  If you're familiar with my essay "Bodies in Motion: Daytona U.S.A.," you know that Daytona has held a special place in my heart ever since I went there as a teen and took a memorable 170-mph joy ride around the track. That was a long time ago, but since then, I've tried to set aside a little time each year to catch "The Great American Race," the Daytona 500. As any race fan will tell you, the Daytona 500 is special. It's also something of a spectacle (the first televised 500 in 1979 ended with a last lap crash and a fist fight in the in-field). This year promises to be no exception. There are plenty of stories swirling around the race--can anyone stop defending champion Jimmie Johnson? How will Danica Patrick fare as she enters her second full season? Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. find his way to victory lane again in a restrictor plate race? And what can we expect from rookie Austin Dillon as he starts from the pole driving the legendary #3 car? We'll find out answers to all of these questions in a few hours, but first we need a menu befitting the largest event in motorsports, and I need to make my predictions. . . .  Pan-Fried Onion Dip I can't take credit for this recipe, though I've been making it for many years. This unique twist on French Onion Dip comes from Ina Garten, host of the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa, who is also, interestingly, a former White House nuclear policy analyst. I suppose that's fitting because with a pinch of cayenne pepper, this sweet and spicy dip could definitely be called "nuclear."  Green Flag Broccoli Salad Not everyone is a broccoli fan, but I can't get enough of this bushy vegetable. I especially like it in a sweet and creamy cole-slaw style dressing. This salad is so good, you'll have a hard time not filling up before the entree hits the table.
Mix mayo, vinegar, and honey in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate.  Potatoes Napoleon I loved this recipe from the Week 17 tailgate so much that I had to make it again. Click the link to view the recipe.  Drop-of-the-Flag Biscuits It's not a true southern meal if you don't include biscuits. I'm no baker (when it comes to anything involving dough, you'll find me ricocheting off the fourth-turn wall), but these drop biscuits are so easy they're almost impossible to screw up.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating at low speed until just blended. Spoon dough mixture onto a non-stick baking sheet in small dollops (10-12 biscuits). Bake for 17-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with butter and honey. Note: you can keep this dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking  Slow-Cooker Country Ribs I love country-style ribs. They tend to be meatier and more tender than traditional baby back ribs, and their flavor is second to none. Like all good rib recipes, this one requires you to exercise patience and cook at "pit road speed." Once it comes time to chow down, however, all bets are off. During today's race, a typical pit stop will take about twelve seconds. That's also about how long these ribs will last once they hit the table. The simple BBQ sauce is perfect for a long bath in the crock pot on those winter afternoons where the grill is still covered in snow.
Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place ribs in crock pot. In a medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients, and pour them over the ribs. Cook on low for about 8 hours until fully cooked and fork-tender.  Crunchy Peppermint Ice Cream-Brownie Sandwiches Those who know me can attest to the fact that ice cream is my favorite food of all time. I eat it year round (sometimes more than once a day). In this recipe, I take that sweet ambrosia and use it as the stuffing for homemade ice cream sandwiches. But since we're still in February here, we need to give this dish a bit of seasonal flair. How? By adding peppermint, of course!
Prepare brownies according to the directions on the package, and let cool completely. Cut the brownie into small squares, reserving half (you are going to make sandwiches). Stir the peppermint pieces into the ice cream and spoon over half of the the brownie squares, smoothing the top. Put the other half of your brownie squares on top, completing your sandwiches. Frost the top of each sandwich and sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze sandwiches for at least two hours before serving. Note: For a non-winter version, you can also substitute the peppermint candy pieces for Heath toffee pieces (chocolate covered or not, according to preference), and the chocolate chips for chopped nuts (ice cream topping). Drink Recommendations Beer: Blithering Idiot (Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA) (11.1% ABV) Cocktail: Victory Lane Cooler I opened this tailgate last September with a growler of Weyerbacher, so it's only fitting that I return to this rich barley-wine brew to close the series down for the season. For cocktail drinkers, I've also created a refreshing whiskey drink that may be better suited for a spring picnic than a late-winter tailgate, but with the race taking place in sunny Florida, we can all dream of warmer days, right?
Mix well with ice and drink! For those who prefer a non-alcoholic drink, just omit the bourbon.
 Bill Elliott setting a Daytona qualifying record of 210.364 mph (2/9/87) DAYTONA 500 HISTORY: A LEGACY OF SPEED AND THE RISE OF RESTRICTOR PLATES If you're new to NASCAR and wondering why the cars travel around the larger speedways like Daytona and Talladega in a pack, it's because of a frustrating device called a "restrictor plate," which limits airflow to the engine, reducing power and top speed. Why does NASCAR mandate restrictor plates? The official story is that this device was motivated by a particularly frightening crash during the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega where Bobby Allison went airborne and took down the catch fencing that separates the fans from the track. However, this story may be more complex than that (as stories often are). Many fans of the sport feel that the decision to limit top speeds actually had less to do with safety concerns and more to do with the superspeedway success of one driver: Bill Elliott.
Following the race, officials began taking a closer look at Elliott and his equipment. They tore his cars apart during post-race inspections to try and prove that he had somehow cheated. He hadn't. New rules were purposely put in place to try and slow him down. They didn't work. Awesome Bill just kept winning. In 1987, Elliott continued his reign of awesomeness, setting the Daytona 500 qualifying record with a blistering average speed of 210.364 miles per hour (just a hair faster than my trip around the track, FYI), and winning his second 500 days later, cementing his legacy as one of the best drivers on the circuit. A few months after that, Elliott would also break his own track record at Talladega with a qualifying speed of 212.809 miles per hour, following it up with another win on Sunday. In fact, in the 66-year history of the sport, Elliott still holds 9 of NASCAR's top 10 all-time fastest qualifying runs. (Think about that for a second.) Why was Elliott so fast? There were a lot of theories about his engines and his car setup, but one thing is for sure, Elliott was fearless behind the wheel. You see, back in the 80s, it took a special brand of courage to drive a stock car that fast. Cars weren't the slick aerodynamic marvels they are today. Ford Thunderbirds like the one Elliott drove were basically flying bricks with tiny rear spoilers that laid nearly flat, offering very little in the way of down force or stability. When they spun backwards; they had a nasty tendency to go airborne. Still, Elliott managed to drive his car right to the edge, week in and week out, setting an asphalt-melting pace that was difficult to match. That is, until 1988.
 DAYTONA 500 HISTORY: THE RETURN OF THE #3 For many fans, this year's Daytona 500 marks something of a milestone with the #3 being used for the first time since Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in a last lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. A tenacious and hard-nosed competitor, Earnhardt is remembered as a racing legend and one of the greatest drivers of all time, having notched 76 wins and 7 championships. Of course, you can't talk about Dale Earnhardt without mentioning Daytona in the same breath. Possibly the best superspeedway racer of all time, competitors would sometimes joke that Earnhardt had the supernatural ability to actually "see" the draft around him. However, despite his unparalleled success on plate tracks (including 34 victories at Daytona), Dale Earnhardt had never won the Daytona 500. Not in 19 attempts. Every time he came close, something conspired to snatch victory away--a blown tire on the last lap, mechanical failure, accidents, a trio last lap fender-length losses, bad luck . . . all played their part. And to many, it seemed like "The Intimidator" was snake-bitten when it came to the winning NASCAR's crown jewel. He'd won plenty of Daytona 499s, but something always seemed to come up on the last lap. Finally, in 1998, during his 500th career start, with a lucky penny from Make-A-Wish child Wessa Miller glued to his dash, Earnhardt broke the jinx, powering his #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet to victory. What I'll always remember about that race is the aggressive move Dale Sr. made to put himself in position to win, coming straight up the middle of the pack. I'd never seen that done before, didn't even think it possible, and I've never seen it since. He wanted victory bad, and when he finally took the lead, there was no wrestling it away from him. NASCAR's top driver had finally won it's top event after almost 20 years of trying. And more than anything, he seemed relieved.
 TRADING PAINT: DANICA PATRICK Unsurprisingly, things are heating up around driver Danica Patrick at this year's Daytona Speedweeks. It seems like every year, through no fault of her own, Patrick finds herself caught up in the debate over her legitimacy as a driver. She's a woman in a man's sport. An intruder. A hero. A gold mine. And, in many ways, the best thing to happen to NASCAR in a long time. That said, many people resent the amount of attention she gets when she hasn't yet proven herself as a competitor. The latest controversy started with a comment made by NASCAR's all-time winning driver/champion, "The King" Richard Petty. When asked in an interview if Danica could win, Petty quipped, "Sure, if the other 42 drivers don't show up." He went on to add that the attention Patrick was receiving was largely because she was a woman driver competing in a predominantly male sport. Not because she was an accomplished driver. "Good PR for all of us," he acknowledged, but it was clear that Petty did not approve of the hype. Of course, some folks were quick to label The King a sexist (an allegation he denies) or, at the very least, a grouchy old man. Others were quick to defend him, deriding Patrick as a glamour model in a car. For her part, Patrick has tried to stay above it all, saying only that folks are entitled to their opinion, and that the negative attention spurs her on. That seems to be her MO, and it's commendable. Say what you want about Danica, but she handles criticism better than anyone with her wry and charismatic personality. Adding fire to the flames, however, is Patrick's car owner and teammate, Tony Stewart. Never one to be mild-mannered or soft-spoken (they call him "Smoke" for a reason), Stewart suggested that Petty was being . . . well . . . petty, and that Patrick and Petty should race one-on-one. If Danica wins, she should take the checkered flag and "cram it up his ass," says Stewart. So who wins in this scenario? Sadly, no one. Petty may be a sexist (I don't know the man, so I can't say). Or he may just be frank to the point of insult. But after reading his comments in the context of his Q & A session, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. I think he seems frustrated by the nonstop media frenzy that follows Patrick wherever she goes, but not dismissive of her right as a woman to drive in the series. He was probably weary of talking about a driver that isn't even his driver (for what was probably the the hundred-millionth time), and so he made a joke. And then when he was pressed about it, he stuck to his guns because, in the end, (if a bit hyperbolic) it's honestly what Petty believes: Danica Patrick has not proven herself to be a particularly competitive driver. And, though she's popular, in a sport where wins come few and far between, the odds of her winning are low. On those points, Petty is correct. That said, there's a fine line between accuracy and appropriateness, and in the end, Petty shouldn't have said what he said. He doesn't gain anything from publicly tearing down a young driver. Danica Patrick may not have won anything yet, but neither had Adam Petty (The King's grandson), when he was tapped to become a full-time driver for the 2001 season. (Adam Petty, sadly, never got to compete full-time in NASCAR's top circuit; he was killed in a practice crash in 2000 after his throttle stuck at New Hampshire International Speedway.) Danica's resume is more impressive than Adam Petty's was at the time, and I'm sure that if/when detractors said, "Oh, that Adam Petty, the only reason he's here is because he's The King's grandson. If his name were Adam Smith, no one would know who he was," Richard Petty would have thought it unfair. You need to give young drivers a chance to compete. And you can't hold them all to the standard of Denny Hamlin or Kyle Busch. Not every driver figures it out during his or her first season.
CHECKERED FLAG CONTENDERS Finally, we're down to the predictions. If you've ever watched a restrictor-plate race before, then you know that trying to pick a winner ahead of time is a real crapshoot. Often, the Daytona 500 is a race of attrition and the winner is the driver who manages make it through all 200 laps without getting caught up in "the big one." That said, I have to choose someone, so let's take a look at a few of the contenders. . . . The Returning Champ: Jimmie Johnson -- It's getting hard to pick against Jimmie Johnson anymore. For the past twelve years, he's been a dominant force, only finishing the season outside of the top 5 in points once. He's won the 500 twice (including last year's event), and should be one of the favorites for this year's race, as well. The Restrictor Plate Favorite: Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Seven of Junior's nineteen wins have come at restrictor-plate tracks, including a win in the 2004 Daytona 500. He's also finished in the Top-5 twenty times (most recently in last year's race). A fan favorite from a legendary racing pedigree, it's about time for Dale Jr. to find his way back to victory lane after a winless 2013 season, and Daytona would be the perfect track for that. The Darkhorse: Austin Dillon -- Dillon has been ripping it up so far, earning the pole in his first Sprint Cup start as a full-time driver with an average speed of 196.019 miles per hour. Will he still lead after 200 laps? Possibly--it's not unheard of for a rookie to win this race (Trevor Bayne did it in 2011), and nine drivers have won from the pole position (though it hasn't happened in 14 years). I haven't seen enough of the kid to pick him as a favorite, but if there's one team that knows how to win at Daytona, it's Richard Childress Racing. With Childress (controversially) bringing the #3 out of retirement, this has all the makings of a Hollywood ending where Dillon drives the #3 back to victory lane. When it comes to professional sports, these perfect storylines come true more often than you'd think probable. And so, Austin Dillon could be an upset pick. The Rest of the Pack: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. -- Any of these guys could win. Kenseth and Hamlin looked especially strong in the twin Budweiser Duels, so expect them to be stout on Sunday.
All recipes listed above come from my own imagination unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell me how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.
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5/2/2015 07:22:10 pm
Thank you, your website adds to my knowledge, and this is very petrified me Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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