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2007 Nascar Nextel Cup Series - Pepsi 400 at Daytona Review

-Last Plate Race for the Current Car, and She Goes Out with a Bang!
The new car may completely ruin superspeedway racing as we know it (or make it better beyond our wildest dreams), but I think that the latter is highly unlikely given how spectacular the finish of Saturday's race was. Jamie McMurray edged out Kyle Busch for the closest finish in Daytona history (and 2nd closest overall in NASCAR behind only Ricky Craven's win at Darlington, where, interestingly, Busch's older brother, Kurt, finished second).

Here's to the current Cup car and the tremendous finishes (both plate and non) that she's given us; here's hoping your successor will at least come close.

-O Teammates, Where Art Thou?
First, the Gibbs teammates of Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin took each other out while leading the race, then blamed each other for the wreck. From my point of view, Hamlin got loose and Stewart got into him (an exact repeat of the incident in the Daytona 500, only with Stewart on the giving end instead of the receiving end). Of course, in Stewart's eyes, both times that accident wasn't his fault, which is a somewhat interesting perspective to take.

Either way, it is an owner's worst nightmare when two cars that you own tear each other up (especially when they are leading the race), and the comments made by Stewart afterward lead me to believe that all may not be completely fine and dandy in Gibbsland. It doesn't particularly surprise me, though, because I can see Stewart getting fed up with Hamlin's insecurity and immaturity real quick. We'll have to keep our eyes on this one.

Another bout of teammate unhappiness came from the eventual second place finisher Kyle Busch. He is obviously leaving Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season, and as such, it seems that the other Hendrick drivers are not so keen on helping him win races. Case in point: Jeff Gordon pushed Jamie McMurray to the lead, around Busch, Saturday night, a move that prompted Busch to announce that "the bliss was over" for him at HMS. I imagine that the friction will build between the three drivers who are staying and Busch, especially given his attitude to the whole situation.

-How long do the phrases "learning curve" and "he's a rookie" continue to apply to Juan Montoya?
When he came to NASCAR, he was billed as this phenomenal natural talent who was going to take the other drivers by storm. Well, he's certainly done that, but the storm' is the weekly accident

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