Dale Earnhardt Jr's Favorite Sandwich is Banana and Mayo

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced in a sponsored tweet for Hellman's on Tuesday that his favorite sandwich is banana and mayo.

This is how the direct tweet read:

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"Working with my friends @Hellmanns today got me thinking. Whats ur favorite use for mayo? Mine is a mayo/banana sandwich. #dontknockit"

Many have heard of the peanut butter and banana sandwich made famous by Elvis Presley, but this is a new one for most to stomach.

Earnhardt has not said how long he has enjoyed the unique concoction, but it certainly has powered him this season. The number-88 car went to victory lane at the Daytona 500 and has finished in the top-two in all three Sprint Cup races thus far in 2014.

Earnhardt had been getting chewed up the past few years by both the competition and the media for his lack of success on the track, but appears to be poised for a deep run in 2014.

Confusion Over Daytona 500

The congratulations started coming in Sunday afternoon for Jimmie Johnson for winning the Daytona 500 again. However, Johnson wasn't anywhere near the racetrack. He was in his trailer waiting out the storm that was rolling through the Daytona area.

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The source of the confusion was Fox's showing of last year's season opener, which Johnson won over teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Those who did not know that it was a rebroadcast lit up social media with congratulatory messages, and in some cases, previews of news highlights.

 After Johnson learned what had transpired, he and several others took to social media to put a fun twist on the situation. Johnson mentions all the congratulatory messages he's been getting all afternoon. Fellow driver Clint Bowyer expresses his confusion as well, saying "Wait a minute! I'm confused. Did @JimmieJohnson win or not?"

The Fox network did not help their case as they also sent out a tweet saying that Jimmie Johnson had won his second consecutive Daytona 500. Those on social media did not take too kindly to that announcement. 

One tweet from Will McAvoy states, ".@FoxNews sent out a tweet stating that Jimmie Johnson had won his third #Daytona500 based on a rebroadcast of last year's race. On Fox."

For those who want to see the conclusion of the 2014 Great American Race, Kyle Busch will lead the field to green at the bottom of the hour. There's still a lot of racing to take place as only 38 laps are in the books. The next time the drivers rev the engines, it's for real. 

76-Year Old Richard Petty Accepts Race Against Danica Patrick

Despite not racing in NASCAR for the past 25 years, 76-year old Richard Petty has accepted a challenge set out by Tony Stewart to race Danica Patrick.

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Stewart threw out the challenge to the Hall of Fame driver after Richard Petty made remarks earlier in the week that much of Patrick's popularity is because she is a woman.  Stewart gave this statement when purposing the challenge:

"I think that (a race) would settle it once and for all — maybe get him to shut up a little bit, too," Stewart said. "... I will supply the cars. If he wants to race her, I'll make sure they have exactly the same setup in the car and give him the chance. He can drive one of my 14 cars, I don't care."

Petty has the numbers on his side when he declared Patrick overrated.  In her first year in the Sprint Cup Series, she ranked 27th and has placed in the top-10 once in 46 career races.  Meanwhile, Petty knows what it's like to win, taking 200 checkered-flags in his illustrious career, the most in NASCAR history.

So far, the only person who was not agreed to the exhibition race is Patrick.  This rave, if nothing else, could put an and to which stereotype of drivers is better, women or senior citizens.

Crazy Week at Daytona

The Daytona 500 is the only race on the schedule where the drivers have to run so many events in order to find out their place on the starting grid. It's been a strange few days since rookie Austin Dillon grabbed the pole earlier this week, and that shouldn't be a surprise. The Daytona 500 is one of those races where anything can happen, so it's only fitting that the duels and practices have just as much excitement.

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In practice on Wednesday, a multi-car crash brought out the red flag. Rookie Kyle Larson was sent flying into the fence, which resulted in the fence breaking and injuring spectators. Ordinarily, the fences can hold from breaking and there have even been instances in the past where cars have flown into the catch fence and they have not broken through. Larson got plenty of impact from multiple cars that sent him crashing through the fence into the crowd. That wreck cancelled the rest of the practice while safety crews cleaned up the mess. There were no injuries reported.

The duels on Thursday established the final starting lineup for the race itself. Joe Gibbs Racing established their claim as the team to beat going in. In the first duel, Wisconsin native Matt Kenseth, who some drivers blamed for the big wreck that halted Wednesday's practice, came out in his backup car and won with ease. That set the stage for Kenseth's teammate to win in a more dramatic race.

In the second duel, there was more chaos. Jimmie Johnson came up one lap short on fuel and that resulted in another major wreck. Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, and Carl Edwards were among those who got caught up in the wreck. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin avoided all contact, as he was sitting out front, and he makes it two duel wins for Joe Gibbs.

Because he ran out of fuel and got caught up in the wreck in his duel race on Thursday, defending champion Jimmie Johnson will have to start from the back, in 32nd. 2012 champion Matt Kenseth's duel win sets him up nicely as he starts right behind pole sitter Austin Dillon in third. 72-year-old Morgan Shepherd failed to qualify, as did Eric McClure, Ryan Truex, Joe Nemechek, and Michael McDowell.

With the starting lineup set, the only thing left is to fire the engines for the 55th running of the Great American Race. Daytona is synonymous with unpredictability and there always seems to be an unexpected winner. So, if you think you know who's going to win this Sunday, think again. One thing's for sure: If what we've seen so far this week is any indication, there's going to be plenty of action and a great finish. Strap in, folks. It's time to go racing.

Montoya Eyes Return to Brickyard

You'll see all the usual suspects in the starting grid at Daytona on Sunday: Jimmie Johnson, the Busch brothers, Matt Kenseth, and so on. One driver you won't see is Juan Pablo Montoya.

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After spending the last seven seasons racing full time in Sprint Cup, and a disappointing two wins to show for it, Montoya has returned to IndyCar. He will, however, make an exception. He is hoping to race the Brickyard 400 in July at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

"I think the Brickyard would be a good thing. I've been so close so many times, it would be a good way of closing that chapter with a good win there," Montoya said Tuesday.

The condition being, of course, he has a car. Montoya is currently in talks with new IndyCar owner Roger Penske, who fields a team of Sprint Cup cars as well, to find a ride for Montoya at the Brickyard because IndyCar does not race that weekend. If Penske is looking to run Montoya in the July 27th event, Montoya would most likely have to race in a Sprint Cup event before then just as a test run. 

In IndyCar or Sprint Cup, there's nothing Penske would like better than a win at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Montoya is just happy to give him that chance.

"One thing that we want to make sure we give Roger at some point in time is a Brickyard victory," Team Penske president Tim Cindric said. "All of the other things are obviously very important, but that's one of the things we need to make sure he has at some point."