Why The Daytona Duel Races Are A Favorite

The Daytona duel races are two of my favorite races of the year. They aren't always entertaining, don't always matter (especially when 35 drivers were locked in) but they are my favorite.

Despite the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Dakar Rally and a plethora of other events around the globe in January and early February, the duel races signify the start of the weekly habit that is watching motorsports. I know some groan when NASCAR season starts and over the last decade, my youthful exuberance has become more of displeasure with NASCAR's constant, childish "Look at me! Look at me!", attention-whorishness, mountains-out-of-molehills marketing strategy.

But Thursday that is put aside, temporarily.

When I was in grade school and before NASCAR pushed the start of their season back a week because they were afraid the NFL lockout would have pushed the Super Bowl back and cause a conflict, the duel races fell on the Thursday prior to President's Day weekend. I was fortunate enough where my school would make President's Day a four-day weekend and on a few occasions it was a five-day weekend starting that Thursday.

Most Duel-race Thursdays I spent with my grandfather. Watching races was the bond we shared and loved. Watching races with him became "If I could save time in a bottle" moments. Everything was perfect. All Earthly cares were set aside. We would get a pizza or have hot dogs, rip open bags of pretzels and chips, have an endless flow of soda and an arrangement of ice cream to select from later. As a ten-year old you could not ask for anything better.

The cloudless days in Daytona would brighten up a basement as a half-foot of snow and a below-freezing wind chill awaited outside. You couldn't help but daydream about when the seasons would change.

I've always liked the duel races but always been disappointed in the duel races. I loved the idea of racing your way into the field but when 35 drivers were locked in, they didn't really matter. Even today, there is no risk if you have a poor result on Thursday with all the provisionals and locking in the four fastest not to race in. I hate the past champions provisional. Sorry Terry Labonte, what you did eighteen years mattered eighteen years ago. You haven't won a race in eleven years and were barely competitive week-in and week-out then. You shouldn't get an exemption and no one else should, not even defending champion Jimmie Johnson.

I want everyone to be on pins and needles going into their duel race. I can live with locking in the front row, but the remaining 41 positions, you got to earn. I always felt NASCAR should take the top twenty drivers from the duel races along with the front row and then have one final, 10-lap sprint with all the drivers who didn't finish in the top twenty of their duel race fight for the final starting position in the Daytona 500.

Now I know what you are thinking, that final 10-lap sprint won't always be exciting and I understand that. On a paper, a race between Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Josh Wise, Michael McDowell, Morgan Shepherd, Terry Labonte and Eric McClure sounds awful but the LCQ at the Eldora Truck race last year was one of the highlights of the entire NASCAR season and involved Norm Benning and Clay Greenfield. NASCAR has been making diamonds out of turds for years, that example Daytona 500 LCQ grid would be no different.

Some years, a Daytona 500 LCQ would be really scarce. This year, an LCQ would only have seven drivers, last year would have only had three but listen to who the three drivers would have been: Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne and Mike Bliss. A former Daytona 500 winner, former Nationwide Series champion and former Truck Series champion... and only one would have made the Daytona 500.

Here are some other examples of what-could-have-been Daytona 500 LCQ grids:
2012- David Gilliland, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard, Landon Cassill, Kenny Wallace, Tony Raines, David Reutimann and J.J. Yeley.
2011- Andy Lally, Michael McDowell, David Gilliland, Steve Wallace, Joey Logano and Casey Mears.
2010- Bill Elliott, Robert Richardson, Jr., Reed Sorenson, Michael Waltrip, Jeff Burton, Jeff Fuller, Aric Almirola, Dave Blaney, Mike Wallace, Norm Benning, Sam Hornish, Jr and Boris Said.
2009- Robby Gordon, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, John Andretti, Matt Kenseth, Bill Elliott, Mike Skinner, Derrike Cope, Norm Benning, Ryan Newman, Scott Speed, Mike Garvey, Geoffrey Bodine and Boris Said.
2008- Sterling Marlin, Elliott Sadler, J.J. Yeley, Kyle Petty, Kurt Busch, Carl Long, Jeff Burton, Jacques Villeneuve, Jamie McMurray, Stanton Barrett and Dario Franchitti.
2007- Bobby Labonte, James Hylton, Kyle Petty, Jeff Green, Ward Burton, Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, A.J. Allmendinger, Dave Blaney, Robby Gordon, Elliott Sadler, Eric McClure, Kirk Shelmerdine, Scott Riggs, Brian Vickers, Mike Skinner, David Reutimann, Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Twice the driver who went on to win the Daytona 500 would have had to race in the LCQ. Kevin Harvick may not have won the 2007 Daytona 500, forever changing the course of human history. That thrilling finish with Mark Martin may never have happened. Martin may have had a cake walk to win the Daytona 500 as the field crashed behind him. He may have ended his career right then and there. In 2009, Matt Kenseth may have been one of at least two Roush cars being sent home. Where would his career be had he failed to make the Daytona 500 rather than won it?

Of course, you would have to allow these teams to have a backup car ready to go if they have to run the LCQ because of an accident and I am ok with that. I would rather see that then the recently introduced Chase-format. It would the pressure on the drivers to keep their nose clean and avoid any trouble. It would put pressure on the crews to nail that one pit stop. It would put pressure on the guys in the engine department for everything to hold together for 150 miles so they don't have to take their chances running another 25.

The 10-lap LCQ will probably never happen. Why? Because NASCAR lives in a false utopia. They are so afraid of reality. Afraid of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart or Brad Keselowski not making a race.

That is why the past champions provisional and provisionals exist. Richard Petty failed to qualify for a few races. He didn't fail to qualify because he was running a ten-year old car or because he picked the short straw or chose tails over heads. He failed to qualify because he wasn't fast enough. Because he wasn't The King anymore. He hadn't been The King for about five years. But some couldn't deal with that reality. I say tough to those who can't accept it. Somedays the driver you idolize will clearly be human. Nothing will go their way and they may end up going home because a small-team with an unheralded driver busted their butts to make a race. If this was any other sport where a big-name athlete failed and a underdog rose to the occasion, we would accept it. In NASCAR though, it'd be the end of the world.

I am surprised how long it took NASCAR to move the duel races to primetime. When the 2006 races were delayed to the evening because of rain, I though for sure the following year NASCAR would move the races to primetime. I was wrong by eight years. But NASCAR may have waited a year too long to move the duels to prime time. They are going head-to-head with the Olympic coverage and while figure skating and bobsleigh and ski jumping may not your cup of tea, it is for about 23.5 millions each night.

But I look forward to the duel races. It may not be ideal but the weekly grind of the motorsports season is finally here.