First off, I know that NASCAR is not exactly the official sport of the SDMB. In fact, some of you seem to hate it rather passionately. Read this anyway.
It’s a little over a week until the Daytona 500, and I wanted to see if anyone had anything to say. For those of you who don’t watch Winston Cup racing, or are not big race fans, let me speak to you first. Daytona is, as will be repeated several hundred times, the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing. This year is particularly interesting, as there is a good chance that 6 of racing’s most famous names will be represented in the field. If they all qualify, there will be 1, possibly 2 Earnhardts (Dale Jr. and Kerry), a Petty (Kyle), a Foyt (Larry), a Mears (Casey), an Andretti (John), and a Fittipaldi (Christian).
Also, racing at Daytona is some of the most exciting action all year. The anxiety and excitement that comes from watching 43 cars racing just inches from each other at over 180 MPH is matched only by the spectacle that is the Indy 500 and by the sheer fun that is The Winston All-Star Race. The drama and strategy in the last 10 laps will make you want to watch more, as the best drivers try to make the right move to get up front coming into the tri-oval to take the checkered flag. So do me a favor. The Bud Shootout is Saturday night at 8 pm Eastern. It kicks off the Winston Cup portion of Speedweeks. It’s a race for last year’s pole winners and is always fun to watch. Watch it, see what you think. Then, come back next Sunday for the 500 itself. You might like it.
As for the NASCAR Dopers amongst us, here’s my questions:
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Will the smaller fuel cells really break the pack up that much, or will it be like Talladega last fall?
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Can DEI continue to dominate and maybe let Dale Jr. win the 500 this year?
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Will the new Pontiacs and Chevys even be competitive?