Daytona 500 Results: Tony Stewart Unimpressive at Daytona but Ready for Phoenix

The 54^th running of the Daytona 500 is finally in the books, with Matt Kenseth securing his second Harley J. Earl trophy of his career.

While Kenseth got his 2012 season off to a perfect start, other big name drivers had poor showing in the first NASCAR race of the season. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson was involved in an accident on the second lap and finished the race in the No. 42 position. Jeff Gordon’s car blew up on lap 119, and he finished No. 40 in the race.

All eyes were on Danica Patrick as she made her debut in the Daytona 500. She was also caught up in the Lap 2 accident, but was able to return to the track 44 laps later. Patrick finished the race in the No. 38 position.

Tony Stewart’s night was not as bad as Johnson, Gordon or Patrick’s night. It surely was not as bad as Juan Pablo Montoya’s night, as he ran into a jet-dryer on the backstretch. Montoya’s wreck caused a massive fire and a two-hour race delay. Fortunately, everyone in the wreck was uninjured.

Stewart had a great start to Speedweeks in Daytona, and his expectations for the Daytona 500 had to be high. Stewart finished No. 2 in the Budweiser Shootout and won the Gatorade Duel race. He had won 17 times at Daytona in his career, but had never won the Great American Race.

Stewart started the race in the second row. He tried to stay up front, but soon found his way to the middle of the pack.

Stewart made his way to the front near the halfway point of the race. The other drivers were pitting, and Stewart was unable to make his way to pit road. He had to stay on the track, which led to Stewart taking the race lead. He led two laps before he came into the pits alone. Without a drafting partner, Stewart was shuffled back to the middle of the pack.

Stewart was a popular pick to win the Daytona 500. It was not his night, though. As the end of the race was nearing, Stewart tried to make one last dash to the front. His chance at victory ended when Joey Logano spun out the champ, causing him to have to come to pit road.  

Stewart finished the race in the No. 16 position. He is one of the most competitive drivers in NASCAR, and I am sure he is not happy with his results in the Daytona 500.

However, he has a lot to look forward to as the series makes its way to Phoenix on Sunday.

Stewart should have no problem bouncing back at Phoenix. Last season, Stewart finished No. 7 in the spring Phoenix race and No. 3 in the fall race. Stewart has always been a strong driver at Phoenix. His career average finish at the track is 11.3. That is the fourth-highest of all active drivers.

History has shown that Stewart starts the season, heats up in the summer and can stay hot during the Chase. Stewart will need to have a strong finish at Phoenix to make up for his mediocre finish at Daytona.

Daytona was a nightmare for fans, crews and some drivers. Stewart will put the Daytona 500 behind him and show up at Phoenix for the Fresh Fit 500 looking to prove that he is still the driver to beat for the 2012 NASCAR Championship.

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