Take 5: Five Takeaways From The Daytona 500

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

What Does The Future Hold For Regan Smith And Matt Crafton?

For the first time since 2001 NASCAR held an event on Sunday and neither of the Busch brothers raced in it.

Kurt Busch is currently suspended as the result of his domestic violence case. Over the weekend Busch appealed the decision twice but it was held up both times. Kyle Busch is our for an undetermined amount of time after fracturing his leg and foot in a wreck during an Xfinity Series race on Saturday in Daytona. Under the tight circumstances both Regan Smith (SHR) and Matt Crafton (JGR) were called upon to fill in and driver in the Daytona 500.

Now that Daytona has come and gone the teams will have to decide the future of their rides and whether or not they will ask either driver to stay. Both Busch drivers are expected to miss a fair amount of time which means that both teams are going to have to decide on a driver that they want in the car for an extended amount of time. The only difference in the two situations is that Kyle Busch will be back at some point whereas Kurt Busch might not.  Time will heal the injuries that Kyle Busch suffered but depending on the outcome of his legal proceedings Kurt Busch might not be welcomed back to NASCAR any time soon.

Both drivers showed that they can handle the work as they both drove to top-10 finishes at Daytona. That being said, both teams will have to look at all of their options before making a decision given the impact this is going to have on 2015.