THE DAYTONA 500 2009

This afternoon, Sunday February 15, 2009, millions of televisions will be watching NASCAR's biggest, and one the most renowned races in the world, the Daytona 500. I would love to be there. I was there last year, but if you have been reading Feather News, you know why I am still here, in Connecticut. Maybe next year.

Forty three cars traveling at about 190 miles per hour for around 3 hours. To give you an idea of the speed if you were driving a car cross country and you were going 60 m.p.h. it would take you about 8 1/2 hours to travel the 500 miles. These cars go around the 2 1/2 mile tri-oval in about 48 seconds.

The forty three cars traveling within two or three lines of cars traveling at 190 m.p.h. within feet of each other for hours after hours. Imagine no brake lights. Imagine the pressure on the drivers. Think that any given moment how little the four patches of rubber (the tires) are actually touching the pavement on the track. These tires cost about $250.00 a piece and the teams go through tractor trailer loads of them during the week.

Years ago, the cars were factory cars (what anyone could go to a dealership and buy) that had racing engines, transmissions,etc. that had roll cages installed for the drivers safety. They could do that because the cars were bigger (American Iron) that had the engines in the front and the rear ends drove the cars.

Today, the cars look like the cars, you and I drive, they are supposed to be Toyota Camry's, Ford Fusions, Chevrolet Impalas, and Dodge Chargers. The bodies are all the same, not the real size of the regular passenger cars they represent. The grilles and the hoods are like the real cars the rest isn't. They take a special built racing frames, add racing engines, transmissions, rear ends, tires, roll cages, and then put sheet metal over them.

These cars have 350 cubic inch v/8 engines that make about 850 horse power. The average car today, that you and I drive, has less than 200 horse power. There is nothing stock about a stock car today. The average passenger car runs on the highway at 60 m.p,.h. at 2,000 to 2.500 r.p.m., while these cars are running for hours at 9,000 r.p.m. A remarkable feat. Stock cars are only made to do one thing go fast for the entire race.

The cars use racing gasoline (130 octane), compared to high test at the pumps which is 91 octane. Regular, that you and I buy at the pumps, is either 87 or 89 octane. It is not uncommon to see flames coming out the exhaust pipes.

The cars are made equal and competitive because of what is called restrictor plates. The plates do not allow the engine to get all the air that it needs. It makes all the cars run about the same speed. The winner of the race and the loser can be won or lost by a fender length or less. Imagine 500 miles and the winner and a person one or two seconds behind is twenty cars (positions) back.

Behind every car, are in some teams, hundreds of workers. At the race, there are specialists on many different parts of each race car. When the cars come in on a pit stop (changing tires, making adjustments, and putting in fuel) the pit crew jumps over the wall and performs what needs to be maintained in usually less than fourteen (14) seconds. It is poetry in motion. These people practice all the time, to be the best they can be.

The next component, in having a successful team, is the the crew chief (team manager). He makes the calls, when to pit, when to put gas, change tires, etc. He's the one that has to figure out what to do after the car is in an accident, too. He is the ultimately responsible for the success of the team.

The last component, is the driver. These guys make big money. They are millionaires. They earn their money. As safe as the cars are, and as well as they are taken care of, there is still the danger. People sometimes die. People do get hurt. It does not happen often, but it does happen. Brakes don't help much when an accident is happening in front of you at 190 m.p.h.. These people just cut the steering wheels and hope with their actions that they can get through the wrecks. These people are the very best.

At the end of the day, whoever wins, he will stand and say how thankful he is to have won. He will thank his sponsors, and his workers who helped him achieve the win. It is a team sport. Everyone contributes. Everyone can do everything right and still not win. The wins can be far apart. Some drivers never win.

The late, Dale Earnhardt reported said, " second place is the first loser." He said the difference between winning and losing was not the car, but the driver who wanted it most. The best car doesn't always win. It is a team sport. It is everything coming together.

Is there anything, that we as Mohegans, can learn from the Daytona 500? What do you think?

Editorial Footnote: Matt Kenseth, driving the #17 Ford Fusion won the rain shortened race.