This Daytona 500 Flip Wasn't That Bad, The Left Melts Down Over Trump's Visit & Dale Jr. Drops Major Hint
All of that for … another William Byron win? I mean, seriously? I just spent 13 hours at the track, spent my life's savings at the Busch Light bar, froze my ass off, sweated my nuts off, and got soaked to shit all in about a 90-minute span … just to see William Byron win back-to-back Daytona 500s?
Talk about a letdown. We started the day with Donald Trump triggering the Libs, and ended it with Billy the Kid somehow making his way through a final lap wreck (weird for that to happen at Daytona) to win his second straight 500.
Don't get me wrong – I like Willy Byron. He's fine. He just doesn't exactly move the needle. Good kid, but he ain't exactly the ball of fire I was hoping to wake up after four hours of sleep and write about this morning.
Oh well. That's the Daytona 500 for you. Still, a good little automobile race for 199 laps, and, frankly, that's all we can ask for after a three-hour rain delay and a wasted Trump visit.
I'm sure our great president was GLUED to his screen from Mar-a-Lago at 10 p.m. last night for the finish, though!
Probably watched it while signing his 470th executive order. Hell, he probably watched it while completing a three-team deal for Greenland and the Panama Canal!
So, yes – we'll get to Billy's win today. We'll also talk Trump.
Most importantly, though, we're also going to tell Ryan Preece to calm the hell down and stop being such a drama queen. Same goes for all you Big Js out there acting like Preece's little wreck last night was the worst thing in the history of NASCAR. It wasn't. Doesn't even crack the top-30 of all-time Daytona flips. Relax.
What else? I'm sure I'll get to a WAG or two over the course of this morning. We'll check in with Dale Jr. at some point because we're great Americans and Dale had a big weekend.
And, I reckon, I'll have one last beer or two on the way to Atlanta. They ain't how they used to be, you know.
You'll see.
Four tires, a splash of Sunoco racing fuel, and maybe a tiny violin for Ryan Preece … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘Let's Maybe Mix In A Different Winner Next Year' edition – is LIVE!
Hey, Rhino – let's take it down a notch
Yeah, I mean … look, I'm not saying Ryan Preece's Daytona 500 crash was great. And maybe I've just become numb to it all after covering nine 500s and nine more Firecrackers. That's 18, for those counting at home!
Hell, I reckon anything you see after sitting though Ryan Newman's wreck in 2020 is gonna pale in comparison. So, perhaps I'm being too hard on Preece here.
BUT … I don't know, I just didn't think this was as bad as the world is making it out to be:
OK, it's not great. But does Ryan Preece need to come out after that wreck and call on NASCAR to fix speedway racing? Ryan, buddy, they have fixed it. They've fixed it, frankly, to a fault.
Y'all were THREE-WIDE racing for 190 laps last night. Three-wide the whole time! Do you know how hard that is to do? Used to be, at least.
But these cars have been slowed down so much, and they are so much easier to drive than they used to be, that they literally allow for three-wide racing at Daytona for 190 laps with very little wreckage.
I'm just not sure what else you want NASCAR to do here. They already got rid of the backstretch grass at Daytona for you and basically turned it into a Walmart parking lot. They've made the cars ridiculously easy to drive, and slow, and, frankly, boring. I mean, my God.
You're racing at DAYTONA! This ain't exactly New Hampshire. I have two kids, so I'm empathetic to that part, but … you're a professional driver, and you're racing in the Daytona 500. You're not clocking in for work at the Publix down the road. There has to be some risk involved, right?
Right?!
Lemme know! Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.
Donald Trump had a dominant Daytona 500 performance
It's not great, but he also wasn't exactly Austin Dillon going into the fence in 2014, or Ryan Newman nearly being decapitated in 2020. It was maybe a 5 on the Daytona scale. Maybe.
Sorry. Someone has to say it today, and Lord knows it won't be the woke AP. Bet they enjoyed Trump's visit yesterday! Were they even allowed inside the track? Nope! Not until you say Gulf of America! Great, AMERICAN, body of water.
Speaking of Trump … solid showing from our president yesterday. Ask me how many boos I heard while he was in town?
Besides a couple predicable ones from the insufferable wokes inside the media center, there were none. And they came from all walks of life: Black, white, purple, male, female, fan, worker, bartender – didn't matter.
Unless, of course, you were a miserable loser sitting at home in your mom's basement throwing your fist at the sky because Trump is costing taxpayers millions with this trip!
Yeah, sure. OK, Karen. Take a seat at the Relax Table right next to Ryan Preece and be quiet.
Anyway, let's check out some of the sights and sounds … and, of course, some of the Lib tears!
Angry Kyle, angrier Sam, and American drafts
My God. Those people are just the WORST. That last one, specifically, really tickled my pickle. Yeah, OK. Sure thing, MeidasTouch.
Donald Trump – the same president who literally two weeks ago fixed North Carolina MONTHS after the hurricane – is ignoring everything else going on in the country. Okeedokee!
PS: "This is your favorite president speaking" is such a wild thing to hear on your radio while you're turning pace laps for the biggest race of the year. I'm sure Bubba loved it!
OK, let's get to a couple quick-hitters on the way to Atlanta, because I'm running on four hours of sleep and nursing my fourth hangover in a row.
Let's check in with a new and improved Kyle Busch this year!
We're one race in and we've already got an annoyed Kyle Busch taking shots at NASCAR … along with Sam! I think we're in for a really special season. LOVE the energy from the Busch Clan here.
And here:
Power COUPLE. NASCAR's First Couple, along with Ryan and Hooters Gianna. Love the momentum we have right now. Let's have a big season.
Next? Let's check in with a couple old-timers on the way out … Jimmie AND Dale Jr.!
My God. Cup owner Jimmie Johnson somehow bullshitted his way to a third-place finish … at DAYTONA (he was never great here towards the end) … and Dale Jr. – another CUP OWNER – put his car in the top 10.
What a start to 2025. Imagine saying that sentence to someone 10 years ago. They'd have you locked up. But it's true. All of it.
And Dale confirming he wants a piece of the Cup action moving forward? I smell a big deal on the horizon. Strap in.
Finally, on the way to Atlanta, let's check in on America and get a quick status update on this great country. It is Presidents' Day, after all.
Incredible. The Anheuser-Busch CEO said last month he wanted ALL the domestic drafts changed to "American beer," and by golly, he actually DID IT … at Daytona.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this bad boy at the Busch Light bar over the weekend. Did a double-take. Gave the bartender a nod, she gave one back, and then I slugged down a few of the most patriotic beers I've ever had.
God bless America.
See you in Atlanta.