5 Answers After ... Daytona International Speedway

  
Normally, we have 5 Questions Before and After; however, I thought it would be great to see what 5 Answers were revealed now that the Daytona races have come and gone.

As we all know Daytona can be compared to the equivalent of an unpredictable crapshoot because you can roll the dice and never really know what the outcome might be in the end. Wrecks are inevitable at this superspeedway and as hard as you try to avoid them, you sometimes become an unwillingly participate caught up in someone else’s unpredictable decision.

Here are my 5 Answers After this weekend’s races:

Will there be a new Cup points leader from Hendrick Motorsports?

Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth went into Daytona as the points leader and remains in that position ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-25) who would have probably closed the gap even tighter if he hadn’t been caught up in the last wreck of the night. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson has dropped one position to fourth in the standings, 58 points behind the current leader whereas the other two Hendrick drivers – Kasey Kahne and four-time champion Jeff Gordon are sitting 16th (-176) and 17th (-191) respectively.

Can Carl Edwards and the No. 99 team grab a top-5 finish or win this weekend?

Edwards started on the grid 12th and finished sixth at the conclusion of the 160-lap race this past Saturday night. Although it wasn’t a win or top-5 finish, this definitely helped to boost the driver and team’s spirit. He currently sits 11th, 135 points behind points leader and teammate Kenseth.

Will JGR driver Kyle “Rowdy” Busch make it through the race this weekend without engine problems?

Fortunately, there were no engines issues for Kyle Busch; however, the last wreck of the night (with eight laps to go) collected him and teammate Denny Hamlin. The No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota team was able to make repairs to their driver’s car but he went one lap down and finished 24th. It was a disappointing night for this team because they had been running in the top-10 during the first half of the race and had cracked the top-5 before getting caught up in the wreck,

Can Austin Dillon retake the Nationwide points lead back after losing six points for his infraction last week?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a simple “No.” Why? For the second week in a row this team was penalized for an infraction during post-qualifying inspection. The infraction cited “an unapproved open vent hose inside of the car.” The following penalties were handed out as a result of this: Danny Stockman (crew chief) was fined $10,000 and suspended until July 25 due violating his current NASCAR probation; Robert Strmiska (car chief) has been suspended until July 25 due to violating his current NASCAR probation as well; and driver Austin Dillon along with car owner Morgan Shepherd have both been docked six championship points each. Currently, Dillon sits eight points behind current leader and teammate Elliott Sadler.

Who will be the ultimate fashionista this weekend?

Well, the answer to this question was a little tough because I haven’t seen many pictures of Samantha Busch or Ingrid Vandebosch Gordon from this previous weekend so we will have to call this one a draw. There was a cute picture that Samantha Busch tweeted of her race shoe – it was a Nine West sandal, but that was about it. Both of these beautiful ladies have a style of their own and it is fun see what they wear to the track from week to week.

Well folks those are my 5 Answers to the 5 Questions, Daytona International Speedway. Please feel free to share your comments and thoughts.

Until next time…

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Unique Hiram is an Associate Editor/Contributing Writer/Media Rep for Skirts and Scuffs. Additionally, she is also the author of "Fast Lane Poetry" which was published April 2011. Unique can be contacted via email or through Twitter.
5 Answers After ... Daytona International Speedway 5 Answers After ... Daytona International Speedway Reviewed by Unique Hiram on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Rating: 5