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Kurt Busch Snatches Last-Lap Victory in Crash-Heavy DAYTONA 500

Published

6 years ago

February 26, 2017

DAYTONA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) - The 59th DAYTONA 500 saw the race's favored drivers lose to wrecks and lost gas, giving Kurt Busch (#41) a chance to finally net his very first DAYTONA 500 victory. Photo: William Roebuck/Florida National News.

DAYTONA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – The 59th DAYTONA 500 was a blockbuster to watch at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday thanks to several wrecks–some of which involved ten-plus cars–casting some of the race’s most beloved drivers out of the running for the coveted trophy; and when it wasn’t wrecks, it was loss of gas. All of these incidents left the field open for Kurt Busch (#41, below), a seasoned racing champion, to finally net his very first DAYTONA 500 victory.

Photo: William Roebuck/Florida National News.

The first wreck came in Stage 2 in Turn 3 when Kyle Busch (#18)’s car got a flat rear tire, sending the car out of control. The car turned, causing several cars behind him to crash, and one, trying to avoid the wreck, hit the wall. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (#88)’s car sustained heavy damage as it ran over Busch’s hood. Six cars total were involved in the wreck: Busch (18), Earnhardt (88), Erik Jones (77), Matt Kenseth (20), Ty Dillon (13), Elliott Sadler (7). NASCAR’s strict regulation to not replace damaged car parts with brand new ones rendered some cars unfit to return to the track. Busch’s car was clearly totaled, but Earnhardt, whom many were hoping to win, given his comeback after the concussion and his successful performance throughout Speedweeks leading up to Sunday, was also out of the race.

The next wreck came in the 127th lap in a spot close to the first–in Turn 4. All four Stewart-Haas Fords, including Kurt Busch, were involved in the 10-plus-car wreck. Busch only sustained minor damage, and after the required five-minute repair period, kept racing.

The race overall involved drivers trying to secure their winning position from 100+ laps ahead, which involved them sometimes going three-wide and not letting others through, particularly with the new Stage system in which drivers accumulate points at each stage. Danica Patrick (#10), who had benefitted from the loss of drivers in the first wreck and had gotten as far up as second place, got caught up in the second wreck. “I don’t really know [what happened],” she said in the garage. “I just know we were all three-wide and it looks like the 6 [Trevor Bayne] and 48 [Jimmy Johnson] had something happen. There was nowhere to go. They just kept coming and hitting me.”

There were more wrecks where that came from, but one other factor caused a major loss as well: running out of gas. Chase Elliott was another fan-favorite to win Sunday given his opportunity at a trifecta: He’d won the DAYTONA 500 pole and the Can-Am Duel over the weekend. Sunday’s win would’ve landed him in the annals of racing history. After getting out of the race, he and his father left the premises immediately without speaking to the press.

The bulk of Busch’s competition was gone from the track, including Michael Waltrip (#15) and Denny Hamlin (#11, last year’s DAYTONA 500 champion) but as he admitted in a post-race interview, he nearly lost the same way. “I almost forgot to drive the line I was supposed to because I was shutting off all my switches, going to reserve fuel and saying a hail mary.” He arose in the final lap and got ahead of Ryan Blaney (#21, 2nd place finish) and A.J. Allmendinger (#47, 3rd place finish) to finally fulfill a decades-long goal.

DAYTONA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Kurt Busch (#41)’s Ford took heavy damage by race end, but he still eked out his first DAYTONA 500 victory. Photo: William Roebuck/Florida National News.

The cherry on top of Busch’s victory is that with all that was happening around him, he lost his rearview mirror with 30 laps remaining and still made it. “I thought that was an omen,” he said after winning the race. “Throw caution to the wind. [I figured] since I lost it, I wouldn’t be needing it again.”

_{Mellissa Thomas is Editor of the Florida National News. The Jamaica-born author and journalist is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran with degrees in Entertainment Business and Film. She also helps authors-to-be double their income and clinch the credibility they deserve by walking them step by step through the process of developing, completing, marketing, and publishing their first book. You can drop her a line at mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com or on Twitter @FnnSocial.}

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Monster Jam World Finals® Returns to Orlando This Weekend, Celebrates Monster Jam’s 30th Anniversary

Published

1 year ago

May 18, 2022

Mellissa Thomas

Monster Jam World Finals is premiering a first-ever figure-eight over-under track that allows trucks to simultaneously jump over each other while racing. Image: Feld Entertainment.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – The prestigious Monster Jam World Finals® returns to Orlando May 21 and 22, 2022. This two-day championship is the biggest event of the season and showcases the best trucks and drivers in Racing, Freestyle, High Jump and Skills competitions. This year’s World Finals XXI celebrates Monster Jam’s 30th Anniversary and Grave Digger’s 40th Anniversary. It offers the largest Pit Party of the year, where fans can meet the drivers, see the trucks up close and enjoy many other family-friendly activities–all included in the ticket price. Fans can purchase tickets for both days through Ticketmaster.com.

Fans get to watch jaw-dropping stunts from the drivers’ 1,500 horsepower, 12-feet tall, 12,000-pound monster trucks, including 12-time world champion Tom Meents, driver of the Max-D truck. World record holder Bari Musawwir, driver of the Zombie truck, also returns to compete in the Skills Competition.

In just in 7.5 days, Camping World Stadium’s gridiron field transformed into the World Finals dirt track with 7,500 yards and 22.5 million pounds of dirt. This year’s track includes a first-ever figure-eight over-under track that allows trucks to simultaneously jump over each other while racing. Fans not only get to enjoy over-the-top stunts, and thrilling fireworks, but they’ll be the very ones choosing the winner.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com

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Representative Duran’s HB 91 Passes in Tourism, Infrastructure, and Energy Subcommittee

Published

1 year ago

February 3, 2022

FNN NEWS

State Representative Nicholas X. Duran. Photo via Florida Politics.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Source: Florida House of Representatives // Earlier today, HB 91 passed with unanimous bipartisan support in the Tourism, Infrastructure, and Energy Subcommittee. HB 91 provides DHSMV authority relating to the display & use of digital license plates and specifies requirements for digital license plates, digital license plate providers, & digital license plate consumers.

“Bringing digital license plates to Florida helps to pave the way into a more connected future. Florida has always been on the cutting-edge of technology and allowing the use of this technology can bring large-scale efficiency and savings to the over 17 million registered vehicles in our state. I am happy this bill was able to make it out of committee and is on its way to becoming law,” said Representative Nicholas X. Duran (D- Miami).

Having passed favorably, the bill has been referred to the Commerce Committee.

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Tesla on Part-Automated Drive System Slams into Police Car

Published

2 years ago

August 28, 2021

FNN NEWS

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — A Tesla using its partially automated driving system slammed into a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser Saturday on an interstate near downtown Orlando and narrowly missed its driver, who had pulled over to assist a disabled vehicle.

Earlier this month, the U.S. government opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driving system after a series of similar collisions with parked emergency vehicles.

The trooper whose cruiser was hit shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday had activated his emergency lights and was on the way to the disabled vehicle when the Tesla hit the cruiser’s left side and then collided with the other vehicle, highway patrol spokeswoman Lt. Kim Montes told The Orlando Sentinel.

The report said the 27-year-old man in the Tesla and the driver of the disabled vehicle suffered minor injuries and the trooper was unhurt.

Tesla did not immediately respond to an email sent to its press address.

Autopilot has frequently been misused by Tesla drivers, who have been caught driving drunk or even riding in the back seat while a car rolled down a California highway.

The electric vehicle maker uses a camera-based system, a lot of computing power, and sometimes radar to spot obstacles, determine what they are, and then decide what the vehicles should do. But researchers say it has had trouble with parked emergency vehicles and perpendicular trucks in its path.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the Tesla probe after tallying 11 crashes since 2018 in which Teslas on autopilot or cruise control have hit vehicles where first responders have used flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board or cones warning of hazards.

In those crashes, 17 people were injured and one was killed, the NHTSA said. An investigation could lead to a recall or other enforcement action.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which also has investigated Tesla crashes, has recommended that NHTSA and Tesla limit the autopilot’s use to areas where it can safely operate. It also recommended that Tesla be required to improve its system to ensure drivers pay attention.

Last year the NTSB blamed Tesla, drivers and lax regulation by NHTSA for two collisions in which Teslas crashed beneath crossing tractor-trailers.

The crashes into emergency vehicles cited by NHTSA began on Jan. 22, 2018, in Culver City, California, near Los Angeles when a Tesla using autopilot struck a parked firetruck with flashing lights. No one was injured in that accident.