After taking the lead during the final green flag pit stops of the race and staying out after the second caution, Dale Jarrett managed to hold off the field and save enough fuel to coast to the victory at Daytona under caution. Tonight’s race at Daytona International Speedway was relativity calm for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series field. Daytona is typically home to large crashes created by tight racing at 200 miles per hour. Yet, tonight’s event came down to strategy and a ten-lap dash to the finish. After a very calm start, the first caution waved shortly after halfway on lap 85 due to rain falling at the track. The caution allowed the entire field to pit and when the race went back green, the intensity began to increase as several drivers began swapping the lead at the front. By lap 115, Rusty Wallace took the outright lead and the calmness began to set in once again. As drivers continued to battle hard, each one managed to maintain their car control and the green flag stayed out. With 25 laps to go, it appeared green flag pit stops would decide the winner of the race. When Ernie Irvan and Johnny Benson Jr. pitted on lap 142, the window opened for pit stops and the rest of the field quickly followed. When the Top 10 came down on lap 144, the race off would be crucial in deciding the leader and, possibly, the winner. Wallace came in as the leader, but a two second pit stop for Jarrett allowed him to take the lead after battling with Wallace off pit road. Just a couple of laps later, the second caution waved on lap 147 and now, it appeared a restart would decide the winner. During the caution, several drivers stayed on track, including Jarrett. When the race restarted, he ran away from the pack as drivers with fresher tires soared to the front. As the laps clicked by, no one had anything for Jarrett and when the field crossed the line for three laps to go, chaos erupted in turn 4 as Jeremy Mayfield, Jimmy Spencer, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. wrecked. The caution waved and with only two laps to go, the race wouldn’t be able to restart with Dale Jarrett still leading. Yet, his Ford was low on fuel and he still had to coast to the finish line. He had enough fuel to grab the checkered flag under his own power to win the first NASCAR night race ever broadcasted live on network television. While there was only one caution for a crash, tonight’s race was the ultimate example of how pack racing at Daytona can provide thrills and intense battles for position while also displaying superspeedway strategy.
Stage 1:
Move of the Race: Jarrett Stays Out Late and Maintains His Lead to Grab the Victory
So far, 1999 has been an excellent year for Dale Jarrett. After crashing out of the Daytona 500 and finishing 37th, he has grabbed two wins, 12 Top 5’s, and has a worst finish of eleventh since the opening race of the year. Plus, after his win at Richmond in May, he has been the points leader with the entire field chasing him down without success. However, Daytona is always a place where the points leader is challenged and treated without much respect. Jarrett would look to change that and he worked hard at the start of the race. From his twelfth place starting position, he progressed towards the front of the pack and on lap 42, he took the lead from Dale Earnhardt in turn 2. From there, he maintained the top spot until the first round of green flag pit stops began on lap 53. Following the completion of stops, Earnhardt inherited the lead with Jarrett still in the Top 5. After a few laps and several battles, Jarrett took the lead from Bobby Labonte on lap 62. Again, he held onto the lead, but Rusty Wallace took the lead from him on lap 75 and ran away until the first caution ten laps later. On the restart, Wallace once again took the lead and Jarrett jumped to second. On lap 99, he tried to take the lead, but a bold move by Mike Skinner kept Jarrett out of the lead. From there, Jarrett stayed in the Top 5 as the laps clicked by quickly with Wallace still in the front. With twenty-five laps to go, it looked like Jarrett would need an excellent pit stop to grab the lead and win the race. When he made his green flag pit stop on lap 144, his team made the ultimate move to grab the win. After a very short fuel stop, Jarrett drove out of his box and began to battle with Wallace. They exited pit road side by side and coming into turn 1, Jarrett took the advantage thanks to a great move by him and his team. When the caution waved on lap 147, Jarrett was leading and sitting in an excellent position to win. However, the caution allowed most of the field to pit and he stayed on track with older tires and questions about whether he had enough fuel. When the race restarted on lap 151, it was all in Jarrett’s hands to win. He held off moves from the drivers behind him, even the ones with fresher tires. When he crossed the line with three laps to go, a wreck behind him led to a final race to the caution flag for the win. Jarrett maintained the lead with Earnhardt behind him. He was officially the winner, but he had to complete the final two laps under his own power without running out of fuel. Jarrett ran the apron around the track to make sure he maintained fuel pressure to grab the win. He saved enough gas and crossed the checkered flag first to grab his third win of the year and maintain the NWCS points lead. Thanks to a quick stop by his team and his moves late in the race, Jarrett went to victory lane for the third time at DIS.
Stage 2:
Driver of the Night: Wallace Leads the Most Laps, But Falls Outside the Top 10
In most races at Daytona, drivers rarely dominate the event due to the tight racing and the substantial number of passes for the lead. Yet, Rusty Wallace dominated tonight at Daytona and led almost half of the 160-lap race. After rolling off fifth, Wallace quickly shot to the front and he took the lead from Ricky Rudd on lap 16 after a three-wide pass on the frontstretch. He led for twenty-laps before Dale Earnhardt took the lead and Wallace dropped back a few positions. Following green flag pit stops on lap 56, Wallace took the lead from Earnhardt after a short battle. Yet, he held the lead for only a lap before Bobby Labonte took it. Wallace wouldn’t stay out of the lead for long as he grabbed the top spot with a pass on lap 75. He held the lead until the first caution of the race waved on lap 85, which led to more pit stops. Wallace’s stop was smooth, but Earnhardt inherited the lead after an even quicker stop. On the restart, Wallace drove into the lead after a short battle with Earnhardt. Again, the pack racing created changes at the front as he lost the lead again. After a couple of other drivers led, Wallace grabbed the top spot again on lap 115 and he ran away from the pack. As the final pit stops of the race neared, Wallace had led nearly half the event and he looked to be in control of the strategy decisions. When he came to pit road with the top 10 on lap 144 for scheduled green flag stops, his team performed quick work and sent him back out. However, Jarrett’s crew was just as fast and Wallace lost the lead. When the caution waved on lap 147, though, he was still in second with an opportunity to win. He stayed on track with Jarrett and several drivers behind him, meaning he would be in second on what would be the final restart. When the race restarted, Wallace looked to return to his dominance of the event, but not having fresh tires severely limited his opportunities to pass. He began to drop positions and when the final caution waved, he was in eleventh place after leading 75 laps in the race. Since the race didn’t restart, Wallace remained there and his dominating performance was unable to deliver a Top 10 result. Even though his finish was disappointing, Wallace still has momentum after leading 75 of 160 laps to take to New Hampshire next Sunday.
Stage 3:
Comeback of the Race: Burton Starts 37th with a Provisional, But Finishes in the Top 5
While drafting allows drivers to move from the back to the front quickly, it can be quite a challenge to grab an excellent finish after starting deep in the field. Because of all the chaos in the middle of the pack, drivers can sustain damage and be left with a racecar that is unable to contend for an excellent finish. However, Jeff Burton moved from the back of the pack tonight all the way to a third-place finish when the checkered flag waved. He rolled off 37th after an issue in qualifying forced him to take a provisional to start the race. From the start, Burton didn’t stay there long. By lap 15, he was already in the Top 20 and pursuing a Top 10 run to make-up for the rough start. As the laps began to click away, though, Burton seemed stuck just outside the Top 10. Through pit stops and restarts, he battled hard with the drivers around him to gain positions, but he seemed to be struggling to find the right amount of Top 10 speed. When the final set of green flag pit stops came on lap 144, Burton and his team decided to put on two fresh tires while the rest of the field took fuel only. In just a few laps, the caution waved and the team was in an excellent position to stay out and gain some track position. Burton did stay on track and he was lined up in tenth for the restart. When the green flag waved for the final run of the race, his fresh tires immediately began to pay off. Burton started passing cars and he was quickly in the Top 5 with only about five laps to go. He continued to make progress and when he crossed the line with three laps to go, he was sitting in third with only Earnhardt and Jarrett in front of him. However, the caution waved and Burton was unable to move up anymore since the race didn’t restart, which handed him a third-place finish. After starting deep in the pack and fighting for every position, Burton was rewarded with a Top 5 and some confidence thanks to his ability to comeback from adversity.
Stage 4:
Underdog of the Race: Rudd Overcomes Terrible Start to the Season with a Top 15 Finish
Since 1983, Ricky Rudd has found his way into victory lane at least once every year. The streak has been an impressive one, but it might be ending very soon as he has gone from contender to underdog in just one season. Throughout the 1999 campaign, Rudd has struggled to even find his way in the Top 15. He had four DNF’s and a season best finish of 14th at Dover coming into tonight’s race, which had him sitting 38th in the points. Yet, Daytona is a place where those fortunes can be changed thanks to the draft and ability of an underdog driver to grab a great finish. Rudd was prepared to fix his luck on the start as he rolled off from the second spot. On the start, he battled hard with the polesitter, Joe Nemechek, before settling into second place. However, Rudd wasn’t prepared to wait for his opportunity to lead. He drove past Nemechek in turn 4 to take the lead on lap 5. Rudd paced the field for several laps and his Tide machine looked great out front. Rusty Wallace finally took the lead from him on lap 16 and Rudd began to drop a few positions. However, he remained near the Top 10 or inside of it throughout the next few runs. As laps began to wind down, Rudd stayed towards the top half of the field and he was prepared to take an excellent finish. During his final green flag pit stop on lap 143, his team gave him just fuel and he returned to the track to capitalize on an excellent run. When the caution waved a couple of laps later, Rudd would have one last chance to grab his first Top 10 of the year. On the restart, he looked to advance from his eleventh-place position, but his older tires were unable to gain any ground. Yet, he only dropped a couple of positions and when the race ending caution waved on lap 158, Rudd was in thirteenth place. He crossed the finish line in that position to grab his best finish of the season thus far. While Ricky Rudd isn’t normally an underdog, his tough season made tonight’s Top 15 finish a much-needed boost for his own team as they look to finish the year on a positive note.
Stage 5:
Memorable Moment: Martin Races Hurt and Grabs a Top 20 Finish
For years to come, Mark Martin’s 17th place finish in tonight’s race will appear to be an average finish for the Batesville, Arkansas, driver. However, his performance in tonight’s race was the ultimate example of tenacity, grit, and battling through pain. In Happy Hour yesterday afternoon, Martin was running in a pack late in the session when his right front tire exploded. Without losing any speed, he piled hard into the outside wall and destroyed the right side of his car. The hard contact left him with a broken wrist, a hurt knee, and several bruised ribs. Plus, since he would need a back-up car, he would have to start at the back after qualifying third. It looked like an impossible challenge to move forward with his injuries, but Martin decided to hop in the car and run the race anyway. When the event started, he was making excellent progress from the back even with his injuries. After five laps, he had already gained ten positions and was battling hard in the back of the pack. As the field began to settle into the race, Martin’s move through the field stalled due to the strain of racing with his wounds. Yet, he stayed in the car and managed to stay strong just on the outside of the Top 20. In fact, he was absolutely determined to stay in the car no matter what. Late in the event, Dick Berggren interviewed his crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, and Fennig stated that the team had given Martin some scissors to cut off the cast on his wrist to provide him with some relief. The statement shocked Berggren, but further proved that Martin is willing to compete in all types of conditions. As the event neared its conclusion, Martin was in position to grab an impressive finish despite his injuries. On the final restart on lap 151, he rolled off twelfth with fresher tires than most of the drivers in front of him. However, the field began to race around him and he started to drop back. When the race ending caution waved on lap 158, Martin found himself in 17th and he crossed the checkered flag in that position. As the years progress, Martin’s courageous performance will be remembered as the example of how committed he is to racing and fighting through adversity to compete at NASCAR’s highest level.
After four hundred adrenaline filled miles of racing at Daytona, the NWCS heads to a much different obstacle as the series begins the second half of the season. The series will invade Loudon, New Hampshire, next Sunday for a battle on the flat, one mile New Hampshire International Speedway. While NHIS has plenty of racing room with wide turns, it drives much like a short track with drivers running into each other and barely maintaining control. Plus, strategy always manages to affect the outcome and the winner could be the team that handles fuel and tires the best. After three hundred miles next Sunday, one driver will stand tall after battling in front of a crowd of New England racing fans. In addition to the track storylines, several driver stories are prepared to affect the entire race. After his third win of the season, Dale Jarrett looks to continue his impressive season with a great run at New Hampshire. Jeff Burton came from back in the pack to finish in the Top 5 tonight, which is a great confidence boost heading to a track where he has won twice in two years. Mark Martin made it through tonight’s race with his injuries, but he will have to compete next Sunday with the same issues in another grueling race. Finally, the NWCS heads into the second half of the season next weekend and some drivers will look to make a championship run while others will hope to grab some momentum heading into the 21st Century. Tonight’s race at Daytona was clean all the way up until the final three laps, which allowed all the drivers to remain in the race and contend for positions throughout the event. Yet, NASCAR’s finest will have to battle potential chaos next week in New Hampshire as the flat track creates tight racing and sheetmetal banging. Daytona once again proved to be an intense race for the NWCS as Dale Jarrett managed the many variables of superspeedway racing to take his third win at the historic race track while also launching the series into the second half of the season.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 85- NASCAR waved the caution due to rain falling at the track.
2nd Caution: Lap 147- Debris, which was Kenny Irwin Jr.’s catchcan, was spotted on the track at the entrance of turn 1.
3rd Caution: Lap 158- Wally Dallenbach Jr. bumped Jeremy Mayfield exiting turn 4 and sent Mayfield spinning down the track towards the inside wall. Dallenbach slammed the outside wall and Jimmy Spencer slammed into the back of his car as the field tried to slow down. Mayfield managed to avoid hitting the inside wall while the other two drivers involved had significant damage to their cars.
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Dale Jarrett
2nd: Dale Earnhardt
3rd: Jeff Burton
4th: Mike Skinner
5th: Bobby Labonte
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Tony Stewart
7th: Ward Burton
9th: Ernie Irvan
10th: Terry Labonte
11th: Rusty Wallace
13th: Ricky Rudd
14th: Kenny Irwin Jr.
17th: Mark Martin
21st: Jeff Gordon
23rd: Bill Elliott
38th: Darrell Waltrip
39th: Michael Waltrip
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1999-17/W
-Image:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/493777546622640986/
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCXC_xQRuFY
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