Las Vegas’ Jamie Little discovers stealth powers of Jon Cena

It turns out John Cena was right.

Sometimes you really can't see him.

During his meteoric rise to pro wrestling megastar and recording artist of at least one studio album, Cena became famous for slamming heads of villainous grapplers into turnbuckles and such, and for putting his hand in front of his face and hiding behind it: You Can't See Me.

Jamie Little, the congenial NASCAR pit road reporter who graduated from Green Valley High School and still lives in Las Vegas, couldn't see John Cena on the starting grid at the Daytona 500.

On hiatus from the wrestling ring because of injuries, Cena was the honorary pace-car driver Sunday at Daytona. He was standing patiently in the pit lane, apparently thinking Little was headed his way for an interview. She blew right past him, in the way Denny Hamlin blew right past Matt Kenseth on the last lap of the big race.

"Chase Elliott," the Fox broadcaster said with a friendly wave of her hand toward the car of the Daytona pole-sitter, oblivious that hulking John Cena was standing directly behind her rear spoiler.

She didn't see him. On top of that, Little's ponytail flew around and smacked the famous wrestler upside his head.

The look on Cena's face: bemused and priceless. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKn-GJ-jzUw

"Oh, look at this — Matt Kenseth's car," Little said to viewers after not acknowledging Cena.

Jamie Little snubbed John Cena to run her hand along the fender of Matt Kenseth's car. The video went viral, and both parties had fun with their (almost) run-in via social media.

"For those who question my powers of complete stealth ask @JamieLittleTV," Cena wrote on his Twitter account, tacking on a #shecantseeme hashtag.

Little responded in kind on her Twitter account. She said a prototype for the "man-killing ponytail" was in the works and "@JohnCena to be quality control consultant."

Remember a couple of years back, when Las Vegan Kurt Busch was in one of his surly moods, and Jamie Little tried to interview him, and he went off on her?

If I were Busch, next time I'd beware the ponytail.

Daytona: Close, no cigar

Denny Hamlin's 4-inch victory over Martin Truex Jr. was the closest Daytona 500 finish ever and nearly caused various Waltrip brothers to fall out of the broadcast booth in frenzied excitement.

But how fantastic was the finish compared to other fantastic NASCAR finishes?

It was No. 4 on a list compiled by Alexander Goot of Sportsonearth.com.

In the world according to Goot, Ricky Craven's fender slapping victory over Kurt Busch in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway in which gallons of paint were traded remains the most fantastic NASCAR finish ever/one you can find a YouTube video of.

Normally, it's easy to issue rebuttals to subjective lists such as these. But after watching the replay (https://youtu.be/Jf_1Hh0N8Ak) of Craven and Busch slamming into each other in the manner of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, there will be no further arguments from this barrister.

Green-white-checkered

• With the big NASCAR Weekend and beer-drinking contest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway a week away, my email box is starting to fill up with news releases about this driver or that one setting his sights on the Kobalt 400. It's one thing to hit the delete button on an email slugged "Michael Annett Race Preview: Atlanta." But one that reads "Stewart-Haas Racing Leaving Chevrolet for Ford" tends to get perused posthaste. Retiring (and currently injured) Tony Stewart leaving Chevy for Ford? In NASCAR, that's like Julia Roberts breaking up with Kiefer Sutherland to date Jason Patric. Or marry Lyle Lovett. It also means Kurt Busch — and teammates Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Danica Sue (Patrick) — will be thanking another manufacturer in 2016, should they pass a bunch of guys on the high side.

• On Wednesday, there was a NASCAR Weekend traffic meeting (and luncheon) on how to avoid it if you're going to the track. My not-so-original advice: arrive early, stay late. Watch the Legends cars zip around the access roads at the start-finish line after the Cup race. By then, traffic will have dissipated, and you will mostly be sober for the drive home. (The speedway says one also can catch the RaceDay Express buses from downtown or Strip locations.)

• The South Point Arena will hold an indoors race featuring the WORCS dirt bikes and ATVs from Friday through Sunday. So if it smells like racing fuel around the Big Sur Oyster Bar and the Steak 'n Shake, that would probably explain it.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. His motor sports notebook runs on Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski