So far, so good at Daytona

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February 22, 2012

Stremme, Raines locked into Daytona 500 field.

By Ken de la Bastide Tribune sports columnist The Kokomo Tribune Wed Feb 22, 2012, 10:45 PM EST

Kokomo — Daytona Speedweeks got off to an excellent start with both of Saturday’s races determined on the final lap. I hope that was an indication of things to come this week.

Bobby Gerhart won at Daytona for the eighth time in his ARCA career by using fuel strategy along with an outside pass coming to the checkers.

With a green-white-checker finish, several of the front-running cars, including West Lafayette’s Chris Windom, ran out of fuel in the tri-oval. Gerhart pitted on lap 10 of the 80-lap event and when the other cars slowed, he jumped to the outside and powered his way to victory.

The Bud Shootout saw Kyle Busch make three fantastic saves to avoid demolishing his car and was able to use the famous sling-shot move to pass Tony Stewart by inches at the finish line.

The good thing about the Bud Shootout was that rule changes implemented by NASCAR eliminated the two-car tandem racing of 2011 at the restrictor-plate races.

The bad news was that half of the cars in the Shootout were taken out by three multiple-car crashes.

I find it hard to believe that the Sprint Cup drivers forgot how to race in large packs of cars without wrecking each other, but it certainly seemed that way Saturday.

With the qualifying races on tap today, it will be interesting to see if there are multiple-car crashes that prevent teams from making the Daytona 500 or being forced to go to back-up cars for the race.

There is good news for three teams as a result of qualifying. Last year’s race winner Trevor Bayne and two Indiana drivers, Tony Raines and David Stremme, are all assured of starting positions in the Daytona 500 based on their speed. Terry Labonte is locked in as a past NASCAR champion.

If any of the three make the Daytona 500 based on their finishing position in the qualifying races, it will lock in either Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip or Kenny Wallace.

With as few as 39 drivers and as many as 42 drivers locked into the race, it means there are as many as 10 drivers competing for one of four spots in the starting lineup.

If Labonte makes the race based on finishing position today, it will give Bill Elliott the champion’s provisional for the Daytona 500.

I still contend NASCAR locks in too many teams in the first five races of a season by points. The number of teams assured of positions should be 20, not 35.

Predicting a winner is next to impossible, but favorites have to include Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.

In other racing news

• Anderson Speedway and the United States Speed Association have announced a second race date for non-wing sprint cars. Since USAC is no longer racing on paved oval with the sprint cars, the USSA will sanction races at Anderson Speedway on April 29 and June 16.

• Fishers sprint car driver Brian Gerster is the first driver to enter the 64th running of the Pay Less Little 500 on May 26. Other early entries include Tony Elliott, Shane Hollingsworth and Californian Tony Hunt.

• Ken de la Bastide may be reached at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com

or 765-454-8580.

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Stremme, Raines locked into Daytona 500 field.

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