Honda’s Kevin Windham passed a stalled Chad Reed on the last lap of Friday night’s Daytona Supercross By Honda to earn his first win at Daytona International Speedway.
In muddy and rainy conditions, Reed led the previous 11 laps before getting stuck in one of the final turns of the last lap. He was unable restart his Yamaha opening the door for the stunning 22.42-second victory by Windham.
The event was scheduled for 20 laps but was shortened to 12 laps after torrential rain fall flooded the course located in the Daytona International Speedway tri-oval.
“Just by the nature of the track, it is by far the most brutal Supercross that we run,” Windham said. “There is so much prestige in being part of Daytona. To win it is incredible.
“Tonight was definitely a race of different elements with the rain and what not, but it still lived up to the brutal Daytona deal. I think it was the most brutal race I have been in in my entire life.”
Windham had mixed emotions on the final lap as he thought Reed had already won the race.
“I think the scorers lost track of who was leading, because I was in the back corner and the flames above the finish line went off,” Windham said. “I was thinking Chad just won the Daytona Supercross.
“In the matter of one straightaway, it was the biggest emotional roller coaster I’ve ever been on in my entire life. I went from thinking I was hoping I could salvage second here, still have a couple turns to go, to ‘Man, I’m going to win the Daytona Supercross.’ It was an emotional roller coaster for me. It was just an incredible race.”
Fellow Honda riders Davi Millisaps and Jacob Marsack rounded out the podium with second and third-place finishes respectively.
Reed, a two-time Daytona Supercross By Honda winner, settled for sixth.
In the 10-lap Supercross Lites race, Trey Canard continued his hot streak with his third straight victory.
“Coming into that race, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Canard said. “I just wanted to go out there and do the best that I could. I did everything I could possible do during the week, and I think I was prepared as I could possibly be, so I could give it everything I had, every lap out there.”
James Stewart, who won last year’s Daytona Supercross By Honda, is sitting out this year’s Supercross season with a knee injury and didn’t compete in Friday’s race.
This year’s Daytona Supercross By Honda was held on a course designed by five-time Daytona Supercross By Honda winner and now retired Ricky Carmichael and constructed by Mark Barnett, former Supercross Champion and three-time National Champion.
In muddy and rainy conditions, Reed led the previous 11 laps before getting stuck in one of the final turns of the last lap. He was unable restart his Yamaha opening the door for the stunning 22.42-second victory by Windham.
The event was scheduled for 20 laps but was shortened to 12 laps after torrential rain fall flooded the course located in the Daytona International Speedway tri-oval.
“Just by the nature of the track, it is by far the most brutal Supercross that we run,” Windham said. “There is so much prestige in being part of Daytona. To win it is incredible.
“Tonight was definitely a race of different elements with the rain and what not, but it still lived up to the brutal Daytona deal. I think it was the most brutal race I have been in in my entire life.”
Windham had mixed emotions on the final lap as he thought Reed had already won the race.
“I think the scorers lost track of who was leading, because I was in the back corner and the flames above the finish line went off,” Windham said. “I was thinking Chad just won the Daytona Supercross.
“In the matter of one straightaway, it was the biggest emotional roller coaster I’ve ever been on in my entire life. I went from thinking I was hoping I could salvage second here, still have a couple turns to go, to ‘Man, I’m going to win the Daytona Supercross.’ It was an emotional roller coaster for me. It was just an incredible race.”
Fellow Honda riders Davi Millisaps and Jacob Marsack rounded out the podium with second and third-place finishes respectively.
Reed, a two-time Daytona Supercross By Honda winner, settled for sixth.
In the 10-lap Supercross Lites race, Trey Canard continued his hot streak with his third straight victory.
“Coming into that race, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Canard said. “I just wanted to go out there and do the best that I could. I did everything I could possible do during the week, and I think I was prepared as I could possibly be, so I could give it everything I had, every lap out there.”
James Stewart, who won last year’s Daytona Supercross By Honda, is sitting out this year’s Supercross season with a knee injury and didn’t compete in Friday’s race.
This year’s Daytona Supercross By Honda was held on a course designed by five-time Daytona Supercross By Honda winner and now retired Ricky Carmichael and constructed by Mark Barnett, former Supercross Champion and three-time National Champion.
3/9/2008 6:14pm
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