Daytona 500: Was David Pearson's Surprise an Omen?

Glen Wood and Leonard Wood, along with those who are the backbone of Wood Brothers Racing, had unveiled the 2011 retro version of the iconic No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford.

Edsel Ford was present along with David Pearson, who posed alongside the car that brought back memories of days past.

The media had gathered at a large airplane hangar belonging to Jack Roush during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway this past January.

Pearson, who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year, was busy being interviewed and photographed by the media.

Leonard Wood retrieved a large cardboard box and placed it on one of the many tables that had been set up throughout the hangar.

The legendary brother of Glen Wood, founder of Wood Brothers Racing, smiles a lot but his grin that afternoon was extra wide.

It was nearing time for the media to depart on their respective buses.  Suddenly it became imperative to extract Pearson from the interviews and get him to the table.

Pearson complained and stated, "I haven't had lunch yet."  He was almost annoyed that he had to sit at the table and behave for some unknown reason.

The large box in front of him looked suspicious, but he really thought little of it until Leonard Wood stood and began to open it.

Out of the box came a mini-replica of the famous No. 21 Pearson had driven for the Wood Brothers back in the day.

Wood had built the gift for Pearson and the scaled model was detailed in every way with moving parts.  A near-speechless Pearson, which is unusual, said, "How fast will it go?"  It was a statement so typical of the legendary driver.

The look of surprise and appreciation said it all as Pearson held the model and Leonard Wood proudly looked on.

The paint job on the real No. 21 that won the Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne behind the wheel along with the scale model all of which was to honor Pearson and Wood Brothers Racing may have set a force in motion.

Perhaps that day in the airplane hangar was an omen of things to come.  The momentum of history was unleashed.

Young Trevor Bayne took one of the oldest teams in NASCAR to Victory Lane at Daytona for the first time in 35 years. 

It may be the combination of youth and experience forging  a presence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that will prove to be a force to reckon with this season.