In past years Daytona had become known for lead changes. That is no longer the case as evident by the two races at the track this year. On Saturday night Jimmie Johnson coasted to his fourth win of the season ahead of a field of wrecked cars. Johnson though, was not the only winner at Daytona, as other drivers moved up in the point standings to try and secure their bid in NASCAR’s Chase.
Winners:
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson is an obvious winner. Johnson swept both Daytona races. Saturday he collected his fourth win of the season. Johnson continues to lead the points and we do not see that changing anytime soon as he goes for his sixth championship.
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch has been on a roll. Busch, with his sixth place finish at Daytona moved up five additional spots in the point standings putting him back inside the top ten. A win would help Busch greatly. His decent finishes show how much talent he still holds as a driver with his steady finishes in the No.78 car.
Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart finished second at Daytona, moving up six point positions into the top ten. After two not so great finishes at both Sonoma and Kentucky, the finish was his fifth in the top ten in the last seven races.
Losers:
Joey Logano
Joey Logano finished 11th or better for six weeks in a row. Last week at Kentucky, Logano broke into the top ten in points. Logano saw all his hard work cease at Daytona when he finished 40th after a part failure. Logano lost six spots in the Chase. He is now sitting 15th in the points.
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon lost another two spots in the points after finishing 34th at Daytona. Gordon, without a win and struggling for decent finishes may miss the Chase.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin lost yet another point position and sees his Chase bid come closer to an end. Hamlin sits 26th in the points and has not shown much improvement week to week to gain point positions. He has made our losers list nearly every week since his return to the car.
The Command to start engines
The command to start engines at Daytona was done by Adam Sandler, Shaq and Kevin James and it may of been one of the worst ever. Our biggest loser award this week does not go to a driver, but instead the command. Way to go, guys…. way to go.
