Karsceal Turner – I Got NEXT!
Every February, this columnist is forced to reiterate the fact that Black people dig NASCAR too. Not only that, some of us have the gumption to choose and cheer for certain drivers AND wear their hats and jackets. We have arrived at the aftermath of the Daytona 500, it is the Race of all races, pitting the finest stock-car drivers in the U.S.
Anyone who lives in Daytona Beach knows of the traffic gridlock created annually, when the 500 comes to town. I decided to use it to my advantage with this short write-up. I write stuff. Some of my favorites include: Dale Earnhardt Sr. AND Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Burton, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Harvick. I never really paid a lot of attention to the 2015 winner, Joey Logano.
The young champion
Regardless of my disregard as a devout fan of the #88 Chevy driven by Earnhardt Jr., it was the 24-year-old Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Penske Team Ford, who swept past leader Jimmie Johnson with nine laps to go and thanks to a last-lap caution flag held on for the victory over Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson.
During the green-white-checkered finish, the Chevrolets of Harvick and Earnhardt appeared to be poised to team up and draft past Logano, but a huge crash behind them brought out a caution and froze the field. That gave Logano the victory in the first and biggest race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
It was Logano’s first restrictor-plate race victory and only the second Daytona 500 victory for car owner Roger Penske. It also gave Ford Motor Co. a sweep of this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series races at Daytona International Speedway.
“I can’t believe it. It was absolutely amazing,” said Logano, who earned his ninth career victory in his 220th start. “This is awesome. The Daytona 500? Oh, my God. Are you kidding? I was so nervous the whole race.”
Sure, Logono was stoked. He’s 24. Earnhardt Jr. however, was just a teeny bit salty about his third place finish.
“I should have won the race,” said Earnhardt. “… I thought I had a good opportunity there. It just didn’t work out.”
In his final Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon led a race-high 87 laps, but got caught in the last-lap crash and unofficially finished 33rd.
You really should check out the races, it ain’t all about the “races”
If one happens to be a Volusia County, Florida resident or has the means to attend a NASCAR race, it’s not a bad look. Look at it this way, you can attend a race or simply stay in your home because you really don’t want to deal with that traffic. I PROMISE you don’t. Yes, there will be Confederate flags abounding and a few overzealous bigots mixed in here and there.
How is that different than any other place in the nation? However, One may also see barbeques, tailgating to rival all others fueled by hours upon hours of liquor consumption by some of the most devoted fans on the planet. Again, this applies to numerous sporting events.
That’s the ugly and the pretty of the 57th Daytona 500. I now return you to your regular traffic patterns, but I still got next!
