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2ndgenz28 · 02-21-2011, 01:21 PM

Worst Daytona 500 finishes ever

NASCAR has had its share of great finishes at the Daytona 500. It has had its share of less than stellar finishes as well. It could have been the weather, an on track incident, a bad call by NASCAR or horrible luck for your favorite driver, but everyone has a list of worst finishes. Here's a roundup of the worst Daytona finishes in no particular order.

1976 Daytona 500
Fans of Richard Petty might call the finish of the 1976 Daytona 500 the worst finish ever. The fans had to sit there and watch The King trying to restart his wrecked car as David Pearson fans cheered, watching the Silver Fox limp his car along to take the win.

1990 Daytona 500
If you ask a Dale Earnhardt fan, one of the worst Daytona 500 finishes had to be the 1990 Daytona 500. Dale had dominated the race and it looked as if he finally was going to take home the most elusive win of his career. It wasn't going to happen that day. Debris on the track cut down Earnhardt's tire. The sick feeling sunk in as you saw his car slow with problems. Salt was added to that open wound with an unlikely win by Derrick Cope.

2001 Daytona 500
The worst Daytona 500 finish is one that will be remembered on lap 3 of this year's 2011 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt lost his life that day in 2001. Racing and NASCAR changed forever. Some of the changes in safety and performance have made racing better, but there is no changing how everyone felt when the #3 drove up into the wall on the last lap. Michael Waltrip should have been able to celebrate a great victory, but it will always be tarnished with what happened on the track that day.

2009 Daytona 500
Then there was the 2009 Daytona 500. More fans than not were disappointed with the race and the decisions by NASCAR to call the race due to rain with over 40 laps left. Matt Kenseth fans were probably happy with the call that gave him the win. The 2009 Daytona 500 has an argument for the worst finish ever. Calling a race due to rain is just part of racing sometimes. NASCAR does have a rule that states if the race has already made it to halfway, the results are official if it is called due to weather.

This is the biggest race of the year though. It would be understandable if there were just a few laps left and there was no way to get them in due to inclement weather. NASCAR probably had their reasons. Kevin Harvick will always wonder, "what if?"

2010 Daytona 500
There are a good percentage of race fans who would agree that the 2010 Daytona 500 was one of the most disappointing Daytona races to ever be held. Pavement issues caused the race to be delayed and then stopped for a long time so track seepage could be addressed and fixed. The fix produced just as many problems as it resolved. Not many would argue that the finish of that race was disappointing. Jamie McMurray is a sentimental favorite to many and his emotional victory lane speech sealed his Daytona legacy. It helped that he backed his Daytona win up with the other two biggest races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

2011 Daytona 500
Some guy nobody knows won the race.

02-21-2011, 01:21 PM	#1
2ndgenz28 Thread Killer Drives: All Black Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NWO Toledo Area Posts: 4,720	Worst Daytona 500 finishes ever Worst Daytona 500 finishes ever NASCAR has had its share of great finishes at the Daytona 500. It has had its share of less than stellar finishes as well. It could have been the weather, an on track incident, a bad call by NASCAR or horrible luck for your favorite driver, but everyone has a list of worst finishes. Here's a roundup of the worst Daytona finishes in no particular order. 1976 Daytona 500 Fans of Richard Petty might call the finish of the 1976 Daytona 500 the worst finish ever. The fans had to sit there and watch The King trying to restart his wrecked car as David Pearson fans cheered, watching the Silver Fox limp his car along to take the win. 1990 Daytona 500 If you ask a Dale Earnhardt fan, one of the worst Daytona 500 finishes had to be the 1990 Daytona 500. Dale had dominated the race and it looked as if he finally was going to take home the most elusive win of his career. It wasn't going to happen that day. Debris on the track cut down Earnhardt's tire. The sick feeling sunk in as you saw his car slow with problems. Salt was added to that open wound with an unlikely win by Derrick Cope. 2001 Daytona 500 The worst Daytona 500 finish is one that will be remembered on lap 3 of this year's 2011 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt lost his life that day in 2001. Racing and NASCAR changed forever. Some of the changes in safety and performance have made racing better, but there is no changing how everyone felt when the #3 drove up into the wall on the last lap. Michael Waltrip should have been able to celebrate a great victory, but it will always be tarnished with what happened on the track that day. 2009 Daytona 500 Then there was the 2009 Daytona 500. More fans than not were disappointed with the race and the decisions by NASCAR to call the race due to rain with over 40 laps left. Matt Kenseth fans were probably happy with the call that gave him the win. The 2009 Daytona 500 has an argument for the worst finish ever. Calling a race due to rain is just part of racing sometimes. NASCAR does have a rule that states if the race has already made it to halfway, the results are official if it is called due to weather. This is the biggest race of the year though. It would be understandable if there were just a few laps left and there was no way to get them in due to inclement weather. NASCAR probably had their reasons. Kevin Harvick will always wonder, "what if?" 2010 Daytona 500 There are a good percentage of race fans who would agree that the 2010 Daytona 500 was one of the most disappointing Daytona races to ever be held. Pavement issues caused the race to be delayed and then stopped for a long time so track seepage could be addressed and fixed. The fix produced just as many problems as it resolved. Not many would argue that the finish of that race was disappointing. Jamie McMurray is a sentimental favorite to many and his emotional victory lane speech sealed his Daytona legacy. It helped that he backed his Daytona win up with the other two biggest races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. 2011 Daytona 500 Some guy nobody knows won the race.