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*The Daytona 500 had several controversial moments, but the biggest was the race being shortened by over 100 miles due to rain. Did NASCAR do the right thing by starting at the scheduled time, or should the green flag have been moved up so that the entire race could be run?* Mike: “Hey, fans: the first five innings of the seventh game of the World Series ran too long. We're going to call it now.” Tom: I think there's a big issue with the green flag starting at 3:45 PM. As for the race getting restarted, the rain was ... rain, guys. You couldn't do much about it. I was there, and there was no way they were getting the track dry once it started.

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*Did You Notice? …* The firestorm surrounding cutting the Daytona 500 48 laps short? Personally, I think the anger should be focused on the _starting time_ of the race more than anything else. The 3:45 EST start makes it near impossible to avoid the type of weather issues that we experienced in Sunday’s event. If anything pops up, you don’t have the whole afternoon to kill drying the track and making sure the full distance gets in. Why are we starting the race so late? I can’t find an acceptable answer just yet. Personally, I think a 1:00 EST start time would be perfect …

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*10.* The conception of Brian France in the first place (had to have been a "mistake"). *9.* Goodyear unveiling their new line of condoms (maybe that is what happened with No. 10!).

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Well, another Daytona 500 has come and gone, and many are still talking about it. The 2009 NASCAR season is officially underway, and this year Speedweeks had many compelling stories to discuss. It started with the Budweiser Shootout that had Kevin Harvick virtually replaying the 2007 Daytona 500 with a last lap pass for the win. Then, there were the Duel 150s that saw Jeremy Mayfield, Scott Riggs, and A.J. Allmendinger squeak in the field by the skin of their teeth (or in Mayfield’s case, flat top).

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Like it or not, after just 380 miles the first race of the 2009 Sprint Cup season is officially in the books. Matt Kenseth was crowned the winner of just the fourth rain-shortened Daytona 500 in history, taking the lead one lap before the weather with a generous push from runner-up Kevin Harvick. But was that last lap pass enough to leave Kenseth number one in the eyes of our staff this week? After all, Kyle Busch dominated the race, only to become an innocent victim of the day's big wreck on Lap 125. And where did A.J. Allmendinger land after starting the year with a career-best third -- driving for a team that doesn't even know if it'll exist two months from now?

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Not even a year ago, I penned an article about the incessant force feeding of NASCAR fandom the idiotic rubbish that is Digger, an in-track camera that wasn’t even the original idea of FOX. It actually came from ESPN and the good ol’ days of Thursday Night Thunder. Well just …

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Farmers Insurance to sponsor No. 28 at Fontana Yates Racing announced on Tuesday that Farmers Insurance Group will be the primary sponsor on the No. 28 Ford Fusion driven by Travis Kvapil this week at Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 500. “It’s another great opportunity for the No. …

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*Today's Question : Who's to blame for the big wreck in this year's Daytona 500 -- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or Brian Vickers?* Tom: With six top 5 finishes on the high banks to go along with 383 laps led, it's clear Earnhardt knows how to get around this place better than almost any other track on the circuit -- with the exception of perhaps Talladega and Richmond. In my opinion, that's what makes Sunday's major incident that much more tougher for NASCAR's Most Popular Driver; a track that should have a special place in his heart is now forever linked instead with his most embarrassing moment behind the wheel. *Vito:* If you review the tape from the backstretch and infield angles, you will witness Brian Vickers swerve across three lanes of traffic to block Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s pass attempt. Was it a legal move by Vickers? Yes. Was it ill advised? As former VP candidate and snowbound cutie Sarah Palin would say, “You betcha!”

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Luck can be a fickle mistress, and at the premature end of the 51st running of the Great American Race, there were plenty of drivers - from the veterans to the rookies - who could attest all too easily to that particular sentiment. Chief among those bemoaning their poor fortune was Elliott Sadler. The Emporia, Virginia native came into Speedweeks under something of a cloud, having invoked legal measures this winter to keep his seat in the No. 19 car. In this treacherous economic climate, it was tough to blame the amiable twelve-year veteran for pulling out all the stops to stay in his ride, but there was no doubt the pressure was on for him to perform from the get-go.

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Some teams came out of the block strong, following good runs in Sunday’s Daytona 500. Due to the nature of restrictor plate racing, fate can play a major role in which teams are successful and which head to California hoping to get their season on the right track. The following intermediate track races at California, Las Vegas, and Atlanta will play a much larger role than Daytona in determining which teams and drivers are the actually contenders and pretenders for the championship.

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