Linnea Galletino - Special to the Sun

In hockey it would be called a "hat trick." Or you could call it¬Ýa 'Triple Crown" all rolled up into one amazing race. On Saturday,Feb. 16, Tony Stewart shot across the finish line in his #20 Armor All-sponsored car¬Ýat the Camping World 300 in NASCAR's Nationwide Series (Formerly the Busch Cup Series) at Daytona International Speedway. What makes Stewart's win one for the record books is that no other driver had ever won from the pole position¬Ý(and old school all-American horse power¬Ýpurist fainted deadaway at this one),¬Ý in a Toyota Camry at that.¬ÝA¬Ýloud groan¬Ýof disbelief¬Ýalmost drowned out the roaring¬Ýcheers from the large group of¬ÝStewart's loyal fans. Not because¬Ýhe and his teammate,Kyle Busch. the newest driver to¬Ýan already¬Ýsuccessful¬ÝJoe Gibbs Racing team, finished 1st and 2nd ahead of Matin Truex's #8 Chevy.¬ÝBut that¬Ýnone of the other¬ÝAmerican muscle-flexing stock cars¬Ýon the track could touch the Camrys as well! It truly was one of the most unforgettable sights in the history of NASCAR, watching the majority of the fans sit in utter disbelief as the 'New Guy' took his victory lap around 'Americas Speedway' in a Toyota!

Dale Jarrett made his last appearance at Daytona. Before his introduction, his fellow drivers signed his #44 UPS Camry in respect for the 51 year-old veteran."I really love racing, but it's time for my career as a driver to end and move on in my life. I'm not leaving the sport, I'll be an analyst for ESPN at all the races. I've been racing since 1977 and have felt my career slowly¬Ýwinding its way¬Ýdown," said Jarrett D.J. is one of the few drivers to win at Daytona more than once. He also was the last driver to win the 500 from the pole position in 2000. His father Ned won the NASCAR championship twice. Once in 1961 and his second came in' 1965.He was known as "Gentleman Ned', and remains one of the most respected drivers in the sport through his work as a NASCAR television announcer. In 1999 D.J. finally won the highly coveted NASCAR championship and has one of the largest fan bases. "We like Dale not only as a great driver," a D.J. fan from Orlando said."But he's a lot like his dad. He races clean and he's a true gentleman. On and off the track." Even though Ryan Newman won the 500 this year, this also was 'The Last Daytona' that Dale Jarrett was in and they were there. A fond¬Ýfarewell to one of the last old-school drivers. There was a conspiracy theory that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was going to win the Daytona 500. He had won two races earlier in the week and his father, The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt Sr., had won his¬Ýonly victory at Daytona 10 years ago to the day, and this was Daytona's 50th anniversary. A fantastic marketing tool¬Ýfor the fastest growing sport in America. So much for a storybook ending. Flyin' Ryan Newman¬Ýand team mate Kurt Busch took on Jr. and the Hendrick Motorsports New England Patriot-like dominance of NASCAR, leaving Jr. to be the only Chevy to finish in the top 10 in 9th place. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch were 1st and¬Ý2nd in their Penske Dodges( This was Roger Penskes first win at Daytona after winning more Indy 500 races than any other owner). Team Joe Gibbs Racing took 3rd and 4th with Tony Stewart in his #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry and Kyle Busch (Kurt's younger brother) in his new ride with JGR, the #18 M&M Toyota Camry.¬Ý Four¬Ýmore Dodges followed suit Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler,Kasey Kahne with Robby Gordon in 8th place. Jr.'s lonely #88 Chevy came in 9th and the only Ford to place, Greg Biffle in his #16¬ÝRoush-Fenway Ford. By the way,does Fenway ring a bell to any baseball fans?

Ryan Newman had not won a race since 2005 at Louden, NH. His 81 race losing streak did not waver the loyalty of his fans by any means. Amy Tallman had just been married the previous day, and was spending her honeymoon at Daytona. "This is the best wedding present I could have ever hoped for!"¬Ý And with Daytona being only a stones throw away¬Ýfrom Cape Canaveral, a Newman fan from Massachusetts summed it up. "They¬Ýdon't call him the 'Rocket-Man' for no reason." he points towards the south-east."He took off like a rocket and came in for a perfect landing. What a way to win!"