Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Welcome to Speedweeks 2011

Now that the Super Bowl and all that goes with it is finished, it’s time to quickly turn the page and get ready for the most wonderful time of the year — Speedweeks.

After enduring the 11 longest weeks of the year, its time for the world to start moving again. The cars will be all gussied up for the first time with glistening new paint schemes, the drivers will be ready to get after it and the racing surface will be as new and shiny as everything else this year.

These two weeks almost feel like a vacation. Beginning Thursday, almost all NASCAR television coverage will originate from beautiful Daytona Beach, Fla., where the sun will shine and the high temperatures aren’t expected to drop out of the 60s.

Also, the rest of the season doesn’t matter during Speedweeks, which is nice. There is plenty of time for people to complain about the points, the quality of the racing and which driver might switch teams.

For now, its just time to let the drivers take to the best racetrack in the world and put on a show that is unrivaled in motorsports.

Twenty-four of the eventual 43 starters for the Daytona 500 will get an extra 75 laps Saturday night in the Budweiser Shootout. Unfortunately, this even has been watered down in recent years after Budweiser quit sponsoring the Pole Award.

However, a 30-car field for a 75-lap shootout on new pavement at Daytona International Speedway could be a lot of fun, especially since qualifying is done by random draw. Shoot, Matt Kenseth could start from the pole position, which would be just the fifth time that has happened in his 400 career starts.

In any case, we are about to embark on a journey that will once again fill fans’ eyes with stars and end with a new Daytona 500 champion, something that will make that driver’s season a success no matter what happens.

So get ready. Practice begins Friday, the shootout is Saturday, qualifying is Sunday, the Duel is next Thursday and the following Sunday is the big one, the 53rd Daytona 500.

7 comments:

  1. Like I wasn't excited enough for the season to start! LOL. I can't wait till Friday. The 24 hr race was enough to get me by till practice starts for the Shootout. Looking forward to a great Speedweeks and a great 2011 season.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey that looks like the beach where Dwindy and I will be staying for the race! LOL

    I dunno if Kenseth will start on the pole even if he gets it if his wife goes into Labor. They've got Kenny Wallace on standby all week and next.

    Look for blogs starting with the Duels - the first day I'll be in the garages! Woot!

    ReplyDelete
  3. storkjrc - Ha, yeah this should be a good one, and the best thing is the excitement doesn't end after the big event as it does in other sports.
    Thanks!

    klvalus - Can't wait! That should be such a cool experience. If Kenseth has to sit out the Shootout after drawing the pole, maybe he just wasn't ever meant to start at the front. Ever. lol.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shoot. If there is a way to get Kenseth to the pole without him doing it, I'm for it. I'm getting too old to wait.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Liking your new header, JM! Nice to see everyone getting stoked for the new season!

    I'm not getting why Roush doesn't use one of the young drivers they have under contract in NW or CWTS as Matt's standby.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bring on Daytona!

    Will the new track live up to the hype? Will the drivers run in three wide packs? Will driving in bigger packs result in bigger wrecks? Will there be a surprise in victory lane this year?

    Is almost here!

    ReplyDelete
  7. olderguy - lol. Maybe those new Ford engines are finally ready to rock and roll this season.
    Thanks!

    Gene - Good point, Trevor Bayne will be busy in the #21, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be around for the Nationwide race anyway. And what happened to Erik Darnell? Was that stint in the #96 enough to prove he couldn't make it in Cup?
    Thanks!

    Dwindy1 - Hopefully. The Shootout Saturday night should at least let everyone know if the two-car draft is going to be really effective. If there is a big wreck in the 500, I think it won't happen until late in the race, but that's just a hunch.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete