DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | Jennifer Jo Cobb of Kansas City, Kan., finished a career-best sixth — the best finish for a woman driver in NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series history — in Friday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway.

Cobb’s finish tied for the second-best result by a female driver since Sara Christian posted a fifth-place finish in 1949. Cobb, 37, also became the first woman to finish in the top 10 in any of NASCAR’s top three divisions at Daytona.

Michael Waltrip passed Elliott Sadler on the final lap of a green-white-checkered flag finish for the victory. Waltrip’s first career trucks win came 10 years to the day he won the Daytona 500 in the race his team owner, Dale Earnhardt, was killed in the race.

“It’s very emotional,” said Waltrip, who no longer races on a fulltime basis but is entered in today’s Nationwide Series race and Sunday’s Daytona 500. “God bless Dale and his family, his friends. I came here to celebrate his life, with my black truck and my (No. 15) car. I didn’t come here to celebrate a win, but this feels good. I’m thankful.”

Cobb’s previous best finish was 14th in two races last season when she finished 17th in the points standings. That was the best season by a female since Christian was 13th in NASCAR’s inaugural, six-race season of 1949.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/18/2666142/cobb-posts-best-female-finish.html##ixzz1EQBFDrvO