Dale Jr. completes NASCAR's perfect start

NASCAR Chairman Brian France couldn't have devised a better opening weekend as the series seeks to reclaim some fans and stop a downturn in momentum. And that's even before Daytona 500 qualifying takes place Sunday.

It started with Tony Stewart, considered by many to be one of the sport's main villains allegedly punching Kurt Busch in the NASCAR hauler in front of series officials on Friday night. (No one confirmed on denied it on the record). This came after those two crashed and Busch slammed into the side of Stewart's car three times as they drove toward pit lane. So, NASCAR had its controversy and gave people a reason to either attend the race or watch it on TV.

What fans saw was a familair face winning in Saturday's Budweiser Shootout. Dale Earnhard Jr. who hadn't won a Cup race since May 2006 at Richmond, took the lead from Stewart with two laps left and went on to score his 11th career Daytona victory. That it came in Earnhardt's first race with all-powerful Hendrick Motorsports only made it more exciting for many in NASCAR nation.

Now, the question is how can France top this? Certainly he might not need to as the anticipation to see if Earnhardt can win the Daytona 500 will grow in the coming days.

Before people get carried away, a few things: No shootout winner has gone on to win the Daytona 500 that season since Dale Jarrett did it in 2000. Also, let's not forget that Saturday's race featured only 23 cars for 70 laps. Among those not eligible for the race since they didn't win a pole last year or have never won this race were: Defending Daytona 500 champ Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton, among others.

Still, Earnhardt's perforamce was impressive. So what did we learn from Saturday night?

1. These guys can drive these cars.

No doubt these cars don't handle as well. It will be interseting to see what  happens with a 43-car field but the worries about a chaotic race went unfulfilled. There was a four-car crash but you're going to have that in restrictor-plate race. Guys moved through the field. Dale Jr. even said he thought the slingshot move was back. Tony Stewart said you still need help and it's not like in the old days but there's a form of it lingering around this track and that could determine what happens in the 500 -- Can't you think back to so many 500s when the leader with even 2 laps to go was going to win it because no one else could get by. That still may happen this time but there could be a bit more drama. We'll see.

2. Toyotas look like they can challenge Hendrick.

Stewart finished second. Dave Blaney placed seventh and Denny Hamlin ran ninth with a damaged car. These teams still have some ways to go but some of these Toyota teams don't look like the 95-pound kid who gets sand kicked in his face on the beach (as they did last year). If you're looking for an upset special for the 500, you might consider Blaney. He finished third at Talladega last fall. He's at least someone to keep an eye on the next few days.

3. Teams should fear Hendrick at this track

Besides Dale Jr. winning, let's remember that Johnson finished third in a backup car and Gordon finished fourth in a backup car. Admittedly, it helps with these cars even that what a driver does means so much, particularly in this style of racing. And Johnson and Gordon know how to get to the front. Still, it makes one wonder what might have been had both had their primary car. Would the result have been different?

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NOTES AND QUOTES

NASCAR announced that Casey Mears' sixth-place car failed post-race inspection. It was too low. Series officials will further evaluate the situation.

TONY STEWART: "I'm pretty happy. It's hard to beat Dale Jr. He's one of the best restrictor-plate drivers there's ever been. I'm not sure that he's not better than his dad, in all honesty, now. For the first race with a new car at this track, I think the race was pretty exciting no matter where you were on the track. It seemed really important to be up toward the front. It seemed like it was a lot easier on tires where you could get more air on the car and help yourself out with the aero downforce as much as the mechanical grip.''

JEFF GORDON (On racing with these cars): "it's a lot different than what we've had here in the past. I'm glad that we had the experience to get out here and feel what it's like. The daytime is going to be a real handful. Obviously, we've got to get the cars handling really, really good.''

DENNY HAMLIN: "Once I could get to the front, the speeds picked up and my car was really, really loose. I just couldn't hang on to it.''

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: "If we work together, it will be harder to beat us. ... I've never felt that I've had a moneky on my back (in regards to his winless streak). I've always raced with pressure. I get used to it, I guess. There's a lot of pressure, I think for us, but we've always delivered. ... I enjoy racing with Tony. We show each other lots of respect in and out of the race car. He races me very hard but at the same time he makes it fun. He knows how to engage people on the race track. If he wants you to enjoy it, he can make it. If he wants you to hate it, he can make that happen. Not many people know how to race and allow the other guy racing to enjoy it. Me and Tony seem to do that. We rarely have any problems.''

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