NASCAR-CUP: Stewart takes Gatorade Duel No.1

Tony Stewart raced to the front as the first Gatorade Duel wound down, winning the non-points NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on a blustery Thursday afternoon at the Daytona International Speedway. The race ended under the yellow flag when Danica Patrick and Aric Almirola crashed on the backstretch after taking the white flag.

Stewart won his third Gatorade Duel and the 17th race of his career at Daytona, moving him into second place in stock car wins. The late Dale Earnhardt leads the tally with 34 victories.

“We took care of business today, but I couldn’t have done it without Kevin Harvick,” the victor said. “I think the thing was okay on fuel, as I don’t think we were that close.” Stewart said he works well with Harvick and with the two of them in Chevrolets, it worked to the winner’s advantage. “Having the No. 29 (Harvick) with us was great. We do well together at the restrictor-plate tracks.”

Driving the Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, Stewart led three times for 21 laps, second to Denny Hamlin who led 27 circuits.

“We had a great race car. It had good horsepower and I am really proud of Steve Addington,” Stewart said. “He’s done an awesome job of getting acclimated to this team.”

Stated Addington about his first win with Stewart-Haas Racing, “It feels great as everyone has welcomed me with open arms. I came here because there’s a bunch of racers on the team.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second with Marcos Ambrose third. The latter and leader Hamlin pitted out of sequence, losing a lap when they pitted while leading on the 43rd go-around. But Ambrose got the lap back through a “lucky dog” provision two laps later.

Jeff Burton took fourth with Carl Edwards in fifth.

Michael McDowell made the Daytona 500 starting field with a sixth-place run in his Ford.

“It is amazing and making the race is extremely special,” McDowell said. “It is cool and a good start of big things for us. I am extremely blessed, as it has been a tough road for us. I was extremely anxious as we were low and fuel and running hot. Starting 21st, I knew I had to catch up with the lead pack.”

Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne pushed McDowell to the front, and McDowell said he was extremely grateful to the young driver. “Trevor’s the reason I am in the 500; he’s a close friend but it took an unselfish route from him to help me out.”

Harvick finished seventh with A. J. Allmendinger eight.

Robby Gordon also made the 500 with a late race surge that carried the Dodge driver to ninth place.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

The much-traveled Californian also was thrilled with the outcome. “This is big for us,” he said. “We were in position last year, but we didn’t finish in the top-35 in points, although I did on the driver’s side. Making the Daytona 500 is big as it gets, as it is the biggest event in NASCAR racing. And we made the race fair and square by being fast enough.”

The outspoken driver said he disagreed with the past-champion’s provisional starting position and while he had no issues with Terry Labonte making the race, he said the previous champion should only get in as long as he’s driving for the team he won the championship with.

At one point in the race, Gordon’s car started smoking and he was concerned the engine was going to blow up. He knows the engine won’t last through the weekend, and he hopes to be able to purchase a replacement from Roger Penske.

Gordon owns his team and it is a shoe-string operation with a half-dozen crew members, the same as McDowell’s team, which is owned by Phil Parsons.

Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-10 finishers.

The last lap crash took place when McMurray nudged Almirola as the field streaked down the backstretch. Running inside Almirola, Patrick’s car went out of control and rammed the inner backstretch wall at high speed, bouncing off it and coming to a rest many yards down the track. She was uninjured but the car was destroyed.

Until that crash, the high-profile driver had had a solid run and may well have had a top-10 finish had the accident not occurred.

“The accident happened quickly,” Patrick said. “At the end, everyone was running close and this is what happens. Unfortunately, I was part of it. Until then I had a sold race going after running with front pack for a while. We were just two corners away from a good finish, but it didn’t happen. It (the accident) was pretty big and I am bummed out. I hope the back-up car will be fast.”

Michael Waltrip also crashed hard running by himself. His one-car accident took place after a pit stop. He needed to race his way into the Daytona 500 and he had that position locked up until the crash.

“I just went the wrong way and I lost the car,” the tall driver said. “I feel like I let everybody down, as I had raced my want to the front. I don’t know what to say – it’s just sad.”