The most fan-friendly sport in America is back. NASCAR is a sport that really loves their fans. Don’t want to pay ten bucks for a cold beverage? Bring a cooler filled with your favorite drink. Want to devote more than one day? Bring your RV, car, or tent and party all weekend. Want to listen to the the team as they decide what to do? Pack a headset. Want the season to be longer? NASCAR is racing for nine months out of the year. Want a playoff? NASCAR listens a lot better than the NCAA. Want to start the season with the biggest event of the year? Then get ready for Daytona. Don’t like the way the game is played? NASCAR has got your back.
After plenty of complaints from drivers and fans, NASCAR worked hard to eliminate tandem racing. If Saturday’s Bud Shoot-out was any indicator of what is to come, they succeeded. NASCAR said in a recent survey that 80 percent of fans did not like the tandem racing. That number was probably higher with the drivers. Here is what they had to say after the Shoot-out.
Clint Bowyer – ” The pack racing is back, and that gives the drivers a little more control and adds a lot of excitement for the fans — and that’s the biggest thing: the fans wanted pack racing back and NASCAR listened and delivered.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – “I like this kind of racing better. At least I know what to expect,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve got a better chance with this style than I did last year.”
Tony Stewart – “I actually had fun racing at Daytona again, which I haven’t had for a while. I don’t know what the consensus is from everybody else, but I had more fun as a driver tonight than what we’ve had in the past.”
The Shootout was an awesome race, thanks to the changes. You didn’t have to wait for the end of the race for things to get exciting. It took all of nine laps to have a nine car pile up. With only a couple laps left, Jeff Gordon made the ESPN highlight reel, but not how he would have liked. Gordon ran into Kyle Busch and ended up climbing out of his upside-down car unscathed. Busch managed to escape disaster for the second time and win the race by .013 seconds; the closest Shoot-out finish in history. Hopefully the 500 will be just as exciting.
There were plenty of other changes made during their off-season. Many teams changed drivers, crew chiefs, or both. Some of the bigger name drivers on new teams include Kurt Busch(#51 Phoenix Racing), Kasey Kahne(#5 Hendrick Motorsports), Clint Bowyer(#15 Michael Waltrip Racing), and Mark Martin(#55 Michael Waltrip Racing).
A name you will hear a lot also made a change. Danica Patrick made the switch to Tommy Baldwin/Stewart Haas Racing. Even though she is only running 10 races, she will be mentioned more than any other driver. Strangely, I find that more men, than women, want her to do well. Where’s the girl power? She will have a shot at winning, as Trevor Bayne proved last year. Bayne won last year, at the ripe old age of twenty years and one day.
Many fans will be pulling for Mark Martin to win his first Daytona 500. It could be his last chance. Whoever wins, it will definitely change their life. Winners of the Daytona 500 are rarely forgotten. Many great will never live down not winning this race. Just ask Rusty Wallace.
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On an 11-game winning streak, San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich benched starters Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to give them rest. San Antonio trails the Oklahoma City Thunder by 2.5 games and leads the Dallas Mavericks by 2 games. A win over a mediocre Portland team would have put them within 2 games of first place. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker should have played minimal minutes, but should not have been benched.