Owens said:

It’s exciting to be part of Turner Motorsports’ first Cup race with Bill Elliott and support from Walmart. We’ve come a long way in just the last two years, so to take this step is really going to be a milestone for everyone who works so hard for this team every day.

Coming back to Daytona International Speedway, David Ragan knew he had what it takes to win the Coke Zero 400.  With the help of his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, Ragan was able to take home his first career win and get redemption at Daytona.

Two Car Tango

The two car tango: You either love it or you hate it.  It forces drivers to work together, teammates or not.  They have to talk with each other on the radio and coordinate their strategy.   Before this style of racing cam about, you would see large groups of cars drafting together at Daytona.  Some drivers preferred to race up front, others would ride out the race in the back until the closing laps, when they would race their way to the front.

With the two car draft, the drivers really have no choice but to ride two-by-two the entire race.  It keeps the drivers close enough that they have to race constantly, but not so close that they take out the entire pack if one car spins.

But, the biggest downside of the two car tango is, if the driver behind you isn’t the best dancer.  Right off the bat on lap 5, Brad Keselowski got into the back of Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne putting him into the wall.  Bayne was forced to take his car to the garage and was not able to finish the race.  A lack of communication between drivers seemed to be the cause of the accident.

On lap 23, there was another incident of this style racing.  Greg Biffle got into teammate and points leader Carl Edwards, sending him into the inside wall.  Edwards’s team was able to repair the damage, but he had other problems. The accident broke the crush panels on Edwards’s car, causing him to inhale exhaust fumes. The team later fixed the problem, but he was eight laps down.

Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr’s tango did not work out as planned.  At the start of the race, Earnhardt and Johnson hooked up and decided to ride it out towards the back of the field.  When Johnson made a pit stop to make adjustments to his car, Earnhardt pitted with him to make sure they would stay together on track.  Earnhardt and Johnson had great radio communication throughout most of the race.

When a late race caution came out, however, the No. 48 team pitted without informing the No. 88 team.  This resulted in Earnhardt Jr not having a teammate to draft with and a slim chance to get out front to win the race.  Earnhardt seemed agitated about the incident on the radio.  Adding insult to injury, Earnhardt and Johson were involved in the crash on the final lap and finished19th and 20th, respectively.

Their teammates, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon had a similar strategy of hanging near the back until the closing laps. In the final laps of the race, Gordon and Martin were charging to the front when Red Bull Racing teammates Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers checked up. Kahne slid up the track in front of Gordon and the two made contact.

Gordon spun, but was able to save it, setting up the first green-white-checkered finish. On that G-W-C attempt, Martin was trying to draft with Joey Logano because neither had a drafting partner when the two made contact and Martin spun, hitting Vickers. That triggered the big one and set up a second attempt at a G-W-C finish.

RBR teammates Vickers and Kahne had no problem with the two car racing in the early part of the race.  They led about 20 laps total with Kahne out front.  Kahne finished the race fourth and Vickers, getting slight damage in the last lap pile up, finished 12th.

In conclusion, the two car tango is still taking some time to get used to.  I miss the huge packs racing three and four-wide at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway.  I also miss how drivers would switch drafting partners continuously during the race, trying to get their car out front.

With the two car draft, it’s almost like two teams become one.  If one car can’t win, the person drafting with them can’t win either.  But, when leading the race, the car out front will be the winner rather than both teams getting the win.  There are pros and cons with all styles of racing.  I think this two car tango is going to be around for a while so we might as well get used to it!

The 3D version will be available through TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.com and through DirecTV. The broadcast will complement a special television presentation on TNT, highlighted by the network’s Wide Open format.

In order to view the 3D presentation, viewers will need a 3D TV or PC display with matching 3D glasses. NASCAR.com has a listing of system requirements to view the 3D race online.

Jay Abraham, of NASCAR Media Group, said:

One of our goals here at NASCAR is to continuously explore ways to improve the viewing experience for our fans. Offering the Coke Zero 400 in 3D on NASCAR.COM and select television distributors is a great example of that consistent exploration. Our fans have been asking us about 3D for several months so we’re excited to deliver that to them for the first time ever in what will likely change how NASCAR is consumed moving forward.

Lenny Daniels, of Turner Sports, added:

We see this as an opportunity to showcase our marquee primetime race in Daytona through our signature Wide Open format on TNT, as well as to learn more about 3D through this unique presentation online at NASCAR.COM and through DIRECTV.

TNT’s Wide Open format is continuous race coverage free of national commercial breaks and more unobstructed race action than that of a standard telecast by using a letterbox widescreen format.

The retailer will also sponsor the car at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

HOF Racing, in addition to signing Labonte, recently formed an alliance with Yates Racing, and has secured sponsorship from Ask.com.

NASCAR used scoring loops to determine that Kyle Busch was just inches in front of Carl Edwards when the caution came out, giving him his sixth win of the season.

Rounding out the top 5 were Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, and David Ragan.

Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, and Mark Martin finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Notables: Kevin Harvick (12th), Martin Truex Jr. (17th), Tony Stewart (20th), Jimmie Johnson (23rd), Denny Hamlin (26th), Jeff Gordon (30th), Jeff Burton (37th), and Greg Biffle (43rd).

Stewart was suffering from an illness and needed a relief driver. J.J. Yeley climbed into the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 on lap 72 and drove to the top 10 with less than four laps to go.

But, Yeley got collected in a series of late-race wrecks, and wound up finishing 20th. Stewart was given IVs before and after the race. It was reported that he was being treated for flu like symptoms.

On the GWC restart, Jeff Gordon, who was running second, drove down to block Carl Edwards. The two got together, sending Gordon spinning. The race stayed under green, however.

When the field came around again, several cars in the middle of the pack started bouncing off of each other, bringing out the caution.

Carl Edwards had just started to make a pass on Busch for the lead. Scoring loops were used to determine that Busch was, in fact, in front of Edwards when the caution came out, giving Busch his sixth win of the season.

But under caution at 72, Stewart climbed out of the car, and J.J. Yeley climbed in.

Stewart is being treated at the infield care center for flu-like symptoms.

Top 5: Menard, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joe Nemecheck, and Johnny Sauter.

David Ragan, Boris Said, Regan Smith, Kyle Busch, and Patrick Carpentier roll of sixth through 10th respectively.

Notables: Kevin Harvick (14th), Denny Hamlin 15th), Tony Stewart (17th), Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton (23rd), Carl Edwards (24th), Clint Boywer (25th), Jeff Gordon (26th), Jimmie Johnson (30th), Greg Biffle (33rd), and Kasey Kahne (41st).

Scott Riggs and J.J. Yeley failed to make the race.