Slaw
Look on the Internet and you will find arguments in every corner. From politics to sports to is it sunny today, we will find something to disagree on. One thing I think we can all agree on is (I swear if someone disagrees with this…) is Eli Tomac is the official King of Daytona.
Saturday night was a masterclass in how to tame Daytona. Eli was smooth, calculated and made a tough track look like a stroll through the park.
The win on Saturday marked his 8th all-time at Daytona (most all-time) and the 57th of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career. Now just one point behind Hunter Lawrence in the 450SX title chase, Tomac spoke with the media about Daytona and more.
Just another huge congratulations here at Daytona for you. From the performance that we saw, is this a testimony to just how good you were feeling throughout the day today or just in the main event? Just how good did it feel throughout this main?
Eli Tomac: Yeah, I felt like I really came around in the night show. I was good in practice, but I wasn’t feeling my best. It was okay. But then the heat race, I felt like I was on, and I knew I was going to be right in the mix of this thing. So put myself in a decent position. The gates were really, really bad, probably the worst I’ve actually ever seen it, so that was really technical in that main. Yeah, I had to make some passes there. The good thing about Daytona is there’s no lack of passing opportunity, places to make up time, and try different lines and slingshot. The sand was wild. Of course, the split lane offered some opportunity for some good moves there. And somehow I’m at eight of these wins here.
Eight wins, I believe 12 starts, but on three different manufacturers. You’ve been so complimentary of the Red Bull KTM team. They have been of you as well. Walk me through racing that bike tonight. It’s different than anything you’ve raced before in terms of being on a steel chassis, fewer differences with the bike. Where did it stand out in these conditions at Daytona compared to some of the bikes you’ve raced in the past? Where was it positive? Where was it good for you?
It was super planted in the sand. I felt like I was really good in the sand this evening and was able to leverage the bike really well. Then I was also running the scoop tire. But the bike itself was very planted in the sand, and it had a different feel than, I guess, the stuff I’ve raced in the past.
Back to them being so complimentary, I know they want you back. The fans were electric for you tonight as they always are here. They’re cheering for the one more year, one more year. How are you feeling about it? I know it’s still a ways off to make a decision. Again, how are we feeling about potentially keeping this going?
Yeah, no comment on that yet, but the clock’s ticking, but still racing good. Just, I don’t know. I’m not sure. Not sure yet. We’re still a little early for that.
There was one particular section after the finish line, after the little wall, there was a small little kicker that you had to seat bounce to triple over, and then afterwards you were jumping almost into the corner. That seemed like a scenario where you were leaving Hunter. Then complementary, the whoops, it looked like you were double clutching, and you were pretty much unstoppable in the whoops. Can you show how difficult that section was to hit every lap?
That was actually a line that I changed from practice is I wasn’t doing the triple double there in practice. Then I saw the 250 do it in the heat race, and I was like, “Wow, that made up some good time.” Then I went to that line. Some of the guys weren’t doing that. It was just good momentum. Then I also improved my whoops because I really wasn’t… I was pretty off in the whoops from watching film and practice. So I was happy to get a better skim going in that main. Anyway, getting that triple double, launching the turn there, going to the outside just was good momentum into those whoops.
Can we talk a little bit about dominance? First of all, you’ve got the second greatest winning streak or winning record at a track. The others that have eight were all at Anaheim where they have multiple events each year. Then secondly, what’s it like to be compared to someone like Richard Petty, both of you guys being the greatest or at the top of your form, and especially here?
Yeah, I’m just counting my blessings. To get eight here, it’s hard to believe. So count my blessings on that. It just fits me. It fits my riding style. It must be something with the soil and maybe what I grew up on with the sand and whatnot and being able to just open the throttle up and spray those sandy berms. Eight is great. It’s good.
Then the comparison to Petty?
He has eight or seven?
He has seven [Daytona 500 wins].
He has seven? Well, it’s nice to beat him. But apparently eight gives you a cracked tooth. I popped my tooth out lifting the trophy up, my front tooth. I’m looking like a pretty good hillbilly right now, so I’m trying not to smile.
Photos: octopi.media
