[crowd clapping rhythmically and shouting]
[protester over megaphone]
Please put your right fist in the air.
We are going to take a moment of silence.
[tense music playing]
[Don Lemon] As marchers and protests
continue over the death of George Floyd,
more athletes are
using their platform to speak out.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I appreciate, uh, you joining us here.
[Hall] I'm watching Don Lemon. This is
the first interview he does with him.
Bubba has no prior conversation
with anybody from the management side
about this interview.
Only thing we said is,
"Listen, this is your chance
to speak out and be open and honest
about things that you feel
need to change."
What's the next action, Bubba?
I don't know.
[inhales deeply] Good question.
Don Lemon says, "What's next?"
I remember looking at my fiancée,
I'm like, "Oh, sh*t."
I have no idea
what this kid is about to say.
No one should feel uncomfortable
when they come to a NASCAR race.
So it starts with Confederate flags.
Get them out. They have no place for 'em.
My immediate reaction was, "Oh, my God."
"You have just opened up a can of worms
with the NASCAR fan base."
"They are gonna hate you."
It should not be allowed. We should not
be able to have an argument over that.
It's a... It's a thick line
that we cannot cross anymore.
And my second immediate thought was,
"But you just opened up a door
for a whole new one."
"You are making change here, brother.
This is big."
- Say his name!
- [crowd] George Floyd!
[protester] No justice!
[crowd] No peace!
- [protester] No justice!
- [crowd] No peace!
He came downstairs,
and I just looked at him, and I was like,
"Oh! We're doing that. Like..." [chuckles]
"That was big of you."
He was like, "Yeah, it's about time."
- [protesters chanting] Black lives!
- Matter!
[Gillispie] I put my head down,
and then I called my mom.
"What was Bubba thinking?"
At the same time,
I'm like, "That's pretty dope." Like...
This is history.
My little brother's making history.
[Desi] It just made sense.
You are the one...
You're the only one in NASCAR.
You're the only one that can
speak up and make a difference.
That was a very proud moment
for all of his family.
- [protester 2] No justice!
- [crowd] No peace!
- [protester 2] No justice!
- [crowd] No peace!
As a Black man in this country,
I was like...
[exhales] "Dude, are you ready?"
[laughing]
"Are you ready to deal with this?
'Cause it's about to be on and poppin'."
"You're not gonna be able
to do this once."
"You can't call for the banning
of this thing and then go back to racing."
"This is your life now."
[intense music playing]
[dark instrumentals]
[bright tone plays]
["Dixie" playing on recording]
[1965 announcer] No sooner is qualifying
over than they get a regular w*r started.
It's that same old w*r that's been
going on hundred years or more.
Now this is South Carolina.
The race is called the Southern 500,
and they don't believe
what them Northern scholars
put in the history books. No, sir.
Looks like them fearless Southern boys is
chasing the federals off the fourth turn
and down the straightaway!
["Dixie" continues]
[Pockrass] Decades ago,
NASCAR had a race at Darlington,
and you can see photos of Victory Lane
with the Confederate flag
behind the winner.
[1960s announcer 1] Buck Baker has won
the Southern 500
and the battle flag
of his beloved Confederacy.
At many of the tracks,
you would see Confederate flags.
And that was part of the culture.
[1960s announcer 2] The stars and bars
fly proudly over 48 racing automobiles.
And they're off!
[Lester] When I was much younger,
I would watch races like the Southern 500
that were broadcast
on ABC's Wide World of Sports.
Would have these Confederate flags
when they were televising the event.
And it was something I could
never feel comfortable with.
And one of the reasons why, early on,
I had no desire to race at NASCAR,
because it wasn't an environment
that I would feel comfortable in.
Back in the day, in the '60s and '70s,
the flag itself was something that,
frankly, we used in our marketing efforts.
[Thompson] In the early stages of NASCAR,
the Confederate flag
I think represented Southern pride.
I don't think, at the time,
there was a lot of education
around what it actually meant,
the history behind that.
Growing up in the South,
it means a lot of things
to a lot of different people,
but one thing it does represent is
a lot of hate in a certain period of time.
[uneasy music playing]
[crowd shouting]
If I'm honest,
I think a lot of those drivers and people
who flew the flag
as a part of that sport at the time
meant that for what it stood for.
sl*very and discrimination
against Black and brown people.
[Hill] For Black people in particular,
that flag is just...
It was like waving red in front of a bull.
You know, it's hard for us
to not be emotional about it.
It's hard for us to not look at that
as a symbol of hatred,
because that's what it was.
You know, I understand
that there are some symbols
that may take on
a different meaning over time.
This is not one of those symbols.
NASCAR had tried to discourage people
from bringing the Confederate flag,
but NASCAR didn't wanna
put rules on its fans.
They did not want to get into
a quote-unquote "freedom of speech issue."
What they're saying is, "We aren't gonna
show it, but if you want to bring it..."
And so, "As much as
we're not gonna fly it,
we're not gonna tell you
we don't want the association,
we're not gonna tell you
you can't bring it in,"
is what NASCAR's doing.
They're acknowledging the fact
that a part of their brand is racism.
[reporter 1] I don't know
that this is gonna fly.
The president of NASCAR
has to say, "This is what we're doing..."
[reporter 2] That flag was the flag
of a rebellion.
[reporter 3] It's a flag of treason
and racism and pro-sl*ve...
[reporter 4] ...people who wanted to destroy
the country we now live in.
[Phelps] Last year,
Bubba and I talked a lot, right?
And I remember I was
driving back from somewhere.
I was in my car. Bubba had texted me
that Sunday before he's going on CNN.
He said, "You're not gonna like
what I'm gonna talk about."
I'm like, "Okay, what do you have?"
He said, "Don't think you've done enough."
[dramatic music playing]
"I think you should ban the flag." I said,
"I get that. We're not gonna do it today."
There will be a point in time
in the very near future that we'll ban it,
but it needs to be the right time.
It started with a T-shirt, right?
It started with him
vocalizing a little bit.
Then it was like,
"Ban the whole damn Confederate flag."
And it was like,
"Okay. I see you." [laughing] Right?
And so, Bubba forced them into a moment,
whether they wanted to be there or not.
[Bell] I didn't think
Bubba was gonna be successful.
'Cause that thing is dug in.
It is at the grocery store.
It's on the back of cars. It's ubiquitous.
Some people would say, "Gosh,
they'll lose part of their audience."
The fact of the matter is NASCAR's
audience had been dwindling for ten years.
So how much worse could it get,
versus how many people could they gain
by doing the right thing
and banning the Confederate flag?
[Phelps] We rallied our senior people,
and I asked them,
"Do you want to take on this opportunity
where we're gonna ban this flag?"
"Are you in, or are you not in?"
"I want what you believe
is right in your heart,
and what you believe is right
for our sport."
Went around the room,
and they all said, "Yes, yes, yes."
We agreed that there was no place
for that flag in the sport.
There was no place
for the flag in society.
And so, you're either on the right side
or the wrong side of history,
and we wanted to be on the right side.
[dramatic music building]
NASCAR made an announcement
that said, in part,
"The display of the Confederate flag
will be prohibited
from all NASCAR events and properties."
For Bubba to insist that NASCAR
ban that flag took a lot of courage.
Um, it... it was a profound statement.
I did not think I'd see the banning
of the Confederate flag in my lifetime.
It was the biggest symbol of NASCAR,
behind NASCAR's flag itself,
that I can think of.
[Wallace] That was a huge pivotal moment
for the sport.
A lot of backlash, but it creates doors
and allows the community
to come together as one.
The climate of the entire sport
at that time,
as soon as Bubba makes his statement
to get rid of the flag,
there were a large group of people
that were all for him,
like, "He's the best thing
that's happened to the sport."
There's also a very large group saying,
"You are essentially ruining NASCAR
by taking this stance."
Who are they to tell us
what flag we can fly?
I feel they're taking
people's rights away.
There are fans who feel
that he has taken away
their freedom to fly that flag,
that there are people who view that flag
as part of their heritage.
There are people who say,
"I am not going to come to a race
if I can't fly that flag."
It was a rebel race.
It was all based on the...
on the Southern heritage.
Everything was rebel flag
background and everything.
[Bell] As the world is exploding,
Black Lives Matter is all over the street,
and everywhere you see Black Americans
trying to dismantle symbols of racism,
Bubba Wallace is like,
"This is one I can take on."
It made him an international figure
in a sport that is
not known internationally.
And made him a national figure
in a sport that people
who don't follow it condescend to it.
[tense music playing]
[Wallace] Going into Daytona
for the 500 felt good.
The speed in our car was fast.
We were top of the board in practice.
Would've been cool to win The Duel,
but we settled for second.
[on radio] Rain picking up
just a little bit.
Picking up pretty good on me.
Wheels, wanna go to the garage?
[Wheeler, on radio] If it's wet or hurts
the car, I don't wanna jeopardize the car.
[Wallace] I'll probably just take it back.
Straight to the garage.
[Hamlin] After The Duel, I'm thinking,
"We got a great shot and a fast enough car
to win the Daytona 500."
You know, a few moves from Bubba
here and there,
he's gonna find himself with a chance
to be up front and maybe even win.
Tomorrow, the biggest thing
is making sure we start strong.
Make sure the car goes through the gears,
he makes the first corners without smoke.
No real issues to speak of.
Everything feel good?
[Wallace] Feels like sh*t.
[Wheeler] Feels like sh*t?
Change everything. Flip the driveshaft.
Change axles, hubs.
[Wallace] Whole thing.
- Okay. Yeah.
- [Emmer chuckling] Yeah.
[Wheeler] Well, you're not leaving
the garage either.
- [Wallace] Fine. I can sleep anywhere.
- [Wheeler laughing]
The progress of the team so far
has been really strong,
working with the pit crew,
Bubba's comfort level in the car.
Everything's new, and so, the only way
you get better is by working together.
[Wheeler] Being the crew chief,
I lean on two or three main guys to start.
The car chief, that lead mechanic,
he's really the head wrencher on the team.
He needs to make sure
the mechanical side of the car is 100%.
I'm in charge of all
the mechanics working on the car,
and what changes need to be made
to make the car as fast as we can.
[Wheeler] Besides him, the engineers
drive the setup of the car.
They help the strategies,
software, how the race plays out.
They depict what's happening in the car
before Bubba says something.
The key people on the pit crew
are a unique set of athletes.
I think people underestimate
how good these guys are.
Not just any NFL or basketball player can
come in and jack a car or change tires.
I'm Jorden Paige. I'm a jackman.
Make sure the car gets up off the ground
so we can put the tires on.
I played football
at Clark Atlanta University.
I was an all-conference defensive end...
but I had a lot of speed,
so I get around the edge fast.
Everything starts with you
and finishes with you,
so it's a very timely thing.
I have to be very consistent.
My name is CJ Bailey. I'm a tire carrier.
I was running back at Fayetteville State,
I was all-conference, all-American.
I help the changers
get their tires back to the walls.
When you're jumping out
and have cars coming in around you,
you have to be aware
of everything going on around you,
at the same time trying to do
your job as best as you can.
[Wheeler] What is your schedule today?
- I wanna get with Denny.
- [Wallace] I'm free.
[Wheeler] It's a 15-minute conversation.
I want to hear from Denny
some of the stuff...
I see you dragging the brake a lot
instead of pushing,
and I don't know what
Denny would do in that situation.
[Hamlin] You can't just rely
on natural talent.
That's something Bubba has,
so that's the first key.
I'm trying to give him
the knowledge I've got
at some of these racetracks
that he has very little experience on.
And the more experience he has,
the better he's gonna be at 'em naturally.
But if I can give him
some of that insider trading now,
it's gonna make him better sooner.
[Wallace] Text me if you need me.
- [Wheeler] Want an umbrella, or...
- [Wallace] Nah, I'll hoof it.
- [Wheeler] All right.
- [Wallace] Actually, that's fine.
[Wheeler] Yeah, I knew
it was gonna get heavy.
Should be pretty good. I'm confident,
but I don't like having expectations.
Just because when you get let down,
that fall is... It sucks.
But I still let myself have expectations.
[suspenseful music playing]
[presenter] I'd like to welcome you all
to the Daytona 500.
It's certainly awesome
to have you all here for our speed weeks.
Last year, we didn't get the opportunity
to have these special presentations
that are such an important part
of the Daytona 500.
Driver of the number 11 FedEx Toyota,
Mr. Denny Hamlin.
[sports reporter] You got a great chance
of doing a three-peat
and getting your fourth Daytona 500.
It's tough because it's harder
than ever, you know?
We're running tighter, in a tighter pack
than we've ever run.
I just hope within five laps to go,
I've just got a shot.
I just wanna be on the racetrack
with a shot.
[man] There you go. Yes, sir.
[Hamlin] Oh, oh.
Yeah, I mean, it's difficult,
because I switch roles
within just a minute or two.
You know,
it's... it's going to be a balance.
You know, uh, my focus is gonna be
try to win three in a row
for my 11 FedEx Team
at Joe Gibbs Racing. That's ultimately...
The biggest asset I can be to my team
is to continue my on-track success
with Joe Gibbs Racing.
And so, I gave Bubba a pat on the back,
said, "It's all up to you now."
The car's been prepared. It's done.
Hit your points, your shift points.
Make sure you don't make
any mistakes there,
and give it, you know, all it has.
I hope to pass him in the final corner
and they finish second.
That would be ultimately
my favorite scenario.
[Desi] I remember when Bubba told me
about the possibility
of them forming a new team.
He said he may be driving for Denny.
I said, "Denny?"
"You and him don't see eye-to-eye.
Do you think that's a smart move?"
'Cause Mom's gonna ask the questions.
He's like, "Mom, we're fine.
It's business. Business is business."
I'm like, "Okay."
I think that Denny is a good businessman.
So, I'm thinking,
"Okay, Bub, you're in a good place."
My question also was, "Okay.
Denny drives for... Joe Gibbs Racing."
"How does that affect you, Bub,
if you're there on the track competing?"
He was like,
"Mom, we'll figure it all out."
"Denny wants to win. I wanna win."
"So, nothing's changed."
I'm like, "Okay.
Now, as long as they do you right,
I'm okay with that."
Me and Bubba had ups and downs
just like any competitors would.
[2018 announcer] It's a lap away
from the checkered flag
in the Daytona 500.
[Hamlin] Then there was
the 2018 Daytona 500.
I got so many emotions going right now.
I wanna see the replay
before I say anything stupid.
[2018 sports reporter]
What are you seeing?
[Wallace] Ah.
He says I cut his tire down.
Um, hey, we edged him out,
we beat him, so it's all good.
You know, we had a little spat
after the race.
[man] Wait a minute, wait a minute.
- Denny.
- I'm...
I am. I'm calm. I'm f*cking calm.
- Come on.
- There it is again.
[Twitter tweets]
[Hamlin] I made some comments
in the media. He made fun of them.
I took it personally.
He took it personally.
I didn't like how the things went down.
But ultimately, I still respected Bubba,
and I think that he still respected me.
And that was important,
because just a few years later,
I'm asking him to come to my bus
to talk about driving for me.
He was pissed that I called him out
on the interview. And he called me.
Said... I was c*ck and that I cut his tire
and just a bunch of bullshit.
And I was just like, "I finished second,
you finished third. Ha!" [chuckles]
I gotta be careful 'cause he my boss.
[laughing]
Oh, sh*t.
[cicadas chirping]
[Hamlin] So, this car here
is my very first race car ever.
This is a Ford Probe, a four-cylinder,
what they call a "mini-stock."
They don't go super fast,
but when I was 16,
my parents got me this car.
Oddly enough, if you look at this car,
it looks just like the car
that I race today.
It's a purple and white number 11.
I race a purple and white number 11 now.
My passion for the sport
started when I was five years old.
This very, very simple thing
that happened to me.
I just went to a race.
[announcer 1]
At Richmond International Raceway,
71,000 fans waiting for this hour.
[Hamlin] My parents always had
season tickets at Richmond Raceway,
and the moment
the cars flew around the racetrack
and I smelled the tires and the fuel
and I heard the sound
of the roaring engines, I was hooked.
My dad found a go-kart that was
quote-unquote "race ready" for $200.
I remember he took me to a dirt track
called A Million Motor Raceway,
he sat me down in the go-kart
and he says, "Okay."
"This is how you go.
This is how you stop."
"And this is how you turn the car. Go."
And he started watching me
make laps around the race track.
And I'm sliding it
all over the place and...
I just wanted to figure out then,
well, how can I compete?
How can I go to a racetrack
and try to get a trophy?
They put me in the car,
and the rest is history.
[2016 announcer 1] Here they come
to the line!
This is the finish of the Daytona 500!
Side by side! Bouncing off each other!
Unbelievable!
[2016 announcer 2] Hamlin by an inch.
[2016 announcer 3]
Closest finish in history.
[2016 announcers laughing]
[2016 announcer 1] Wow, inches.
[cheering]
[2016 announcer 1] Denny Hamlin will do
a few donuts.
Wins their first Daytona 500.
This car here
is my very first Daytona 500 win.
As you see, I left it
exactly like it was off the racetrack.
- [crowd cheering]
- [triumphant music playing]
This is 2016, 2019, 2020.
When COVID hit,
when the nation went on lockdown,
uh, NASCAR was not racing for eight weeks.
You know, I'm big into golf,
but I realized pretty quickly
that I can't golf every day.
I knew that it was,
I wanted to run a business.
I didn't know
what that business was gonna be.
For me, team ownership is something
that really piqued my interest
when the opportunity came in front of me.
You know, this is my long-term plan
to... to stay in the sport.
And then a news article came out.
Kind of a, uh...
one that wasn't really real,
and it says,
"A current NASCAR driver, Denny Hamlin,
and Michael Jordan
looking to purchase a stake."
And I think it was just
a speculative article.
I'll never forget, I was on the ninth hole
at my home golf course,
and I'm like,
"Should I send Michael this article?"
"Let me get his temperature here."
And I sent it to him,
and he responded immediately,
says, "Ha ha."
You know, "Obviously, fake news."
"Not real. But if you want
to make it real news, let me know."
About 24 to 48 hours later,
I flew down to Florida,
uh, talked to him, uh, at the golf course,
and said, you know, "Here's an option."
"Toyota is... is open to this."
"JGR is open to this."
Um, "What do you think?"
And he says, "Well, let me get
my business guys on it,
and let me vet it,
and, uh, and we'll get back to you."
And in the end, he says, "I'm in."
[dirt bike motor revving]
[man] I don't think
a lot of people know that
Michael Jordan grew up riding dirt bikes.
Obviously, he went on
to play professional basketball,
and during that time,
he was not really allowed
to ride motorcycles.
After he retired for the last time,
he took up the sport
of motorcycling again.
He had started Michael Jordan Motorsports,
it was an AMA Superbike race team
that participated
roughly from 2005 to 2013.
- [motorbike motor roaring]
- I ran the sponsorship division.
[announcer] Here comes that big white
Jordan Motorsports, number 23.
[Robinson] Michael and I stayed in touch
over the years,
and, one day,
I hear an announcement that, uh,
Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin
started a NASCAR team.
[thrilling music playing]
[Lauletta] When Michael and Denny
started 23X1,
there was this whole discussion
about who's the driver
that deserves to be in this seat.
To be the first one to drive
for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin's team
is an honor, and they looked
at the drivers that were available.
Bubba Wallace rose
to the top of their list.
[engines roaring]
I think Denny respected Bubba
from driving against him all these years.
He saw the fact
that he has speed, that he's fast,
that he knows how to do restarts,
and all the things
that you want in a young driver.
They wanted to provide Bubba
the chance to have top-level equipment,
top-level team around him,
to allow his talents
to finally shine at the cup level.
[thrilling music continues]
- [Hamlin] What up?
- [Strahan] What's up, man?
Michael. Good to see you.
Good to see you. Look at this fella.
- What's up?
- [Jordan] What's up? You good?
[Strahan] I'm good. Meet your driver.
[Jordan] What's up, little man?
- [Wallace] How you doing?
- [Jordan] Didn't know you were this small.
- I'm thinkin' he's tall!
- [all laughing]
[Strahan] It was the first time that Bubba
actually had met Michael in person,
which blew my mind.
You'd have thought
putting this team together
and making Bubba the driver,
that they'd have had
that face-to-face interaction.
But instantly, Michael has
a way of putting people at ease.
Bubba's a very fun,
chill, young, energetic guy,
and Denny's like that guy
who's been around NASCAR,
understands the business of it.
To see these three guys together was like
almost a perfect marriage of personality.
It's pretty real for me to be
sitting right here with you three,
right before the Daytona 500,
right before the kickoff
of the 2021 NASCAR season.
So, how was it for you guys?
I'm excited, I'm nervous,
even though I'm not getting in the car.
But I think the thing is,
obviously, you and I,
getting ready to play a big game,
we'll be nervous, but we're in control.
End of the day, they're in control because
they're signing checks, getting good cars.
[all laughing]
The thing is, we don't sign checks
to losers, so you gotta be careful.
It goes to show Michael's mindset.
Michael always wins.
At least, he's gonna put
everything he can into winning.
I think that's the great thing
about the team.
No one's hiding anything.
This is who we are,
and, um, let's make this work.
[Jordan] He's gonna learn how to win.
He's got the talent.
We would not have invested in him
and picked him
if he didn't have the talent to win.
By the end of the year,
I think he's gonna have an opportunity
and probably will win
at least a couple races.
If it's more, I'll be elated.
I'll be jumpin' off my couch
when you get your first one.
- Me too.
- [all laughing]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Emmer] Everyone's a little bit on edge
this morning,
considering it's one of the biggest days
of the year for us.
We're getting ready
to roll through inspection.
[Hamlin] So, it used to be
that the cars had templates.
NASCAR would have metal strips
that would go over the race car.
You probably saw on Days of Thunder.
They put this metal strip over the car,
and it's gotta fit.
Now it's done by lasers,
and essentially, they're sh**ting lasers
all around the car,
and they do a body scan.
Back in the day,
anywhere there wasn't a template,
we would either knock that fender in
or push that fender out,
whatever made that car go faster
'cause these cars race
in the tight tolerances.
So, if you can gain
ten thousandths of an inch,
that's the difference in a car being
a first-place car and a 10th-place car.
[Wheeler] Went to the inspection,
and, for some reason, we failed.
We didn't understand why.
We actually thought it was a fluke.
Dealing with technology,
you're not ever sure what'll happen.
So, you can fail once.
Once is a warning. "Hey, go fix it."
Roll back around, try it again.
[tense music playing]
Made a small adjustment,
and it still failed.
[Hamlin] After we failed twice,
we didn't make any adjustments.
We took the car, put it on jack stands,
got all four tires off the ground.
Put it back on the ground,
ran it through, passed.
[commentator] The developing story
where the 23X1 Race Team
with Bubba Wallace the driver,
it just passed the third time.
So, what that means is that
they have to move to the rear of the field
as part of the punishment for failing
the first two times inspection.
[sports reporter]
What was the specific failure?
[Wheeler] Rear alignment.
- Rear alignment?
- Yeah.
[Hamlin] Bubba was slated to start sixth.
But, unfortunately,
with the... [chuckles]... inspection issues,
he had to go to the very back
and start mid-30s.
[sports reporter 2] You change strategy
for the beginning of the race?
[Wheeler] No. You just gotta race
as hard as you can.
- [sports reporter 2] Thanks for talking.
- [sports reporter 3] Have a good one.
- [dramatic music playing]
- [crowd cheering]
[Hamlin] This is unprecedented.
It's been 27 years
since we've had Dale Earnhardt,
who has owned a cup team
and driven for another.
There's a balance there
that I've gotta have.
I've gotta stay true to my team,
which is giving them a hundred percent
of my effort and attention.
[Wallace] At races, I try to be cool,
calm, and collective.
I was just excited
to start the season off
with a new team, new opportunities.
[dramatic music continues]
[Kraft, on radio] Be smart. You know
the deal. Take care of that thing.
We got a bit of weather popping up.
[Wallace, on radio] Excited to be
where I'm at, you guys with me,
so let's be smart, have some fun.
Our season starts right here.
[Wheeler, on radio] Welcome, MJ
and everyone else.
It's been a pleasure building this team.
First race of many together.
Make it count.
[thrilling music playing]
[Kraft] Take care of it,
be there at the end.
New chapter starts today, brother.
Let's go to work.
[Wallace] Yes, sir!
[announcer 1] And here they come.
Green flag!
The 63rd Daytona 500 is underway.
- [thrilling music playing]
- [crowd cheering]
NASCAR drivers probably don't get the
respect of being the athletes they are.
I mean, being in that car
for four hours at 140 degrees
and the G-forces of a fighter jet,
it's not an easy job.
[intense music playing]
[Hamlin] What people see
is us going in circles.
What they don't realize
is the conditions of that track
are changing every lap.
[car engines roaring]
[Hamlin] We're searching
for cold pavement.
We're searching for a line
that's different than someone else
to make our car go faster.
What I'm doing every straightaway
is figuring out
how I'm gonna make this corner
faster than the previous.
[Kraft, on radio] Still clear.
Outside now. Six tight.
He's off you. Two-by-two behind you.
Six is out there by himself.
[announcer 2] Always a debate
early in this race,
do you want to take those risks
and take it three-wide
here in the opening laps
of the Daytona 500?
Five hundred! Five hundred miles.
You got a long way to go!
[Dillon] There's such
a mental chess match going on
at 200 miles per hour in these races.
I think you gotta see situations,
you gotta feel energy of the pack.
You have to position yourself mentally
and strategically where you wanna be.
How are you gonna react?
What's your escape plan at all times?
That mental game
inside those races is insane.
[Wallace] We started the race at the back,
and it doesn't matter
because you never know what can happen.
[Kraft, on radio] On your toes.
Middle of that pack makes me nervous.
[Wallace, on radio] I'm watching.
[car engine roaring]
[Kraft, on radio] Just check up.
Watch the 47 in your mirror.
Outside. Just keep checking up.
- [metallic crash]
- [tires screeching]
[Kraft] Spinning top,
spinning top, spinning top!
- [tires screeching]
- [intense music playing]
[announcer 3] Unbelievable. Crushing blow
to so many teams, so many efforts.
That it... Goes into having fast cars
and being at this Daytona 500.
That was a lot of heavy hitters
in this one.
[announcer 2] Man, that took out a lot
of race cars and a lot of great race cars.
[Wheeler, on radio] Wow. Unbelievable.
[announcer 1] Denny Hamlin's decision
to drop to the back with Bubba Wallace.
[announcer 2] He took a bad situation,
and that sent him to the back,
but ended up being pretty lucky
for him in this situation.
[Hamlin] Bubba getting sent to the back
for inspection issues
was a blessing in disguise for us.
More than likely,
he'd have been in that first wreck.
[Wallace] I feel that shifted
the whole vibe.
I mean, half the field was destroyed,
and so that ultimately changed
the whole outcome of the race.
[announcer 2] Those that didn't get
caught up in that, it's a total reset.
Unfortunately, it came
at a huge cost to 16 cars.
[indistinct weather warning
announcements on PA]
[man on PA] Please take
the necessary precautions.
[thunder rumbling]
[dramatic music playing]
[announcer 1] Now the words you've been
waiting six and a half hours to hear.
Fans, thanks for sticking with us
as we get ready to start...
restart Daytona 500.
Here we go.
[car engines roaring]
[Pockrass] NASCAR divided each race
into three stages.
Stages in NASCAR are kind of like
quarters in basketball, periods in hockey,
except you get points at the end
of the stage if you finish in the top ten,
so it matters
if you're running well early in a race.
And NASCAR designed this
in order to reward teams
who have good starts to races
and maybe have something
bad happen later in the race,
and also to push drivers
to lead laps early in the race,
to push them to make passes for 10th,
for 8th, for 6th, early in the race
rather than just riding around.
[intense music playing]
[announcer 1] All right.
One to go in Stage 1.
Hamlin won a league-leading
And here they come to the line
- to complete Stage 1!
- [announcer 3] No sign of Bubba Wallace!
[announcer 1] Denny Hamlin,
the winner of Stage 1.
[announcer 2] Not over yet, man.
We got a long way to go.
[announcer 1] Here they come, Stage 2.
So, in drafting-type races,
your Daytonas, your Talladegas,
the person who's up front is the one
that manipulates the air the best.
Everyone is holding the gas
all the way wide open.
No one's touching the brake.
You have to figure out
how can you use cars around you
to propel yourself forward?
With these types of cars
in this racing package,
you mostly get your speed
from the car behind you.
The closer he is to your rear bumper,
the further it shoots your car out.
He doesn't even have to touch you.
It's just his nose getting close
to your rear bumper
pushes your car forward
and keeps you out front.
[Hamlin] Can't do it alone
on these types of tracks.
You have to have cars behind you,
and you have to have cars
willing to work with you to go forward.
And I think that's the key I've found
that has been good for me over the years
is I've had guys help me
at the right time.
It propelled me forward
and made the right moves.
[announcer 2] Denny Hamlin backed up
and got a big push
from the 23, Bubba Wallace Jr.,
drove right by Kevin Harvick.
[announcer 1] Denny Hamlin trying to do
what no driver has ever done
and win his third Daytona 500 in a row.
He is your Toyota top performer
with 75 to go.
Bubba Wallace in second.
[announcer 2] I think Wallace will stay on
the rear bumper, the 11 of Denny Hamlin.
[car engine roaring]
[thrilling music playing]
[announcer 2] They're driving like it's
the last lap of the 500, not the stage.
[announcer 1] One to go!
[announcer 2] Great move by Bubba Wallace.
Didn't think he'd do it!
I thought he'd stick with Hamlin!
[Hamlin] I didn't realize
until the race is over
that he was the first African-American
to ever lead the Daytona 500.
I mean, this is our biggest race.
It's got so much history.
It was great for him
to have that accomplishment.
[announcer 2] Oh!
Bubba Wallace gets sideways.
[announcer 1] That was close!
[Wallace] Last lap of Stage 2,
Denny on the outside, I'm on the inside.
My spotter was like, "Gonna be a drag race
between you two, so... duke it out."
[thrilling music playing]
[Hamlin] On the last lap, I'm battling him
for the stage win and yelling in my car,
"Pull up in front of me,"
because I'd be fine, pushing him,
but he tried to block
too many lanes at one time
and caught himself in no man's land.
[announcer 1] Here they come for the
green and white checkers to end Stage 2.
Hamlin again.
[Hamlin] I had no choice but to go for it
for my team and get the win,
but he should have just trusted
that his teammate, me,
was gonna push him to victory.
[Wallace] We could have gotten
a stage win, which would have been huge.
So, it's just like...
[groans]
Damn. It was a high and low moment.
We ended up third in that stage.
I-I gave away a win,
just... just being too conservative.
[Wheeler, on radio] All right,
Bubba, Freddie, crew.
Game faces back on.
Got work to do right away.
Let's get to it.
[dramatic music playing]
[announcer 1] Happy Monday on the
East Coast. Thanks for staying with us.
Stage 3, Denny Hamlin. Here we go.
Denny Hamlin, the Stage 2 winner,
has now won four straight
mid-race stages in the Daytona 500.
[announcer 3] We might see
history tonight, guys.
[announcer 1] Among the memorable
three-peats, this would rank up there,
should it happen for Denny Hamlin.
[announcer 2] We've seen this happen
all night long. These guys are in line.
They're not in line
because they can't pass.
They are in line to get ready
for the end of this race.
"How do I position myself?"
"What do I have to do
to find a way to be at the front
when this thing is over?"
[dramatic music continues]
[Hamlin] You have to figure out
where you need to be
on what lap to give yourself a chance.
As long as I'm within the top 15
with five to go, I feel like I can win.
Now if they're single file,
I'm in trouble.
I've gotta have the cars disturbing air.
[announcer 3] This is gonna be
a huge run coming.
[announcer 1] And Hamlin's alone.
He has no friends.
So he can't block
more than one lane at a time.
Kyle Busch not close enough to help.
Here come the Fords led by Logano.
[Wallace, on radio] I've got a vibration.
[Kraft, on radio] Word from the pit
says everything's tight.
[announcer 2]
This is gonna be trouble for Hamlin.
He got a big run, he tried to pull out,
but he's all by himself.
[Wallace, on radio]
Feels like a bad set of tires.
Vibration right now.
Ahh.
[Wallace] It's crucial to get
all those lugs tight,
and if you don't, you get a vibration.
If you keep running,
the vibration gets worse, gets worse,
and eventually the wheel will break off
'cause the wheel isn't tight to the hub.
[Kraft, on radio] He'll be coming to you.
Be ready.
[suspenseful music playing]
[tires screech]
[machines whirring]
[machines whirring]
[engine revs]
[Kraft, on radio] We are in the dog spot.
[Wheeler] You have to execute
every time under pressure.
The faster the better,
but you can't have loose wheels,
you can't have pit stop errors.
It's a never-ending process to be better.
[Wallace, on radio]
What's wrong with the tire?
[Wheeler, on radio]
Looks like loose right front.
[Wallace] A loose wheel
k*lled our chances there at winning.
Any time you pit by yourself
off-sequence at Daytona, that's it.
[somber music playing]
[announcer 1] So here's Hamlin
behind Wallace, who's now a lap down,
has little to lose.
Can Bubba drop down and help
his co-owner of his team, Denny Hamlin,
get back to the front?
[announcer 3] You can help him.
[announcer 2] When they're lined up...
We're seeing Denny make
all kinds of aggressive moves.
He'll make one spot up
every once in a while.
Then he loses, goes back to the back.
He's trying really hard.
He can't do it by himself,
so, yes, Bubba can help him.
[Hamlin] I saw Bubba come back
and then form up to our pack,
and I'm thinking, "Okay. At some point
somebody's going to make a move."
- [announcer 2] There he goes.
- [announcer 3] Big run.
[announcer 2] Watch what happens
behind these guys.
- That's gonna shake everything up.
- [announcer 1] It's on.
[Hamlin] The tough part is nobody really
got organized to make a run at the lead,
so when the move finally got made
between the two leaders,
and it started disturbing the air,
that's when I started
making my move towards the front.
[dramatic music playing]
- [announcer 2] Runs on top... Teammates!
- [announcer 1] Whoa!
[announcer 3] Around they go
in a hard crash!
- [tires screeching]
- [tense music playing]
[Wallace, on radio] I can't see anything.
[loud thud]
[Wallace] You feel the heat from the fire.
Those were huge flames.
Everything was bright.
But if there was a camera
looking back at me,
I literally had a deadpan the whole time.
Just... "Is this over with yet?" [laughing]
I... I don't know why.
I was so annoyed
that we were in the wreck,
and it was like, "Dude, get us out."
"We hit, I'm fine.
I'm all good. Nothing hurt."
[announcer 1] And Michael McDowell
has won the Daytona 500.
[announcer 3] How about that!
[Hamlin] We had to settle
for a fifth-place finish.
[down-tempo music playing]
I was disappointed that we didn't get
three in a row and make history,
do something that nobody else has done,
but there was nothing I could've
done differently, in my opinion,
uh, to change the outcome of that race.
[Wallace] We wrecked a race car
for no reason.
I should have just bailed out sooner.
And so that was a tough thing.
It was like,
"Man, we wrecked a really fast race car."
You know, we can build one like it,
but... is it really like it? Yeah.
[pensive piano music playing]
[Hamlin] Bubba's racing IQ
is above his experience level.
Is it at the top-notch
where the experienced veterans are? No.
This is gonna be a learning curve.
He's not gonna just be a star overnight.
And it's not gonna happen
in a year either.
It's gonna be a progression.
It's gonna take time.
[Wallace] You know, the sport ain't easy.
It's tough.
You got to be able to know how to lose.
- See you.
- [Wheeler] See ya.
That could be finishing second,
which is a good day, but you still lost.
You gotta be able to accept defeat,
and take it well,
and build off that to be successful.
But still... I mean,
you're gonna get your a*s kicked.
A lot.
[thoughtful chord playing]
[drums beating]
[Martinsville announcer]
Darrell Wallace Jr., second year in a row.
Gonna win in Martinsville!
Bubba grew up winning.
When you're not winning anymore,
that's pressure in itself.
[reporter]...special Black Lives Matter
paint scheme.
He knew this was going to make
some people uncomfortable.
[drums pounding]
Your Dirt Track 2021!
- [man 1] Wrestlemania!
- [man 2] Whoo!
[dirt track announcer 1] How cool is this?
They just need a solid, uneventful finish.
Oh! He spun!
[dirt track announcer 2]
Bubba goes around!
[down-tempo rock song playing]
♪ Oh, oh my God
I've got to make it to the end ♪
♪ It's far ♪
♪ All my life, I've been counted out ♪
♪ All my life has been hard, hard
Hard, hard ♪
♪ And oh my God
I've got to make it to the end ♪
♪ It's far ♪
♪ The sun is burning
And it's getting hot ♪
♪ Feeling so alone, alone ♪
♪ There's only one thing left to do ♪
♪ I put the pedal to the floor ♪
♪ I put the pedal to the floor ♪
♪ I put the pedal to the floor ♪
♪ I put the pedal to the... ♪
♪ They're coming for my head ♪
♪ Leaving just to see my shame ♪
♪ I think they want me dead, dead ♪
♪ But no, I won't give up ♪
♪ And no, I can't give in ♪
♪ I'm in my...
God, you know I'm gonna win ♪
♪ They're coming for my head ♪
♪ Leaving just to see my shame ♪
♪ I think they want me dead, dead ♪
♪ But no, I won't give up ♪
♪ To know I can't give in ♪
♪ I'm in my...
And God you know I'm gonna win ♪
♪ I'm gonna win, oh ♪
[singer vocalizing]
[song fades to silence]
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