Pouring on the gas, searching for drafting partners around the 2.5 mile track-there’s only one thing on every drivers mind: the checkered flag! No other race of the year generates as much excitement as the season-opening Daytona 500 and drivers egos are on the line.

All 43 drivers hold their breath entering each turn, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before the ‘big one’ happens. Somewhat of a Daytona tradition, the ‘big one’ managed to skirt around the Great American Race.

After one of the most electrifying Daytona 500s to date - one that saw 42 lead changes and 16 different leaders – not to mention a new car. At Daytona, however, appearances can be deceiving. Within the first ten laps on Sunday, the worst-case scenario looked like it would play out. After a rocky start, 43 talented drivers in NASCAR did what they do best; they worked through a difficult situation, driving to the best of their ability and more or less kept their cars in one piece. There were still a few isolated incidents; fighting ill-handling race cars and tire blistering posed the biggest problems of the day. After a weekend racing with the COT for the first time at Daytona, drivers left relatively unscathed; no major crashes, no drivers injured, and no caution due to a Robby Gordon incident-now that’s a real surprise!

Kyle Busch had the fastest car all day long, and he was geared up to lead the Toyota charge to victory lane in the Daytona 500. He led 86 laps — more than double of any other driver. On the final lap, though, he found himself behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart, and the two were unable to push past the Penske Racing Dodge’s of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch. In the end, Kyle Busch finished fourth, marking the first time two Toyota Camry drivers finished in the top five at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt has led in 11 of 17 races at Daytona (one Daytona 500 win and one Pepsi 400 victory), and was in the hunt to become the first driver to win one of the Gatorade Duel qualifiers, the Bud Shootout and the Daytona 500. Despite losing his gear shift knob early in the race, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevy was one of the strongest cars in the 43-car field, leading 12 laps and flirting with the top 10 for much of the day. Unfortunately, after pitting for fuel with 48 laps remaining, a brain freeze swept over crew chief Tony Eury Jr. He made the decision to keep Jr on the track 10 laps later when David Ragan crashed and brought out another caution flag. With 28 laps to go, Earnhardt was back in front after bump-drafting with Stewart, who lost the lead at that point.

The 2008 season did not start the way many expected for the dominant Hendrick powerhouse. 3-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon finished 39th after experiencing suspension failure, 2-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished 27th after a spin on lap 177 and Casey Mears scraped the wall to set up a three-lap shootout. Earnhardt lined up fifth behind Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Stewart and Newman (the eventual race-winner), but he slipped back through the pack and was unable to challenge the Gibbs cars for the rest of the way.

For 3-time race-winner and former Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett, his final Daytona 500 ended with a disappointing 16th place finish. Daytona has always been a special place for Dale Jarrett with a great deal of memories that will be remembered for many years to come.

In their Sprint Cup debut, Toyota was often criticized for its entrance into NASCAR and while many believed that Toyota didn’t belong in the series, they never faltered. Unfortunately, only one driver in the Toyota camp finished the 2007 season in the Top 35, and as a group, they scored a mere nine Top 10s. However, 2008 should be a much different year for Toyota. A great deal of work went into these cars over the off-season and now with Joe Gibbs Racing on board, the future looks much brighter for Toyota; and from the results of the Daytona 500, they’ve already made an impact — it was obvious that the Toyotas had the most steam under the hood. In saying that a Cup Championship might be in the cards for 2008 may still be a little premature, but poles, wins, and even making the Chase shouldn’t be.

In a season where Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon won 18 of the 36 races, or nearly half of the wins in 2007, it was nice to see Ryan Newman in victory lane. The Daytona 500 was a breakthrough day for Penske Racing and the Dodge program with six Chargers in the final top 10. Witness the sheer joy of Roger Penske as he celebrated his first restrictor plate win and you can understand what a victory at Daytona means.

There should be plenty more spine-tingling moments of 2008. After all, the season has just begun and things seem to be shaping up differently in 2008.