This year’s Daytona 500 was undoubtedly one of the strangest in recent memory. For starters, there was that whole 36-hour delay and holding it on a Monday night for the first time in history. But between the multiple crashes in Saturday’s Nationwide race, the crash in the opening of the 500 and Juan Pablo Montoya inexplicably flying into a track dryer/jet engine, the entire weekend felt like one really bad Days of Thunder remake. Except this one didn’t feature Nicole Kidman screaming, “LET ME OUT OF THE CAH, COLE!” or end with Tom Cruise running like a sissy.

But it did end with people wondering, WTF is up with Danica Patrick? The not-really-first lady of racing wrecked three times during the 500 weekend events, including both the Nationwide and main races. So what the hell happened, DP?

“I just wish the beginning of the race could have been a nice single-file line like it was when I got back out there, but it wasn’t,” Patrick said. “And honestly, that’s my lesson to learn, maybe. Write off that first little bit if you’re not up front.”

“I would have loved to have run up there. I would have loved to have got the experience when you actually were racing for positions as opposed to just feeling it out,” Patrick said. “But I truly believe everything happens for a reason.”(Via CBS Sports)

That’s a good outlook, I suppose, but she crashed three times. This was supposed to be her big chance – her first Daytona 500 – to hang with the boys and take one giant leap forward for women in racing. But if everything happens for a reason, I think someone is trying to tell Danica to tighten her HANS device, because it’s gonna be a long year.

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After a 36-hour delay and what felt like 36 caution flags, Matt Kenseth was finally declared the winner of the 2012 Daytona 500 after he held off the feisty Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but nobody really cares about that, because DID YOU SEE THAT CRASH??? Juan Pablo Montoya inexplicably slammed into a track dryer truck, which is, of course, just a giant jet engine. So Montoya’s crash led to quite the toasty bonfire. Thankfully, neither Montoya nor the driver of the truck were severely harmed.

But out of a massive inferno rises a different kind of winner – aside from, you know, Kenseth who won the race and all – as driver Brad Keselowski became the first NASCAR driver to ever Tweet a race photo from inside his car. Keselowski Tweeted a cell phone pic of his view of Montoya’s crash and it resulted in him gaining 100,000 followers within an hour. Damn, son. That’s exposed breast followers right there.

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On tonight’s show:

- Finally, The Rock, HAS COME BACK … to Portland. The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland, everybody!

- Triple H and The Undertaker continue their catch-as-catch-can verbal exchanges to build to their epic three-match at Wrestlemania. What’ll come off first, Triple H’s tie or the Undertaker’s bald cap? Stay tuned!

- John Cena almost misses the show to be the Grand Wizard (or whatever) at the rain-delayed Daytona 500, so hopefully his plane will arrive as scheduled and we won’t have to cart out Heath Slater or whoever tonight to call Eve a stupid bitch.

- Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk Champion vs. Champion may happen on the third consecutive show, and I am completely fine with that.

Remember, the top 10 comments from tonight’s open discussion thread will be featured as my fave five in tomorrow’s Best and Worst Of WWE Raw report. That makes you an Internet celebrity by proxy!

Also something to remember: To nominate a comment for one of the top 10 of the night, be sure to reply with +1. That’ll make it easier for me to differentiate between the 2,000-or-so comments that are left.

Poll time:

Hands off, Jane. We saw her first.

In case you missed it on Saturday, because you were outside socializing with people or trying to make this world a better place or something, we re-launched the With Leather Interview with our new best buddy and 2011 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. And even better than just me yapping it up with NASCAR’s superstar-to-be is the fact that if Stenhouse has a great run in the No. 6 car at the Daytona 500, we may be sending one of our readers to the Sprint All-Star Race in May. But there’s just one teeny weeny little problem…

The Daytona 500 has to happen first.

For the first time in the race’s history, the race was postponed because of weather yesterday. Florida ruins everything, dammit. The race, which will feature our beloved Kate Upton as the co-Grand Marshal with Glee‘s Jane Lynch, was re-scheduled to take place today at noon, but it obviously isn’t happening yet, because I’m not at a bar screaming, “Turn left!” Instead, the race will now run tonight at 7 PM ET on Fox, but you might want to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get postponed again.

But once the race finally happens, I’ll be Tweeting up a storm about Stenhouse’s status and I’m counting on you With Leatherites to follow and cheer him along with the hashtag #WithLeatherWithRicky. I’ve got some brand new With Leather t-shirts to give away, but our main goal will be to pick one of you scoundrels to head to Charlotte, NC in May if Stenhouse finishes better than the drivers that have been assigned to other sites that are undoubtedly full of doodieheads.

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I don’t write about NASCAR nearly as much as I’d like to, so I was pretty stoked when I was told that 2011 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. admitted that With Leather was his favorite sports blog on the Internet and he’d love to talk to us. Granted, that’s not verbatim and it may have gone more like, “You do what with leather now?” but after speaking with NASCAR’s top up-and-comer, I’m convinced that he may one day have a giant Lobster Dog on the hood of his car.

Which car? The legendary No. 6, originally driven by Mark Martin and the debut whip of the Roush/Fenway Racing team. Those are some undoubtedly big shoes to fill, but Ricky’s resume strongly suggests that he’s up to the challenge. Tomorrow marks his first Sprint Cup run at the Daytona 500 (1 PM ET on Fox) – the Super Bowl of motor sports, as a man with a Dale Earnhardt tattoo once told me – and that’s where you, our loyal-yet-rambunctious commenters come in.

Ricky is our official driver, so that means if he finishes better than the other drivers that have been assigned to other, less spectacular sites, one of you lucky animals is going to win an all-expenses paid trip to attend the Sprint All Star race in Charlotte, N.C. on May 19. So bring your commenting A-game and let’s cheer on the No. 6 car and our boy Ricky.

In the meantime, Ricky and I spent a few minutes discussing his ambitions, celebrity status, Twitter etiquette, when he’ll start dating Kim Kardashian, and, of course, the Daytona 500’s Grand(est) Marshal… Kate Upton.

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As a casual fan of NASCAR, I’ll be the first to admit that watching cars turn left can be incredibly intense at times, so that’s why I was a little upset when I read a story about Sports Illustrated recently firing NASCAR writer Tom Bowles for cheering in the press box after 20-year old rookie Trevor Bayne took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. Bowles’ reaction to the overwhelming underdog victory drew criticism and anger from his peers, which I like to picture as them spittin’ chaw on his ma’s new carpet.

Of course Bowles defended himself, saying that he’s a fan at heart and the heat of the moment got the best of him. He also pointed out that Bayne was greeted with an ovation in the media center for his post-race interview. But that don’t darn well matter on the big boy circuit, so they handled this showdown like real men… on Twitter.

On Twitter, Bowles went at it with several of the top NASCAR reporters in the sport about the issue of applauding in the media center. Twitter is read by tons of NASCAR folks, including the high-ranking management. Bowles did not back down and things got pretty personal between himself and several reporters. (Via The Daly Planet)

If this story really tugs at your heartland strings, then you can read Bowles’ reaction to the negative response and his firing on his site, Front Stretch, which I believe is a double entendre for a racing term and a beer gut. But I was shocked to learn that Twitter was such a haven for NASCAR fans, yet it makes perfect sense – they can’t spell or count higher than 140. Settle down *removes front teeth, holds up three fingers* I’m a NASCAR fan, too. In fact, I just found out that Twitter will sponsor a car next season…

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