DAYTONA 500 Notebook: Trump makes grand entrance before race
By Don Coble
DAYTONA BEACH – There were 25 fans in line at one of many U.S. Secret Service checkpoints in and around the Daytona International Speedway Sunday before the 67th Daytona 500 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and country music star Chris Stapleton arrived for a sponsor appearance.
They
attempted to bypass the line to meet with guests from Brandt Group, but they
were quickly stopped by a Secret Service agent who pointed them behind the
checkpoint.
Like
everyone else, they had to empty their pockets and go through an X-ray machine
before they were cleared.
How relentless were agents doing their jobs before President Donald J. Trump’s
arrival before the race? They stopped racing’s King, Richard Petty, for a pat-down. Reporters who worked the main press box had to exit their cars to be searched and cleared by dogs who could detect weapons and explosives.
Snipers
were on rooftops and hidden throughout the property. The VIP areas were cleared
at 10 p.m. Saturday so agents could search vehicles, including preparation by
Clay County pitmasters Josh Skipper, Judge Ray Forbess Jr. and Matthew
Mitchell. Brandt hired them for the last four years to prepare barbecue.
Skipper
was part of the Blues Hog team that won the Grand Champion Award, considered
the world championship, at 2022 Memphis in May. Blues Hog owner Bill Arnold
traveled from Missouri to help Skipper, Forbess and Mitchell.
Air
Force One did a fly-by along the backstretch before circling around and landing
at Daytona International Airport.
Trump
arrived with his son, Eric, his wife, Lara, and their two children, Luke and
Carolina. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Interior Secretary Doug
Burgum, his wife, Kathryn, joined him. At the same time, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and
Georgia Rep. Margorie Taylor Green greeted Trump on the tarmac.
The
President intended to stay longer, but when the race was red-flagged after 11
laps by rain, he left for Mar-a-Lago and was home when the race resumed nearly
four hours later.
JIMMIE JOHNSON FINISHES THIRD – Of all of the accomplishments in Jimmie Johnson’s career – a record-tying seven NASCAR championships and two Daytona 500 wins – Johnson admitted his third-place finish as the new majority car owner for Legacy Motor Club left him with a unique feeling.
“I
have emotions I didn't expect to have,” the 49-year-old said. “I've never
been in this position as an owner, and it's really opened up a different set of
emotions. The pride that I have in these results, and the pride that I have in
this company, all that we're trying to achieve, and the journey we're on, I'm
not so satisfied, so happy right now, excited.”
Johnson
retired as a full-time stock car driver after the 2020 season. He tinkered in
the IndyCar Series and made 12 selected NASCAR starts, with a best finish of 28th,
before joining Legacy regulars Eric Jones and John Hunter Nemechek in Sunday’s
race.
Nemechek
finished fifth at the 500, while Jones was involved in a 10-car crash with five
laps remaining, but he still managed a 12th-place finish.
Jessie Love emerges through the roof hatch to greet fans after winning Saturday's United Rentals 300 at the Daytona International Speedway.
A WHOLE LOTTA LOVE – Jessie Love’s timing in overtime of Saturday’s United Rentals 300 for the Xfinity Series was impeccable. He was in the lead moments before the white flag to start the final lap, and that meant he inherited the victory as a massive multi-car accident behind him at the start-finish line essentially ended the race with a yellow flag.
Love
led the final 18 laps. Added to Austin Hill’s domination early in the race –
he led 56 of the first 82 laps – Richard Childress Racing proved its superspeedway
prowess in the Xfinity Series.
“We
are working on changing our culture here at RCR,” Love said. “We’re winners. We
really want to win a championship for Richard Childress.”
Sam Mayer was second, followed by Sheldon Creed in third, Carson Kvapil in fourth, Taylor Gray in fifth, Harrison Butler in sixth and Jordan Anderson in seventh.
SHORT SHIFTS – Besides Stapleton, the Great American Race attracted stars like Michael Jordan, Reacher’s Alan Ritchson and Anthony Mackey of “Captain America: Brave New World.” And, iconic Latin hip-hop star Pitbull performed the pre-race concert.
