The Daytona 380?

Ninety-One Days. Three Months. 13 Weeks. 2184 Hours. 131,040 Minutes, 7,862,400 Seconds. That's how long NASCAR fans waited to see a points-paying race since the 2008 Sprint Cup season ended at Homestead on November 16th. The first race is not just opening day for the 2009 season. This is the Super Bowl. This is Game 7. This is the National Championship Game. For NASCAR fans, and fans of motorsports across the nation, this is as big as it gets. The Daytona 500, or at least what is billed as the Daytona 500. Of all the major sporting championships in the world, auto racing is one of the very few that will allow their premier events to be terminated early because of weather coniditions. Why is this?

Keep in mind, NASCAR is not exclusive in this. This occures in almost all major forms of motorsport. The Indianapolis 500 has been shortened by rain seven times, and as recently as 2007. I personally believe these two events, The Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, should run at least the full 500 miles (green-white-checkered could make it a bit longer). We owe it to the fans, the advertisers, and the teams that are in the event. Both events are run on holiday weekends. The Daytona 500 runs on Presidents Day weekend, and the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. This provides a built in make-up day for a large part of the fans who spend their hard earned money to come to Daytona and watch the race. Many fans, in fact, plan to have Monday off in case the race gets pushed back a day. I heard the argument that the teams need to get back to the shops to prepare for the long trip out to California for next weeks race. Re-align the schedule so there is an off week between Daytona and the second race of the season. That way, there is no rush, and you have a built-in rain weekend if the race gets totally wiped out on Sunday. Once again, why do they allow these races to end early?

I have been listening to Sirius NASCAR Radio on satellite a lot this week, taking in what some of the "experts" and fans had to say about the topic. I have heard everything from, "that's the way it is and always was", and "it doesn't make sense to make the Daytona 500 different from every other race". These points hold no validity with me. Up until 2004, the NASCAR Cup championship was awarded to the driver with the most points over the entire season. Now, it's the 10 race Chase for the Cup format that was added to create excitement. NASCAR can make changes to improve the series. Every starting lineup for every race is set by time trials. One or two laps of qualifying, with the fastest lap earning the pole, going back to 35th, EXCEPT the Daytona 500, which has the Gatorade Duels qualifying races to help set the field. That's different then every other race. Once again, why do we allow the Daytona 500 to end early?

Don't get me wrong, Matt Kenseth is the Daytona 500 champion. He deserves the money, the trophy, and the points. The way the race ended does not take anything away from his victory, but in my opinion, it does take away from the race itself. I am sure I will never see this rule change in my lifetime, but it's something that should be addressed. The Daytona 500 should always be the Daytona 500, not the Daytona 250, 350, or 380.