51st Annual Daytona 500

The racing excitement continued on Sunday as Anh and Grandfather attended the 51st running of the Daytona 500 under gray threatening skies. There was an 80% chance of rain. Everyone knew it was coming, but was crossing their fingers that Mother Nature would hold off until after the race. The Weather Channel wasn't giving the fans good odds though.

Looking on the bright side, Grandfather and Anh had scored some great seats...front & center, right by the start-finish line. They were able to see most of the track from their vantage point, plus see all the action on pit row.

The pre-race festivities included a performance by country music star Keith Urban. Oddly enough, Tom Cruise was the "honorary" pace car driver. For those that aren't up on their celebrity gossip, Tom Cruise was once married to actress Nicole Kidman, but she's now married to Keith Urban. Were the organizers trying to stir up some drama?

Keith Urban PerformingThe View of Pit Row After They Removed Keith's StageGrandfather Before the Race

(You can see the podium the flag man stands on in the background.)Legendary NASCAR driver Bobby Allison was the honorary flag man.The cars lining up to exit pit row before the start of the race.

Here they come!

"Boogity Boogity Boogity...Let's Go Racing!"

Grandfather, Anh, and Jax all have a favorite driver that they root for, and somehow it worked out that they all support someone on the Hendricks's team. Jaxon's favorite driver is #48, Jimmie Johnson.Grandfather roots for #24, Jeff Gordon. Jeff got a flashy new paint job this year.And, finally, Anh is a #88, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan...along with about 95% of other NASCAR fans! EVERYBODY just loves Junior! There are pretty much two things that every NASCAR fan wants to see when they go to a race: (1) Junior and (2) wrecks!

Shortly after this little mishap, they had to stop the race with only 48 laps to go because of rain. After looking at the radar, the officials decided to call the race. As a result, #17, Matt Kenseth was declared the winner because he held the lead when the race was halted.

I'm sure to Kenseth it was thrilling to win the "Superbowl of NASCAR" under any conditions, but if it had been me, I would have felt cheated that I didn't get to celebrate such a career milestone with all the usual fanfare and excitement that comes with crossing the finish line. But, then again, since most fans agree that Kenseth didn't stand a chance at holding on to his lead, maybe I wouldn't have cared that I won by a technicality. Maybe I would have just embraced the moment and thanked my lucky stars!

And, with that, the countdown is on for the 52nd running...