Random thoughts of the day

If you checked my story on Trevor Bayne yesterday, you got some good comments on why I felt Trevor Bayne’s win was good for the sport. Portions of that article are in a story for my sports reporting class where I have to write a column for class stating my opinion.

Yesterday I was posed with a good question: What was the story going to be if someone else won?

I said I could come up with a reason why it was good, or bad, for each driver to win Sunday’s 53rd Daytona 500. It was easy.

The only driver who could have been bad for the sport of NASCAR if he won on Sunday is five-time champ Jimmie Johnson. Imagine being a casual or even first-time NASCAR viewer. You want to give the sport a shot, but all you see is the only guy you’ve ever heard of (thanks to ESPN I’m sure) win. Traditional NASCAR fans (sans those of Johnson) are ticked off that Johnson has won, and NASCAR gains little to no new fans.

However, if anyone else had won, I could argue it was good for the sport.

Fire any name you want at me, and I’d come up with a reason or two.

My boss, John Sells, asked me, “What about Harvick? You hate Harvick.” While I’m guilty of that charge, I came up with a few reasons why seeing the No. 29 in victory lane would have been good for the sport.

On the tenth anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death, how awesome would it have been to see that all black No. 29 in victory lane? What about Michael Waltrip’s black No. 15, also painted to look like the No. 3 that Earnhardt drove. In fact, numerous drivers, including Dale Jr., would have been a plus for the nation’s No. 2 sport, just because it was the tenth anniversary of Dale Sr.’s death.

What about Tony Stewart? He had a shot at the end. In thirteen tries at the Daytona 500, he’s never ended up in victory lane. He’s won every other race during Speedweeks.
And the guy that was pushing Stewart, Mark Martin, is now 0-for-27 in Daytona 500 tries, including the 2007 Daytona 500, which many folks (myself included) argue that Martin actually won.
Speaking of long 0-for streaks, what about the wily vet pushing Daytona 500 champ Trevor Bayne, Bobby Labonte? In 18 attempts, Labonte has never won the “Great American Race.”

Labonte, Stewart and Martin, three guys who have basically done everything in the sport, have all never won the Daytona 500.

What about Carl Edwards or Denny Hamlin you may ask. Is there any better story than those guys winning the season’s first race in their attempts to stop Johnson’s sixth straight Cup run?

I’m sure I could actually list all 43 guys and my reasons, but why bore you? I feel that I’ve given sufficient storylines for each driver.

That was my thought process this weekend, and almost every weekend to be honest. I enjoy telling stories, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. Have a good Wednesday.