In the last lap no doubt there was a ton. Teams worked together. If Smoke was still around, she would have had a better chance.
But this is not Daytona from a year or so ago when they had the two car packs. Whole lines were moving. The good drivers made move from one line to the other with or without a teammate.
I don't think she's a bad driver. She's showed promise in the past and turning a fast lap in qualifying was great. She probably ranks somewhere between 10 -20 among NASCAR drivers, which is still pretty good.
But she's not at the top yet. She's not Jimmy Johnson. She's not Tony Stewart. She's not Jeff Gordon. I'm not sure she has that potential. But few are.
Denny Hamlin? Kahne? Earnhardt? She's close to those three and with more time in the car can be better.
It is nice to send a message that women can compete though. Before Danica, there were some women driving, but none were really competitive. I was disappointed in her race, but she still shows promise.
She almost might be better off moving over to F1. There she can run fast laps in qualifying and win races. Overtaking is not so prized there. It might be a better fit.