Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
The new Car of Tomorrow has certainly appeared to change the landscape of restrictor-plate racing.
In 2007, Chevrolet finished one-two in three of the four "plate" races. Only a Jamie McMurray victory in the No.26 Ford at the July Pepsi 400 race prevented a clean sweep for the "bowtie."
Fast forward to 2008. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch led a one-two finish for Dodge and gave Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory to go along with his 14 Indianapolis 500 wins. In fact, six Dodges finished in the top-10.
Meanwhile, Toyota-powered cars were the most dominant throughout the event, leading a total of 138 of 200 laps. In particular, Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch (86 laps led), Denny Hamlin (32) and Tony Stewart (16) showed the world that the team's switch from Chevrolet power to Toyota power will not keep them from competing for wins right away.
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