Daytona Speedweeks: The Year of the Unknown and Downright Insane

I have been watching NASCAR since the 2005 Busch (now Nationwide) Series race at Talladega Superspeedway and this past week's Daytona Speedweeks were the most crazy week of racing I have seen in my life, and rivals some of the craziest events I have seen in sports period.

So let's recap it!

Saturday, February 18 (seems forever ago): Brandon McReynolds runs out of gas off of Turn 4 on the final lap and Bobby Gerhart wins the ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 AGAIN.

Later that night: Kyle Busch nearly wrecks twice and somehow wins the Budweiser Shootout.

Ok, we all know Kyle Busch is one of the most aggressive drivers in NASCAR history. We also know he is about a good of a finesse driver as there is. But what he pulled off on this night left even the most hard to impress person saying "Damn, How in the hell did he do that?!"

After all that, the kid from Las Vegas (ironic enough) does this...

Friday Night: John King wins the Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250.

Ok, if Friday afternoon you asked me who would win this race, I would put out names like Jason Leffler, Todd Bodine, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Tim Peters, even Jason White. But what transpired in the wreck-fest that ensued had even the winner stunned...

John King (I still don't know who he is and can't find much about him) wins the race in his 8th Truck Series start.

Saturday Afternoon: James Buescher wins the Nationwide Series Drive 4 COPD 300.

Tony Stewart has dominated this event. In fact he has only lost 1 Daytona NNS February race since I have started watching. Didn't matter if it was for JGR or Hendrick, Childress or Dale Jr., the man won in just about everything he's been in at Daytona (excluding the 500 of course). And coming off Turn 4 on the final lap, he was about to make it another win. Then all hell broke loose.

Ok, talk about twist of fate in less than 24 hours. That last wreck in the Truck that sent Joey Coulter into the catchfence started when James Buescher got turned into Coulter. Then he gets left out to dry on the final restart in the NNS race and is 11th, by himself going into Turn 4. Wouldn't you know that the entire top 10 gets wiped out in a wreck and Buescher gets his first NASCAR win.

Then the grand finale of Speedweeks came on Sunday Afternoon...

Ok, the grand finale of Speedweeks came on Monday Afternoon...

Ok, can anyone say "Are you ready for some racing?!" Monday Night NASCAR it is! Unfortunately, we didn't make it 3 miles before we saw yellow.

Ok, for those of you who wondered, Dave Blaney (who was the leader of the 500 under caution) did not pay off Juan Pablo Montoya to do this...

And 5 days later, even though he couldn't be anymore in the throttle than he already was, I'm still heartbroken that my driver (Greg Biffle) was 2nd on the final lap of the Daytona 500 didn't win. Instead a repeat driver did it again...

Biffle's teammate, Matt Kenseth, wins his second Daytona 500 in four years.

Off to Phoenix, where Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle are the favorites in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sunday.

Great sports moments have a new home...

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The Jack Attack's 11 Favorite Daytona Moments

It's February and Daytona Speedweeks will be upon us in just under 3 weeks! With that, let's take a look at some memorable Daytona moments, through the eyes of the "Jack Attack!"


11. Speedweeks 2011, Michael Waltrip makes a last lap pass on Elliott Sadler to win the NextEra Energy Resources 250, 10 years to the day of the tragic Daytona 500


I remember jumping up and down when Waltrip made his move and DW's call made it perfect.

10. Speedweeks 2006, Denny Hamlin wins the Budweiser Shootout as a rookie

Granted, Tony Stewart nearly bashed in his teammates' back bumper, but, hey it worked out. JGR finishes 1-2 at Daytona. 

9.  July 2009, Tony Stewart holds off Kyle Busch in the Coke Zero 400, meanwhile Busch proceeds to crash into seemingly every car behind him

Ok, no matter what he is in, if it's July and it's Daytona, Tony Stewart THE favorite to win. Point blank.

8. Speedweeks 2007, Jack Sprague beats Travis Kvapil and Johnny Benson in a 3 wide finish to the Chevy Silverado 250

And people wonder why these restrictor plate Truck races sell out?

7. July 2007 , Jamie McMurray edges Kyle Busch at the line to win the Pepsi 400 in the final pre-COT Daytona race

Trust me on this...the action is so good, watch the entire video.

6. Speedweeks 2011, Trevor Bayne wins the Daytona 500 as a rookie, and brings the famed Wood Brothers #21 back to victory lane

Ok, by a show of hands, going into Speedweeks last year, how many of you thought Trevor Bayne (who didn't turn 20 until the day before the race) would win the race? Thought so.

5. Speedweeks 2007, Kevin Harvick earns the moniker "Mr. Where Did He Come From" as he edges Mark Martin to win the Daytona 500, the field begins to wreck off of Turn 4

Honestly, I was pulling for my driver Greg Biffle to win (was 3rd in the restart) but was perfectly content with Martin winning, hell he deserved it. Then, that #29 yellow dart came out of nowhere and bam...

4. Speedweeks 1979: Richard Petty holds off Darrell Waltrip to win the 500, The Allisons v. Cale Yarbrough happens in Turn 4 after wrecking in the lead

The first live NASCAR telecast on CBS didn't disappoint. By far, a key instrument in making NASCAR what it is today.

3. July 1984, Richard Petty wins his 200th and final NASCAR race in the Firecracker 400 in front of President Reagan

I say coronation of the King. Sorry President.

2. July 2001, Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip finish 1-2 in the Pepsi 400 after the tragic finish in February and finally get to celebrate

I didn't even watch NASCAR at the time and I knew how much this meant to the sport. I get goosebumps watching this and listening to Allen Bestwick's call on NBC. 

And only one MAN can surpass this moment...

1. Speedweeks 1999, Dale Earnhardt wins the Daytona 500 "After 20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration"

Just watch the video. It speaks way louder than I could ever do describing this.

I hope you enjoyed the "Jack Attack's 10 Favorite Daytona Moments" and don't forget to watch the 54th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 on February 26 on your local FOX affiliate.

Recapping a Major Day in Sports

Oh, where, oh, where do I begin with this insanity that was Sunday, January 30th, 2012...


I guess we start at the beginning of the day with a tennis match that looked like it may turn into a "last man standing" match...

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in a 5 set thriller to win the Australian Open. That match lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, longest Grand Slam final in history. Being a former tennis player, 2 hours was my longest match in my career and I nearly passed out of fatigue. That performance was completely unreal.

                                                                                                                                                             

Back to the mainland, and for the first time this year, to the racetrack. The unofficial start to Daytona Speedweeks is the Rolex 24- a 24 hour endurance race around the famed 3.56 mile road course that encompasses parts of the traditional 2.5 mile NASCAR circuit. This year's running had so much more meaning, it was the 50th running of the race. And wouldn't you know it, we would have a owner getting an elusive first win and two drivers who get career-defining wins...

Needless to say, Mike Shank, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Wilson were extremely emotional...the great thing is that the other two drivers, Oswaldo Negri, Jr. and John Pew (two extremely accomplished road racers in their own right) were just as emotional. That's the beauty of sport, my friends.

                                                                                                                                                                

Down 1-95 from Daytona to Miami, where a battle between the Chicago Bulls and the NWO (4 LIFE!)  Miami Heat came down to the wire...

Miami would win 97-93 and LeBron sent in demo to be on the next SportsNation "Dunkface" segment, courtesy of John Lucas.

                                                                                                                                                                        

From South Beach to North of the Border, we head to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game or Match des Étoiles de la LNH for our French speaking fans. But it was a New Yorker spoiling any chance that the team led by the Senators' Daniel Alfredsson of winning...

NY Ranger Marian Gaborik had a Hat Trick (2 goals was on his own teammate, Henrik Lundqvist) and was the difference, as his team, led by the Bruins' Zdeno Chara won the All-Star game 12-9. Gaborik was named MVP and won a car.

                                                                                                                                                                     

Now, from Canada, we go to way sunnier and warmer Hawai'i for the NFL Pro Bowl. And if the Bengals want another wideout for Andy Dalton, they might wanna look towards Miami...

The AFC beat the NFC 59-41 in the typical "no one actually gives a damn about this game" score. Brandon Marshall nearly had 200 yards was named MVP.

                                                                                                                                                                   

From Hawai'i to the "Gateway to the West" as the WWE stopped in St. Louis for the 25th Annual Royal Rumble as we start the Road to WrestleMania 28. In the final two in the Royal Rumble Match, it was the Living Legend vs. the Rising Star...

The "Celtic Warrior" Sheamus eliminates Chris Jericho to win his first Royal Rumble and will be heading to Miami for WrestleMania. But who will he face? Matt and I will have predictions of who that might be, a complete recap of the Rumble and a look ahead on the way to Elimination Chamber, later today on "The Slam Diary: Rewinding the 25th Annual Royal Rumble."

                                                                                                                                                                           

And closing out this phenomenal Sunday was the final day of Winter X Games from Aspen, Colorado. Needless to say, these two clips are certifiably insane...

How in god's name do you jump snowmobiles over 70 foot ramps, I'll never know. How in the hell Heath Frisby did a frontflip- I repeat- a frontflip with a 450 lb. snowmobile, I don't wanna know. But I sure like to watch!

And just when you thought that Winter X had hit the holy grail twice in the same event, they did it again later that night. And wouldn't you know, it was the "Flying Tomato" delivering the theatrics...

In a thrilling showdown for the Gold in Slopestyle, Shaun White dropped the first ever perfect run in the history of Winter X, clinching his 5th straight Gold medal in the event.

                                                                                                                                                                          

It was a hell of a sports day, top to bottom. It's why we love sports. 

Remember: Catch "The Slam Diary: Rewinding the 25th Annual Royal Rumble" later today and our 1st "Sounds of the Squared Circle" Music Countdown later this week!

Until then,

-JP