And Away We Go!

Back after a brief hiatus, it’s theiNSIDE SCOOP!

After an unreported trip to a certain city in the Midwest for a certain football game won by a certain team from a large metropolitan city…nah, I can’t get away with that. It’s been a whirlwind since the beginning of the year, and we are back in the saddle ready for another season of NASCAR racing.

It’s amazing to see all the activity around the sport right now. I know it happens every year, but coming off the 2011 season, it seems like it’s even more frenetic than usual. Teams are changing, rearranging and disappearing, to be replaced by new ones or old new ones…you get the point.

For instance, the points amassed by the former Red Bull Racing are, depending on who you believe, in play and will be used in 2012. Landon Cassill has been tapped for that seat, when and if it appears. Ryan Pemberton, the former crew chief at Red Bull, is now working for Tommy Baldwin Racing.

Cassill was supposed to race for Front Row Motorsports, joining David Ragan and David Gilliland, but went with the other team late in the game. Look for Travis Kvapil or Tony Raines to be in the third car at Daytona.

As for the big teams, all is well, but busy. There are only 17 days until the Daytona 500, and take 10 off that for Speedweeks, so it’s getting down to crunch time. Pit crews are training hard, engine men are sweating at the dyno, mechanics are busting pieces and drivers are hydrating…seriously.

As fans, we’ve got our own checklists. Camper? Check. Tickets? Check. Latest driver apparel? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Double check. Grill? You betcha. It’s about that time of year.

Going to Daytona each year to start the season is akin to swallows returning to Capistrano. It’s a rite of spring, and if you’re like me, you can’t wait for spring to get here. Of course, spring is a relative term.

Down here in the Carolinas, it’s a huge difference from where I grew up in the Midwest. There, winter started in November and lasted through April. Here, spring starts in February and lasts through June, and then they turn the blowtorch on and dump water in on top of it.

Whatever the weather, Daytona means that good times and sunshine are not too far away.