Emma Baltzersen '24
February 20th was the biggest NASCAR race of the year. 40 racers, 200 laps, 500 miles all to win the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Teams pour all their blood, sweat, and tears into winning this race.
This year they introduced new features for the cars, and new models. Instead of having five bolts per tire, there is now one. This led to two tires falling off during the race because they were not tight enough.
The overall car shape has been altered, changing the boxier front to one more rounded, causing more accidents. Bumping into cars is a normal part of racing, but design change has caused more accidents this year, causing drivers to revise their tactics.
The winner for the 2022 Daytona 500, with a total of 45 points, was Austin Cindric in car number two. He avoided many crashes throughout the race and pulled through in the end. Cindric started at the number 5 spot and worked his way up to number 1. His win came after working hard with his pit crew and putting in many hours of practice.
