Anarchy at Daytona as the Nationwide race ends. (Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Two Daytona races, two wreck-filled fiestas. And one fat controversy before the Sprint Cup season even begins: How soon is too soon, or too late, to throw the caution flag?

In the closing turns of the Drive4COPD 300, Kyle and Kurt Busch were paired up on the low line, with Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne linked up next to them. On the high line, Tony Stewart began to make a run, and that's where the race's final troubles began.

Logano apparently tried to go up the track to block Stewart, setting off a chain reaction of events that took out most of the big names remaining in the field. It marked the third wreck that involved cars in the double figures, and presaged a difficult day of racing at the Daytona 500.

Several of the affected drivers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, while others shook their heads at the carnage.

"Man, I had it won," Logano said. "I wouldn't do a thing different, just got in someone else's mess. Two feet different I would have a

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Well, that didn't work out quite as billed. Despite starting on the pole, Danica Patrick ran into trouble early at the Drive4COPD 300 courtesy of teammate Cole Whitt. She would go on to finish 48 laps down, and she's already facing an uphill battle for the points lead right from the start of the season. Thus ends your Danica update for Saturday.

Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne / Getty ImagesIt's almost time for the Daytona 500, and who better to talk with than the defending race champion? Today we chat with Trevor Bayne, who brings us all the information on the Great American Race, scheduled to run Sunday at 1pm on FOX.

Bayne talks about what has changed in his life since winning the race, what a first-timer can expect at Daytona, and what it's like being a religious athlete in a secular world. Enjoy, and be sure to check out the Daytona 500 on Sunday on Fox.

[Play the podcast: Why Is This News 50: Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne]

WHY IS THIS NEWS is the Yahoo! Sports Blogs' all-sports podcast, covering sports (and movies, and television, and whatever else strikes our fancy) through the eyes of our esteemed experts. We, as always, are Jay Busbee, the editor of From The Marbles and Devil Ball, and Kevin Kaduk, the editor of Big League Stew, and you are our reader/listener, and we thank you for that.

To play the podcast, click the link above or save it on your computer.

Trevor Bayne's unlikely Daytona win / Getty Images

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Anyone who wins the Great American Race becomes a NASCAR immortal, but not every NASCAR immortal has won the Daytona 500. Here, we present the most successful drivers in NASCAR who haven't won racing's biggest prize, as well as drivers who had the greatest race of their lives at exactly the right time.

The best never to have won:

1. Tony Stewart (13 races): The three-time champion has won 17 times in stock cars at Daytona, but the biggest victory continues to elude him. He's got his best shot in years in 2012 ... but thanks to tandem racing and pack racing, so, too, does everyone else.

2. Rusty Wallace (23 races): His best finish was a third in 2001; Rusty never could quite get it done at Daytona.

3. Ned Jarrett (7 races): His son won this race three times, so at least the Jarrett name is etched into the marble of Daytona.

4. Terry and Bobby Labonte (43 races combined): The brothers have been all over this track but never quite able to bring home the big dog.

5.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A moment of silence, if you please, for the "Danica Patrick gets gifts she doesn't deserve" argument. Cause of death: Patrick's triumphant capture of the pole for Saturday's Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300.

Here it is: You have to either accept that Patrick is a bona fide, legit stock car driver, or you have to buy a conspiracy that the entire Nationwide field, including Daytona 500 and Sprint Cup champions, laid down for her.

"Anytime you show that you have a fast car, it's encouraging for people to want to help you," Patrick said. "That starts to earn you some respect and credibility."

The pole comes just 24 hours after Danica PatrickPatrick walked away from a brutal crash in the Sprint Cup Series' Gatorade Duel 150, a qualifying race for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Patrick posted a speed of 182.741 mph, besting Trevor Bayne by only seven one-thousandths of a second. As driver after driver tried and failed to match her time — the field includes Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,

Tony Stewart wins at Daytona ... in the Duels. / Getty Images

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With 17 stock car wins at Daytona International Speedway, Tony Stewart is one of the most successful drivers in history at NASCAR's most legendary track. His 17 victories rank second only to the 34 of Dale Earnhardt.

There's just one tiny little problem with that statistic.

For all his success at Daytona, for all his mastery of this track, the biggest prize — the Daytona 500 itself — has eluded Stewart. In 13 starts at the Great American Race, Stewart has notched six top-10s, including a second-place finish in 2004 and a third-place finish in 2008. But you don't race Daytona to get close to winning.

[ Related: What to watch for in the Daytona 500 ]

"It's not a good feeling to not have that tally in the win column," Stewart said. "Everything else we have pretty much accomplished in this sport that we want to accomplish. It's the biggest race of the year; everyone wants to win that race. I won't say that it is not a complete career if you don't win it, but there is

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As they repaired the shattered front end of the No. 40 Aaron's Toyota, the faces of Michael Waltrip's crew told the story: their boss's quarter-century-long streak of Daytona 500 runs had apparently come to an end. A victim of nothing more than his own mishandling of the car coming out of a pit stop, Waltrip apparently saw his go-or-go-home chances at the Daytona 500 come to an ugly, crumpled end.

"I just went the wrong way and lost the car," Waltrip said of the wreck that destroyed both his front end and his hopes for the race. "I feel like I let everybody down.  I raced my way to the front and then I let them down. It's just really hard. I don't know what to say. It's just sad."

But possible salvation arrived in the unlikely person of Robby Gordon, who managed to race his way into the 500 thanks in part to Waltrip's wreck. After a press conference in which he conceded that his team was facing tough economic times, Gordon offered his spot in the race.

"We're in a bad state right here," Gordon said. "It's tough. It's really, really tough."

Later, as he walked through the garage, he reaffirmed his offer.

"Everything's for sale!" he said. "I haven't heard from Michael yet. But I'd love to be his crew chief."

Denny Hamlin at 2011's Duels / Getty ImagesFor most of the field, Thursday's two 150-mile Duels will be a chance to get some more laps on the track in race trim, and they'll see how their cars perform without pushing the envelope too far. Here's the spotter's-eye view of the two duels:

Duel 1: Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. make up the front row. Big names in this field also include Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin. (Full list here.)

Duel 2: Greg Biffle and, yes, Casey Mears are on the front row, with major names including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch in the mix here. Clint Bowyer starts in the back of this Duel because of violations. (Full list here.)

[Dan Wetzel: Daytona 500 wreck proves Danica Patrick's toughness]

But for 10 drivers, including some major names of the not-too-distant past, the Duels represent their last chance to get into the field of the 2012 Daytona 500. With 39 spots already taken, only four spaces remain ...