A Day In the Sun: Gene Haas Tony Stewart Racing Opens The 2011 NASCAR Season In Daytona
NASCAR races in Daytona always attract a lot of attention and this year was no different. A new look to the race plus a controversial finish gave fans plenty to talk about. Gene Haas Tony Stewart Racing gave their fans plenty to talk about with Ryan Newman’s 3rd place finish, showing that his momentum from last year is still in effect. The co-owner of Gene Haas Tony Stewart Racing started the day in the pole position and ran to an 11th place finish. Overall, it was a good day for Gene Haas Tony Stewart Racing. Too bad the day doesn’t count on the score board.
Below The Yellow Line – A Controversial Win
Denny Hamlin grabbed the lead on the final lap and appeared to win the race. However, in doing so, he had passed below the yellow line. This pushed Kurt Busch into first since Hamlin earned a penalty. This put McMurray in second and Ryan Newman in third, while Johnson and Biffle finished in fourth and fifth. Rounding out the top 10 was Gordon, Harvick, Burton, Bowyer, and Labonte. Smoke finished at a respectable 11th place while Hamlin was relegated to 12th by virtue of crossing the double yellow out of bounds line.
Still, Hamlin argued that he made the disqualifying move to avoid causing a crash with Newman’s car. Thankfully, no crash did occur and the overall standings did not change since the annual NASCAR kickoff is an exhibition race. It’s easy to imagine that both Gene Haas and Tony Stewart were happy to have both their car and their driver finish the race intact.