February 23, 2011
(Photo©2011, Tyler Barrick Autostock USA)
Fords fly at the Daytona 500. Trevor Bayne crosses the finish line to win the Daytona 500 in front of Carl Edwards and David Gilliland, giving the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker a 1-2-3 finish and its 600th win in NASCAR's top racing series.
(Photo©2011, autostock, USA Brian Czobat)
Donnie Wingo, Crew Chief for Trevor Bayne's No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion.
(Photo©2011, autostock, USA Brian Czobat)
Len Wood, Donnie Wingo, Trevor Bayne, Eddie Wood, Glen Wood, and Leonard Wood in Victory Lane after their scintillating Daytona 500 win. 
(Photo©2011, Russell LaBounty Autostock)
David Ragan, Trevor Bayne, and David Gilliland go at it during the Daytona 500. 
(Photo©2011, Nigel Kinrade Autostock)
Trevor Bayne gets pit service from his Wood Brothers racing crew on the way to his huge Daytona 500 win, just his second Sprint Cup race.
(Photo©2011, Nigel Kinrade Autostock)
The odd "tandem" style racing left a lot to be desired at Daytona. NASCAR needs to get a new idea for the super speedways, and quick.
(Photo©2011, Nigel Kinrade Autostock)
Pure unbridled jubilation for Trevor Bayne and his Wood Brothers Racing crew.
(Photo©2011, Nigel Kinrade Autostock)
Jamie Allison, head of Ford Racing, celebrates the Daytona 500 victory -- and Ford's 600th win in NASCAR -- with his new young star, Trevor Bayne.
(Photo©2011, Tyler Barrick Autostock USA)
Trevor Bayne talks to the media after winning the 2011 Daytona 500.
(Photo©2011, Nigel Kinrade Autostock)
The famed No. 21 of the Wood Brothers sits atop the scoring pylon at the Daytona 500 for the fifth time.
Formula 1. The opening event of the 2011 Formula 1 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, has been officially canceled due to the ongoing political strife in that country. F1 honcho Bernie Ecclestone might try to add the event back at the end of the season, but that's pure conjecture at this point.
IndyCar. The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season will culminate with a race on Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event weekend will be dubbed the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships and will take place at the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval. IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard also announced that fans purchasing a ticket to any IZOD IndyCar Series race during the 2011 season are eligible to receive a complimentary ticket to the championship race. Bernard also announced a $5 million challenge to any professional race car driver not competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series for the season finale race, reinforcing the series' positioning of its drivers as the best of the best. "We showcase our drivers as being the very best, fastest and most versatile in the world," he said, "and we are putting our money where our mouth is. If any race car driver in the world outside of the IZOD IndyCar Series can win the Vegas race, we will give you $5 million. We will accept five entries for this challenge, with entrants being determined by mid-summer." The October 16th date is one day after the NASCAR race at Charlotte, so that could tempt some NASCAR stars. With the completion of its 17-race schedule, the IZOD IndyCar Series also confirmed its broadcast designations for the season as well as broadcast start times. Five events will be broadcast on ABC: St. Petersburg, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, New Hampshire and Las Vegas. The balance of the schedule will be aired on VERSUS, the IZOD IndyCar Series' exclusive cable network home.
Will Power, Ryan Briscoe, Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay do the promotional photo-op bit for the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series finale in Las Vegas.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you really must keep up on all of the latest F1 developments and the potential U.S. GP in Austin, Texas, go here. - PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD
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