No race on the NASCAR schedule dominates its competitors the way the Daytona 500 does.
Just minutes after the checkered flag dropped in the 1997 Daytona 500, I stood in Victory Lane with my teammates Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon, celebrating the first-ever podium sweep for an organization in the Great American race. I finished the race in third, in my third attempt. I remember vividly, in the midst of spraying Champagne ... the feeling of ..."I've got this!" However, third was the closest I would ever get.
The following year, after experiencing every form of Daytona 500 adversity imaginable, Dale Earnhardt Sr., "the greatest restrictor-plate driver ever," finally won the race that had eluded him throughout his career. As I rolled down pit road, I noticed team members crossing over the wall, forming what could only be described as a congratulatory receiving line. It was the most unique moment I'd ever seen from an environment where teams opposed one another -- sometimes vehemently. On that day, we all witnessed one of those rare moments in sports, when the competitiveness was overridden by appreciation and acknowledgment. What I value about that moment is witnessing how much Dale embraced the moment -- atypical of a driver who spent most of his life being in a hurry.
The allure and significance of the Daytona 500 would not be what it is today if Dale had not won that race 20 years ago.
At Daytona, a driver can whistle around the track full throttle. It's among the easiest things you'll ever do in a race car, provided you're on the track by yourself. When you add 39 other competitors, it becomes a bit of a magic show. Navigating a restrictor-plate race successfully requires an ability to predict circumstance, anticipate and react to momentum, and drive with an authority that can only be described as instinctive.
For as long as restrictor-plate racing has existed in our sport, no one has mastered it the way Dale Earnhardt did. Much of what he applied at the 200-mph racetrack came from knowing where to place his car to negatively impact those he competed against, combined with a sixth sense of anticipating which lane on the track possessed the most energy.
The first time I circled Daytona was in 1992. I summoned my buddy Jeff Gordon to draft with me. Jeff followed behind me at full throttle for a couple of laps, and as I approached a slower car, I got too close (as if I were competing at Martinsville), and my car snapped completely sideways at 200 mph. To this day, I don't know how I didn't wreck! Needless to say, we hit pit road 30 seconds later.
It was my first introduction to how powerful air could be at that speed and how critical it was to understand the dynamics and the techniques of drafting.
A few days later, Dale Earnhardt and I crossed paths in the garage area, and I was eager to shake hands with him. Almost immediately he barked at me, "Why are you getting so damn close to the wall on the exit of turn two?" I believe I replied, "Aren't you supposed to?"
"You're from up North," he replied. "If you imagine snow coming off the front of your car and hitting the wall, it will come right back out in front of the car, and you are just gonna keep pushing it!"
The next laps I ran at Daytona were 2 mph faster, and the only adjustment made to my car was the line I was driving.
On the eve of the 60th running of the Daytona 500, it seems appropriate to acknowledge those who fall in line behind Earnhardt, the man who turned drafting into a form of art. These are the best drivers I ever competed against in this form of racing:
#10 Michael Waltrip
Mikey won't ever make it to the NASCAR Hall of Fame based solely on his driving ability, but one thing he did exceptionally well was Daytona and Talladega. His win in the 2001 Daytona 500 was overshadowed by the darkest day in our sport and the loss of his boss and car owner. Nobody would put their money on him at Martinsville, but he was a heck of an investment on the two largest tracks on the circuit.
#9 Sterling Marlin
I have that Kodak No. 4 stamped in my brain because he was an authority on restrictor-plate tracks during the mid- to late-'90s.
#8 Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie is good at everything. With the exception of road course racing, this may be his weakest hand, but he still has two Daytona 500 rings.
#7 Bill Elliott
"Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" epitomized the adage that great athletes don't beat themselves. Bill was a thinking man's driver, very calculated and very talented. Later in his career, he lost the taste for competing at Daytona and Talladega, otherwise, he'd be higher in the rankings.
#6 Tony Stewart
Smoke never won the 500, but he won everything else at Daytona.
Sometimes the numbers just don't add up. Tony was capable of winning three or four Daytona 500s, but for whatever reason, it just didn't materialize. Nevertheless, his restrictor-plate statistics speak volumes.
#5 Dale Jarrett
Dale was always remarkable in big events, and the greatest testimonial to that is his three Daytona 500 victories. What makes his story so much more intriguing is that many of his biggest wins came in the second half of his career. There's no telling how many championships and races he would have won if he had been in better equipment earlier in his career.
#4 Jeff Gordon
Jeff, my teammate at Hendrick Motorsports in 1997 and 1998, was a great friend, but a very difficult teammate. It was because I ran out of excuses as to why I couldn't beat him that I credit him with my 12 years at ESPN.
#3 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Jr. is a chip off the old block. I've always marveled at how he could lead a draft at Daytona and Talladega, dragging a line of cars up and down the banking as if they were tied to a string. Few drivers in my lifetime commanded the respect we witnessed for Dale Jr. He was one hell of a race car driver and is an even greater human being.
#2 Brad Keselowski
I know I'm going to get some pushback on this, but I challenge you to study Brad's numbers. With six restrictor-plate wins already and years of racing left, Brad will win many more restrictor-plate races, including tomorrow's. Brad's my pick to win Sunday's Daytona 500!