Earnhardt On the Pole

That title must mean it's time for the start of the 2011 NASCAR season.  Tonight's the Bud Shootout which will feature 24 cars in a non-points race that traditionally begins the year, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will lead the field to the checkered flag.  Earnhardt is starting the year with a new crew chief (Steve Letarte, who used to crew chief Jeff Gordon's car) and his team is looking for some big things this year.

Tomorrow qualifying for the Daytona 500 will begin.  Qualifying for this race is different from any other race this season.  Only the two fastest cars will be guaranteed their spots in the race.  Everything else will be decided in the Twin races that will take place on Thursday.

The racing should be very good this year.  After the July race last year the entire track was torn up and repaved. All the bumps are gone, the track has maximum grip, and we should see some very close racing this week.

I'm ready.  Bring it on.