DAYTONA BEACH – NASCAR is back at the beach this week, but the feeling in the Florida air is a little different.
What’s different? Plenty.
For one, the stars of NASCAR will race the 50th annual Daytona 500 next Sunday. The occasion has brought all of the race’s former winners – names like Petty, Pearson, Foyt and Allison – back to the World Center of Racing. It’s hard to walk through the paddock and not see a living racing legend.
Secondly, this is the first Speedweeks featuring NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow. If last year’s race at Talladega is any indication of what the racing this week will be like, there might not be much to watch.
But race teams have had all winter to tweak these race cars for this race. I bet the racing will be just fine.
Reflections from NASCAR Media Day
I can’t really figure out the purpose of media day, and I can’t really figure out why all the drivers have to dress in their sponsor-covered fire suits for media day.
Apparently, if Jeff Gordon wasn’t wearing his orange and blue DuPont suit, he could pass by any reporter like another face in the crowd.
Nevertheless, all the drivers paraded through an endless line of reporters and said the same old things on radio and television interviews. Everyone except for Kyle Petty.
Petty was asked by some crazy guy with a recorder if NASCAR drivers would have wanted to be on the old pony express.
“No,” he replied, rather awkwardly. “They don’t pay enough.”
The perils of Pole Day and qualifying races
The Daytona 500 starting field forms like no other NASCAR race. To keep it simple, the cars qualify on Sunday, and the top two qualifiers are locked in. The fastest couple of cars that are outside the top 35 in last years point standings are also locked in. Everyone else races their way in to the show in Thursday’s qualifying races, but the top 35 in last year’s point standings are automatically guaranteed a starting spot.
Did you follow that?
Dale Jarrett, who has no guaranteed spot in the race he’s won three times, says Sunday’s qualifying is critical.
“Sunday’s a huge day,” he said. “You want to get yourself a position and a time down if something bad happens on Thursday.”
Update from Ocala Speedway
How successful was the first dirt track practice at Ocala Speedway last Saturday? The pit area had to be extended.
In all, 153 cars and drivers showed up to take their first laps on the new 3/8-mile clay oval. From what I’ve heard, the feedback was great.
Plus, the pre-entry list for the Feb. 29 season opening late model race is already 40 names long. To put that in perspective, only 28 cars showed up for the Powell Memorial last year.
It should be a dandy.