2014 Daytona 500: #3 car returns 13 years after Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash

Famed No. 3 makes emphatic return at Daytona - - SI.com

For the first time in 13 years, the #3 car will return to NASCAR in 2014. The last time it was driven was during the day of Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. The car will be driven by rookie Austin Dillon, who qualified pole (1st) position. Notably, Dale Earnhardt was not the first or only driver to use the number 3 for his car, as several others before him also used the number.

2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

While qualifying for the Daytona 500 remains the same, all other races have switched from single-car qualifying to Formula One-style knockout qualifying. The only exceptions are the Daytona 500, the Mudsummer Classic, and non-points events, such as the Sprint All-Star race.

In addition, the format for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship has also changed. The field will now consist of 16 drivers over 10 races, and for the first nine races, after every three races, four drivers will be eliminated. The final race will feature a "final four" akin to the NBA, and those four drivers will compete in a winner-take-all race, with the highest finisher being crowned the champion.

he shouldn't have crashed, then we wouldn't have had this conversation

NASCAR is just glorifying violence. Next thing you know, they'll be having sex in their cars while racing. We need to take a stand against this immorality.

Cram it. lol.

I missed qualifying last night. Along with the practice they had last weekend. ugh.

I freaking haaate how theyve changed the qualifying, though.

I'm for sure watching the 500 though. Cant wait!!

Despite being a motorsport fan, I've never been into NASCAR other than occasionally flicking over to see how the Aussie, Marcos Ambrose, is doing.

Formula One is where it's at, though I'm not one of those elitists who poke fun at the concept of oval racing. It looks hella hard.

The changes to the Chase sound interesting. I like the idea of the final race being winner takes all. It sounds like it could result in chaos if you've got guys taking each other out, but that's all good for the fans, I suppose.

I actually hate the idea of the final race being winner takes all. It discredits the work all the other drivers it all season.

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Originally Posted by fire_of_avalon

I actually hate the idea of the final race being winner takes all. It discredits the work all the other drivers it all season.

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They do still have to make the Chase though, and survive three rounds of elimination. Winner takes all is probably a poor choice of words, because it's more like a finals series in team sports. The best two teams may not be the ones who end up in the Grand Final, but it's hard to argue that the winner is undeserving (most of the time) because they'd brought their best game to the most important part of the season.

Although in NASCAR, it's quite commonplace to have someone swept up in an accident that they played no part in causing and suffer for it. I imagine if that happened in the final race to a championship contender, there'd be some very angry fans.

NASCAR fans are whacked. Or well.. The hardcore ones are.

I've been learning Jay on who my family likes and doesn't like .. Like Brad Keselowski- BAD. Tony Stewart- AWESOME. Yes. I got him into it hehehehe .. We watched the Nationwide Series race yesterday and he loved it.

I'm sad Dave Blaney wasn't able to race today. Apparently him & his team tore up the only car they had during practice and it knocked Blaney out of being able to race. My dad raced with his dad back in the day.

The race was delayed six hours, due to inclement weather, which included a tornado warning. They managed to complete 38 laps before the red flag was waved, and it resumed at around 9:00 pm. I was thinking that they would delayed the rest of the race until Monday night, as they did in 2012, but they did not. I was watching the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, flicking back and forth during commercials, to see how the race was going, and in the end, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race, making this his second Daytona 500 race, 10 years after his first Daytona 500 victory in 2004.