BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG Changes
COMPILED BY LARS ANDERSON
December 08, 2004
NASCAR's Nextel era got off to a festive start in Daytona as a new scoring system put a premium on winning races
KING FOR A DAY Three years to the week after his father died in a crash at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took a moment to savor his first 500 win.
RACE 1
2/15 DAYTONA 500
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Daytona Beach, Fla.
While his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. was dominating the race, Michael Waltrip flipped out after getting caught up in a 12-car collision on Lap 71. He was not injured.
RACE 2
2/22 SUBWAY 400
NORTH CAROLINA SPEEDWAY Rockingham, N.C.
After winning just once during his 2003 championship season, Matt Kenseth roared to the first of two consecutive victories and then shared a champagne shower with owner Jack Roush.