A Daytona Finish

A couple of quick notes as I return from covering the Daytona 500.

My prediction that Jimmie Johnson would win should come as no surprise. Johnson ran well here in both races last season. Starting his 5th year with Hendrick Motorsports-- Johnson showed he's now a smarter driver.

Johnson has learned the hard way. Overly-aggressive driving at Daytona gets you nothing except a trip to the garage. And in some cases, the hospital.

Johnson drove a patient race, got some Daytona luck, and had the biggest day of his career.

Ryan Newman gave me a great quote after the race-- mocking the 48 team for their past infractions. But NASCAR tore apart Johnson's car for 3 hours after the race--- and found no
violations.

Speaking of infractions-- how about Tony Stewart.

Despite his plea of innocence, most observers-- including at least one respected former driver-- considered Stewart's actions in Sunday's race inexcusable.

The first, with Jeff Gordon, can't be blamed on Stewart. However, the second, with Matt Kenseth-- upset NASCAR enought to penalize the defending Nextel Cup Champ.

Stewart says his spotter told him he was clear to make a move-- and clipped Kenseth by accident. Kenseth and NASCAR thought otherwise.

I like Stewart-- but he's making no sense.

A week after he screamed about unsafe driving habits at Daytona (read: bump draft), Stewart made his own mayhem on the track. It may have cost him-- and Kenseth-- a chance at a win.