It’s Race Day!
By Wyatt Earp | February 26, 2012
And unlike other (mostly lame) sports, NASCAR has its biggest event at the beginning of the year.
Today is the 54th running of the Daytona 500, and once again, I’ll be working while the race is going on. Lousy career. On the Earp Ranch we all have our favorite drivers (I have Jeff Gordon, Kyle has Kyle Busch, and Erik has Denny Hamlin), and we’ll all be cheering hard for them today. We’ll also be cheering for last year’s winner Trevor Bayne, whom we met in 2010. Nicest guy in the world and a pretty good driver.
Unlike last year, carburetors have been replaced with fuel injectors, and that means there will be fast, close pack racing. It also means there will be wrecks that take out a wide swath of cars. Hopefully, none of my fantasy drivers will be involved.
I’m hoping for a good, safe race, and am looking forward to the season.
And to give you an idea of how fast they’re going, here’s video from Dover, one of the “slower” tracks:
Topics: Racing | 13 Comments »
I was watching a show last night on Velocity Channel about NASCAR. These guys can push each other around the track? WTH? That don’t seem right. At first I thought pushing had something to do with a car getting really close to another to change the aerodynamics of both vehicles but these guys where in physical contact. I’m not a fan.
Howdy Wyatt! Well as a fan of NASCAR (how could I not be, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is in my new-ish hometown!)
I hope that “It also means there will be wrecks that take out a wide swath of cars. Hopefully, none of my fantasy drivers will be involved.” really means that NONE of any of the drivers will be involved.
I know that its not likely to be the case, but I do hope no one gets hurt.
Oh and to MARK – yes, yes indeed they do “push” each other around some – by “lightly” touching bumpers to move someone out of the way or by Cris-crossing some on the track to keep someone from passing.
Mark – They make contact, but calling it pushing is kind of misleading. They’re linking up for the aero, and sometimes (usually only at Daytona and Talladega) the second car is slightly faster than the first. It’s not like the guy can ease off the gas and get helped along.
Real – I told Kyle and Erik that I was praying for a Jeff Gordon win today at church. I didn’t, but I made a note to ask the Big Guy to get everyone through the race safely.
Sadly, I’ll be listening to the race online, because I’m working tonight. Not a lot of race fans in work – even for the 500.
Jeff Gordon’s geeehhy….. and should be fined for ruining the two best rides in NASCAR.
Badump bump!
Thanks John Boy and Billy
Sure. Play the race card.
Hope you are able to catch it today!! XD
Sally Anne – I’m off today but the race was moved to tonight at 7pm because there are still pockets of rain in the area. Good for my sons, who really want to catch it.
I’m excited that we get the 500 in prime time. I’ll get to watch. Who’s got Trevor???
The only good thing about Daytona at night is that I can pay attention to the NHL trade deadline stuff. It’s been dead so far, with less than two hours to go. No big names, none of the serious contenders in there yet. (as of 1.25 p.m.).
Wow. Less than two laps and they already had a multiple-car pileup. So much for Jimmie Johnson. Trevor Bayne probably won’t be repeating as winner, either.
And Danica Patrick is just having an awful Daytona weekend, isn’t she?
Roger – Kyle (Rainbow Monkeys) and I picked him.
Bob – Completely forgot about that.
Wes. S. – I like Danica (as a hottie and a driver), she didn’t cause any of the three wrecks. Right now, my only rooting interests left in the race are Dale, Jr and Denny Hamlin.
No, Danica certainly didn’t cause any of her wrecks. My point was that she won Florida’s bad-luck lottery for the weekend.
Unless Juan Pablo Montoya did. What do you think the odds are that Montoya’s car would suffer a major malfunction that sent his ride careening into the blower truck during a FRICKIN’ CAUTION, triggering an explosion and fire worthy of a Michael Bay movie and maybe ending the race early?
Not to mention Almendinger getting taken out by Ryan Newman on pit road, because Newman’s pit crew didn’t get the lug nuts on a freshly-changed tire before Newman took off.
This race has had just about everything, hasn’t it?
Wes S. – It has been, without a doubt, the most bizarre race I have ever seen in my entire life.