The first race at Daytona International Speedway since the passing of Bill France, Jr., NASCAR and Richard Petty honored him with a pure white car driven by Petty, starting just behind the pace car. After a few laps, Petty slowed down in the middle of the track, letting the 43 drivers pass him as he dropped to the back. Visually stunning, it was a perfect tribute to the man who guided NASCAR through the modern era.

With qualifying rained out, the field started on points. Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin took the front row. As the race started, Elliott Sadler reported a serious problem with his car. First and second gear gone from his racecar, he was forced to drift to the back to avoid being run over as the cars came up to speed.

Jeff Gordon led the first two laps, but soon Hamlin took the lead with teammate Tony Stewart in tow. The first caution flag was brought out by Kasey Kahne and Jeff Green on lap four, an altercation which sent both into the wall. Some pit stops were made by cars near the back of the pack, and the green flag flies again with Hamlin in the lead.

Just five laps later, Hamlin was rear-ended by teammate Stewart, who claimed that Hamlin “stopped” in front of him, causing the track. The mêlée collected several unrelated cars, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Reed Sorenson and Bobby Labonte.

Kevin Harvick immediately inherited the lead, but it was quickly taken by teammate Clint Bowyer, whose two tire pit stop during the caution put him in front. Only a few laps later the third caution flag flies for Tony Raines, who had contact with David Stremme. Bowyer takes the green flag on the restart.

The uncharacteristically strong car of Jamie McMurray muscled his way to the front and was soon battling with the leaders. As he made a pass on Bowyer, McMurray’s left wheels went below the yellow penalty line on the apron. NASCAR black-flagged the No. 26 for this, which was required to serve a pass-through penalty in the pits.

Kyle Busch then took the lead, but Bowyer, with a push from Carl Edwards, zoomed to the front. Back in the pack, Juan Pablo Montoya makes contact with Harvick on lap 56, sending Harvick to the pits with a shredding front tire. The field visits the pits, with Bowyer leading after the cycle is completed.

While leading, Bowyer’s primary ignition box failed, making him lose the top spot while he determined the problem and switched to the secondary ignition. Kurt Busch took advantage of the leader’s problem and swept to the front of the field on lap 79. He would lead until lap 110, when pit windows began to open. While Kurt Busch would still have the lead after the pit stop cycle, he soon lost it to younger brother Kyle Busch on lap 116.

Kyle Busch, who would only intermittently receive help from his current teammates throughout the rest of the night, couldn’t even complete the next lap as Sterling Marlin’s blown tire sent Marlin into the wall and brought out the night’s fifth caution flag. Kyle and his brother would swap the lead with their dominant cars for several laps until Kurt definitively pulled ahead. Though driving two different makes of cars, the brothers were able to push one another effectively on the track.

Kurt retained the lead until the sixth caution of the night flew for David Reutimann, who lost his car to the wall. Another cycle of pit stops began, this time leaving Casey Mears in the lead. Mears, who had not pitted since the last cycle at lap 110, would take the green at lap 138.

Meanwhile, McMurray, who battled back from the tail-end of the lead lap, found himself back among the leaders. Mears would lead an eclectic group of men to the flag, including several who did not pit. Bowyer finally passed Mears on newer tires, taking the lead on lap 142. Just two laps later, David Gilliland would spin his car, bringing out the seventh caution.

Bowyer would soon relinquish the lead again to Mears on lap 148, pushed ahead by teammate Jimmie Johnson. Mears’ tenure at the front was short-lived as teammate Jeff Gordon took the top spot by inches while the field wrecked behind him. Caution number 8 was caused by Joe Nemechek and Brian Vickers on lap 151.

The field took the green again shortly, with Jeff Gordon leading. McMurray fought his way in between the Hendrick cars of Kyle Busch and Gordon, now side by side with leader Kyle Busch. At times rubbing doors, it seemed that the dominant car of Busch would hold off the No. 26 as the two cars battled through the last two laps, but at the finish line, McMurray would take the checkers first. The margin was 0.005 seconds, the closest Daytona finish in history since electronic scoring in 1993.

McMurray, winless since his second start at Charlotte in 2002 for the ailing Marlin, was understandably emotional in Victory Lane. Kyle Busch came in second, with brother Kurt behind him, then McMurray teammate Edwards and Jeff Gordon in fifth.

In the points race, Gordon retained the lead and increased his margin over Denny Hamlin. The top five in points remained unchanged, with Kenseth, Johnson and Jeff Burton claiming those spots.

Until next week, remember that rubbin’ is racin’!

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