Kokomo Tribune; Kokomo, Indiana

Breaking News

Sports

February 9, 2010

de la BASTIDE: Hendrick setting tone at Daytona

Patrick impresses in ARCA race.

There should be little doubt the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers and the Stewart/Haas team will be in the spotlight for the running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will lead the 43-car starting grid to the green flag and depending on what happens in the qualifying races on Thursday, they should be closely followed by four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

Add to the mix Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman in Hendrick-powered Chevrolets and it’s not hard to imagine one of those six drivers being in a position to capture a win in NASCAR’s biggest event of the year.

During Saturday qualifying, Newman posted the third best time behind Martin and Earnhardt, Johnson was sixth quickest and Gordon came in 10th. Only Stewart was off the pace, posting only the 21st-best time.

Of that group, only Martin and Johnson have failed to win a Daytona 500. Since Johnson has won just about everything else in Sprint Cup competition, I’m tapping him as the favorite.

Martin enters the race as the popular choice — sorry Junior nation.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who made the Chase last year, qualified fifth fastest with Kyle Busch the fastest Toyota at ninth and Kurt Busch, clocking in seventh quick.

The Roush-Fenway foursome of Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle were disappointments in qualifying. Kenseth, the defending race winner, was 11th quick.

Daytona is one of those unpredictable races because of drafting, restrictor plates and the inevitable big crash. During practice and in the Bud Shootout there were several multiple car crashes, so the stage is set for more of the same.

If the Daytona 500 is not captured by a Hendrick-powered car, I expect Kyle Busch to bounce back strong after missing the Chase last year.

In other racing news

It was an impressive stock car debut for Danica Patrick in the crash-filled ARCA race last Saturday at Daytona. Patrick remained focused on staying on the bottom of the race track and made a nice recovery from a spin after contact with Nelson Piquet Jr.

In the final laps of the race, Patrick stormed back from 24th to finish a respectable sixth.

Lost in all the Danica hype was the fact that Bobby Gerhart used the right pit strategy and drove a flawless race to win at Daytona for the sixth time.

The key was to run laps and Patrick ran all 80 of the circuits. If there was one noticeable problem with her performance it was the lack of drafting with the other lead pack cars.

Obviously, Patrick is a quick study, but competing Saturday in the Nationwide Series event against many Sprit Car regulars will be a new challenge.

I was not surprised that Milka Duno and Leilani Munter failed to complete 10 laps in the ARCA race. Both were late arrivals in a lap seven crash when Bill Baird got loose in turn two. It seemed like a long interval passed between the initial accident and Duno and Munter plowing into the carnage like the proverbial bull in a china shop.

• Ken de la Bastide may be reached at ken.delabastide@ kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8580.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Sports
  • Smith pitches Panthers to sectional baseball title

    WEST LAFAYETTE — The game of baseball can be cruel with its nuances and bad bounces. And, with the flick of the wrist, it can turn right back in your favor.

    May 28, 2012

  • indy 500 Franchitti outduels Sato to win his 3rd Indy 500

    For the second consecutive year the Indianapolis 500 was decided by a last lap crash Sunday, but this time Takuma Sato crashed battling for the win allowing Dario Franchitti to score his third win.

    May 27, 2012 1 Photo

  • Rivalries are part of the Indy tradition

    The Indianapolis 500 is known for many traditions.

    The ceremonies at the start of the race are legendary. You have the Spectacle of Bands in all of their glory, the flyover of military jets, the balloons and flying start of 11 rows of three. The singing of “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” “Back Home Again in Indiana,” and the “Star Spangled Banner” are all are examples of the pageantry that kickoff the “Greatest Spectacle Racing.” And let’s not forget the famous words “Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.”

    May 27, 2012

  • taylor auction Fritz, other friends help carry on Gabriel’s vision

    Tony Gabriel was an easy pick for the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He was a four-sport standout at Taylor High School and later a seven-time state racquetball champion in singles and doubles.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Comets making progress

    Much like any coach would expect in his first season leading a young team, Eastern baseball coach Nick Sale has helped his team deal with the growing pains that come with regime and philosophy changes.

    May 26, 2012

  • Tipton survives M-G, savors softball sectional 3-peat

    It looked like a blowout early and turned into a nail-biter late, but in the end, Friday’s Class 2A Eastern Sectional Softball final between Tipton and No. 3-ranked Madison-Grant turned out the same way as each of the previous two years.

    May 25, 2012

  • schubert Schubert wraps up standout collegiate track career

    Megan Schubert could easily lament lost opportunities and think about ‘what if’ scenarios looking back at her track and field career at the University of Louisville.

    May 25, 2012 1 Photo

  • Track Regional 02 Comets, Kats, Panthers sending athletes to state

    After announcing his retirement late last week, Eastern boys track and field coach Paul Nicholson knew Thursday’s Kokomo Regional could be the final meet of his 43-year career. Senior Josiah Price and junior Grant Cole made sure it wasn’t.

    May 25, 2012 2 Photos

  • New Western basketball coach is right at home

    Bart Miller’s passion for Western basketball runs deep.

    Miller, like his father and brother before him, played for the Panthers. He started and was the third-leading scorer on the Panthers’ 1990 Kokomo Sectional championship squad.

    May 25, 2012

  • Softball Tipton 04 Tipton, Madison-Grant reach final of Eastern Sectional

    Tipton’s softball team had enough to get past Elwood and into the championship of the Class 2A Eastern Sectional on Wednesday night. Friday night, the Blue Devils will need more to hoist the hardware.

    May 24, 2012 1 Photo

Featured Ads
More kokomotribune.com
KT Twitter Updates
Follow me on Twitter
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
AP Video
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report 15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108 Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.