oreo Napa we are very focused and we are going to enjoy it hopefully, I hope we can win this race. The Daytona people don't understand that this is a Daytona and the Daytona 500 is all those things and it touched my heart to be in this position and I want to win no matter if it rains, if it's an official race and I want it, I don't even ask me if I care if it rains.

Because no, you didn't tell me either that it was going to be very special for you if you could win this race for Slugger, I just wanted to win it because you know Slugger is a big part of di, he's helped round out the eight and make them. better, he has helped complement what makes them better, he is a wonderful human being, he puts his heart and soul into what he does and you appreciate people with passion, that's why, even if it makes me angry, I love racing drivers because We're all passionate about this sport and driving race cars and sluggers and working on them and he just doesn't stop working until he thinks he's given me the best car to drive and right now the one he built looks good thanks to Richie Gilmore , all the people who make this possible, I am simply grateful for the opportunity and they know that they have lights here.

I imagine we will run more, but I hope we don't get it right, it's all about being in the right place. place the chrismyers at the right time, thank you very much. The Dei cars have led 90 laps in the field and there is a Tony Eury jr. minor league crew chief with Slugger Labbe, Michael Waltrip's crew chief and Gilmour just to the left and I think Burton has more information for us, well I was Kurt Busch, started 36th all the way up to second place. I've passed a lot of cars, what do you think we're going to do to make the rest of this race happy when you're on both sides of the fence?

We're happy where we are, the Taurus is performing pretty well against all of these. other Chevys and you know, for all these big racing fans and then of course our television audience today, with everyone worn out, it would be interesting to get back up and running. I've got a couple of teammates' cars behind us and we're doing like we can, we just have to find the right hole and make sure we stay plugged in. Where is the strongest car following the DI cars? But you have to go through at least one of them. I would love to and it is an interesting element that we have. with Dale Jr. having its battery problem making up laps, we know which way the 15 will go.

I hope the eight doesn't get back on the lead lap, but if it does it will be the same showdown with two RCR cars, there are two Fords up here. My teammate, Mark, there are many elements that are going to do this. This is just a very hectic 500 distance. Every year, a light rain is beginning to fall. Jeannie, well, I figure if we want to know the weather, we'll go to the guy. that he lives in this area, so will you give us the answer, we are going to have more races here or what is difficult to say, the story that I have been hearing all the time was when he came here the second time he was going to be here. for good, but I really don't know, he's going down pretty good right now, I don't know, I'm really proud of Ben Leslie on this Viagra team, man, you know, we've really worked hard and these guys really deserve a great result.

And you know, they just put me in a big race car today. It took a lot of calculations and a lot of smart people to put this all together for us, but it's been a very good race so far. Where you come from? Two names that came up right before the rain delay here, you and Kurt Busch, quietly out there all day, doing the job 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 kicked up by all those cars, you know, we made it there, great pit stops, great strategy and you know, it's a fabulous team. for which I have a lot to thank and a lot.

We look forward to 2003 being our year. We hope today is your day. We have more racing in Steve Byrnes with Robby Gordon. Robby, you're sitting on the sixth moment. Tell us about your day. Well, Kevin. I mean, we almost caught him at one point. I got stuck on the outside and then Kevin had to go back to Lanikai he got stuck there, but I was lucky enough to get back down ahead of Tony. I got a fast race car. Tony Stewart behind us is also very quick, so hopefully we can get back out there and do it.

A little bit more racing here, you know, there's 90, 97 laps or 92 laps to go and I'd like the opportunity to go out and try. We've been sitting around riding most of the day taking care of our racing. car and it's time to go, Robby, how frustrating is it for you to start and stop, start, stop, yeah, no big deal, you just know you just want to think about it and you can't work on your car, these races. flat conditions and you say, okay, we can do this and this right now, we probably have good enough cars running very well, I've got my fingers crossed we get this back on track and if we do we'll get shot, thanks Robbie, come on.

Go to Dick Burgers with your teammate Kevin Harvick Here we are again under the rain umbrella What do you think? Well, I think it's raining. I think if it keeps raining, we'll run out of time. We will remove them. for one Jim, good race cars, really good, where are you better? Are you better outside? Where does the car work best? I'm better wherever I am on the 31st. Yes, that's our plan right now. There are two of us up there, whether he's in front. of me or I'm in front of him, that's our plan is to do everything we can to stay together because that will be for our benefit, but our cars are fine anywhere, just that if we could have passed the 15th and everything would have been fine , so I always have to wait and see what the rain does and hopefully it stops, it's the Daytona 500, we can't shorten it.

I know you want to win this race anyway, let's go with Chris, okay, thanks Dick and that's one of the advantages during the rain delay, look at Michael Waltrip, our current leader, after the second rain delay here in the Daytona 500, we get a chance to talk to the drivers in the middle of the action and with the crew chiefs, Jeff, we hear from Robby Gordon. in your thoughts to stop start waiting for the rain to pass from the crew chief's perspective, you're juggling a lot of things and we also saw the bet with Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson right now, what you're sitting there as soon as to the teams he is on. worried, you've been there, you've been watching what NASCAR is going to do with 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 on hold? pattern if you're in a holding pattern you start thinking strategy what to do what you need to do next I'm going to have a little more rain if there isn't that problem just like car eight has a battery problem I'll have a radio problem every time the little things that can come up this is what the car boss and the crew chief are doing right now they are trying to think a little more about strategy until NASCAR jumps in and says hey guys we can't just go okay , let's see more of this Daryl and Larry with Mike joy, above, gentlemen, five caution flags, two red flags due to rain, 11 lead changes among eight drivers, most of which occurred during Pitts' exchanges with Darrell, the only car that could. fight to get to the front on the outside if you have help it has been Kevin Harvick, he has been making a race why don't they do things, they question it the two Childress cars would like to connect now that they only have one car up there to worry about the 15, although eight is bad news for everyone, he's going to reset inside, he'll be up there with Michael again.

Now he could play against Michael. No, could you hold it? Michael is outside and someone put him under. something Jimmie Johnson needs to think about, but I like what I do, I like the way I said it from the beginning, Michael is running his own race, he hasn't had any problems, he's made great pit stops, they've had a good strategy and has been at the forefront at all times. all day without anything happening, you know, in an uneventful race so far for him, so having Earnhardt jr. Lining up inside could be the best or the worst.

He already saw what happened in the last reboot and that could work against Michael this time. Larry, you're Dale Junior's crew chief, what do you want me to do on the reboot? I mean, I want him to try to connect with Michael because there's no question if he's up there with Michael and Michael is leading the race Dale Earnhardt Jr. He'll get his lap back if we get another yellow flag, but I look at Jimmy Johnson, it's good to know we still have a long way to go, he's among teammates, you've got Mark Martin and Kurt Busch up there, those are teammates, you've got to Kevin Harvick Robby.

Gordon up there are teammates and you have Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt jr. that's up there and although Jimmie Johnson has three teammates in the back, he has no help up there and he also has a problem, he'll have to come to the pits now, probably everyone will when we turn green, but he's out of it, he'll run out. fuel too soon, he made a quick quick stop and didn't take a full load of fuel, so he's getting low on fuel, will need to come to the pits soon. You used to want to have a teammate so you could share shop resources and test dates, but now, today, at the Daytona 500, team racing has really taken on a new meaning in this sport and you know what we've seen to Jimmie Johnson all weekend, we've had cameras in his car, cameras in Jeff Gordon's car, we've criticized his driving, what he was doing, what he wasn't doing and I think it's helped him because today He's had a very smart race and he's driven, he's used to the traffic, you know, he was complaining that I don't know which lane to go in and how to avoid cars passing me.

He has done a much better job. today that 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 now do you want to restart this Jeremy looked like he was really running good after the rain also, you know, because of the rain delay, so we feel pretty good about that, but right now we're in the top ten, so we're not really a concern in any way, you know, if it rained, we'll do it. We take what we have and go home, but if we come back we feel very calm, or Adagio, hopefully, tells you the best.

Jeremy, you guys struggled a bit last year. Do you feel better about how your team is progressing this year? I feel very good. You know even before we got here we felt really good, you know, the way the chemistry and all the people we have there now is working together and we really feel good about it, you know, and we just want to keep working hard. And you know, being competitive week in and week out and I think this is probably the best opportunity we've had in a long time as far as team chemistry and stuff, so we feel good about it.

People overlook that fact, you know, they think about racing, they look at the driver, but it really is a team sport, it requires the chemistry that you're talking about and sometimes you have the best people in the world and this doesn't Can work. together very well or they don't communicate well and you know, that's what you know why teams match up well against point guards. Me, the team, I'm in pit row here, this says upside down right now, but this is probably the best situation I've been in in a long time. time and you know, I've got Kenny Francis and Josh Brown and my ship with Eric, you know, Ray and all the guys have really been doing a good job, you know, trying to build that chemistry deal and I think this is the best food I've ever had.

I had everything right, very lucky, Jeremy, that's the Daytona 500 so far and 109 laps completed, Michael Waltrip leading KurtBusch, Jimmie Johnson third and we'll be back live here at Daytona Internet International Speedway on a rain delay where you're watching NASCAR. Ladies and gentlemen Fox, it's official, the rain has persisted, will continue through the night, the race has been canceled and Michael Waltrip is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. I tell you what a thrill, what a great achievement for him, his team. And he just looks here, he lets it rain, baby, high speed weeks, we've done three races. Kurt Busch finishes second, Jimmie Johnson and third, and a kiss from Buffy for 45 years.

Michael. So many drivers have tried to win this race and never. I love it, you've won it twice, how special. I can not believe it. He was telling Buffy. I heard it hadn't been shortened since 1966. She said, "There, buddy, it's about time one got shortened again." To Dale Earnhardt, he made this place even more special to me seeing him over the years and I know his heart and he was in this place and I know he's smiling now and he was in this place, just him, he, this place and he was one. and if you're going to die when it's time to die, you have to go somewhere where you feel comfortable and at peace and at home, and that describes Dale I Daytona.

I'm just grateful for the opportunity he gave me, grateful for Theresa. who's racing out of all the guys it's unbelievable it's just unbelievable 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 tell unless you live your life chasing better dreams that come true here thank God for a nice rain and I pray it rains. I pray that God forgives me for the dumb things I do and makes me a better person and then I asked for what and today I really wanted some rain whoo slugger you told me you dreamed of winning this michael has a ring you desperately wanted a ring how special for You getting first is amazing you know we won here in July and when we left here we said we'd come back in February and do it all over again so to win the last few races they told a special man for being a kid from Maine to win the Daytona 500.

It feels like you know I would like it. to give a special shout out to Helen Watson, her husband passed away and I will see you on Monday, now people don't realize how much effort they have put into this, it's time for Nora to put this race car on track for 1600 miles in testing . Start right, tree lane, I want to go, we can get that trophy, 1,600 miles of trackless testing with this race car, forty hours in the wind tunnel, I'm telling you Steve Mill and Andy Johnson, even Paul Weis, you know Paul Wise was there, he helped us win this race and Make this car the best it can be, we have to go this way, but hey, they've changed it because the Train that's why it's confusing you because it's raining.

I didn't know that, but you know, like I said. So many people have worked on this race car that we started building it in May, as we told you before, we built the racing program for General Motors of the 2003 Monte Carlo and this is the carbonyl development work, so it has been fast since the truck. and it just makes me look good and having Michael as the best restrictor plate racer is the good news you're losing that car today Tony USA congratulations so I appreciate that a car owner from North Carolina, a racer from Kentucky, a Man Win crew chief. the Daytona 500, you know, I'm really happy for Michael Walter because two years ago, when he won this race, he couldn't really enjoy it because just a few hours after taking that checkered flag, his best friend, the owner of his car, He was pronounced dead, but you know. which you can enjoy because, believe me, Dale Earnhardt's singers enjoy this victory for these guys, well, there are a lot of people that Michael, I'm sure would be happy to see him win this race, but the two people that I think he pushed more they could have seen. he was Dale Earnhardt in our data 33 drivers finished on the lead lap and he's in Rockingham Fox will have coverage of the 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 both Our cars would have broken down and they would have finished third, you know, if the rain had been there 10 minutes earlier, the great calls to Chad's pits would have lost the Daytona 500, but just like you know, we're trying to call ourselves last year. We're so close to the championship and it got out of hand, now you gotta loosen it before you want it and I'm so proud of all the effort put in by the Lowe's team racing group and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports, you know, come on.

Coming out with a new car and everything that's been happening and being so strong from the get-go is great. I've learned a lot and it's just a total team effort. I am very proud of everyone on the Lowe's team and I was disappointed but I knew I was in trouble one way or another there when we got back to the green and I tried to play my cards the best way I knew how but unfortunately the 33rd had a bad start and that allowed Michael to fall and Once it happened, it was high and dry, but you know we are happy with thirteen points, maybe second points because we led some laps and the way to start the season is that you have a lot to be proud of, congratulations mike chevy congratulations michael waltrip on the 15th monte carlo team on today's big win another reason chevy says wherever there is a winner's circle there will be five yellow flags two red flags for rain lots of single line at the front of the show but the pass for victory Michael Walter follows his teammate below and there were seven many individual lines at the front of the show, but Darryl ran in that last green flex segment that made everyone's pulse quicken, that It was the race and everyone knew it, but you know, I drugged that little guy. scoundrel here when he was seven to watch me race I didn't understand it anymore now he won it twice you know you talked about that Darrell, you know probably the best race car here all week can take advantage of that luck because a part probably costs less than $200, possibly cost him a victory in the Daytona 500, but his teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., prevailed. like your dad has been coming here for so many years and it cost him little things in the 500 after a week of success, incorporated Dale Earnhardt is in victory lane for the 500.

Hope you enjoyed it Chris Myers okay , thanks guys, well, it was a bit. a little anticlimactic but certainly dramatic for Michael Waltrip and only the eighth driver to win the Daytona 500 more than once. What is going on with them? They are certainly enjoying every moment. Not only Dei's dominance on the track would clearly put Chevrolet on the right track. Now these guys here definitely have the number on this race track, but the dominance of Michael Waltrip who was here at Daytona is starting to show, it's pretty clear too because, well, he's had three wins at Daytona, he's got three 500s and one 400. , so he likes it.

His position is pretty clear: Which driver has the biggest problem with this being officially called early? Not that I question it, but they certainly missed an opportunity to win a race they could have won in second place when someone was on the lead lap, including Dale Earnhardt. jr. who is still a lap down everyone has a legitimate complaint to say if you could have gone a little over 200 and what 70 miles I could have won this race I mean there are a lot of guys that will say what could have happened wasn't So. Michael Waltrip happens to be the winner and we'll see if he can keep it going next weekend.

The scene changes to the rock for another full weekend of racing action. On Friday, Busch Series sprint qualifying followed by Winston Cup qualifying on Fox Sports Net. Saturday is NASCAR. Busch Series races presented by John Deere that are on that fence followed by Winston Cup practice and Sunday start your day with NASCAR this morning on Fox Sports Net followed by the best racers in the world heading to Welford, a bumper in the metro 400

nascar

rock that returns next weekend. across the Fox family of networks and it has been weeks of incredible speed, as there is Theresa Earhart, the owner of Dei, with the wife of Michael Walton.

During speed weeks, we have covered more than 2,700 cars with laps covering 6,900 seven miles. drive and across the Fox family of networks from over 100 hours of coverage from either Fox FX to Speed ​​Channel, the coordinating director of NASCAR on Fox already kept his race today produced by Neal Goldberg, pit producers Pam Miller and David Platt, plus Dave. Hill and Steve stump technical producers Gary Lang produced the opening sequence associate directors Greg scopa Tony Barry Landes and Derek Manning social 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 shows produced by Scott Ackerson directed by Rich Russo director Charles Chuck McDonnell coordinating producer NASCAR on Fox Ritchie signs Jack Simmons senior producer Phil Brown executive producer 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 every weekend for more.

It was nice to make an appointment to watch the great American race, especially for Michael.