| The Daytona 500 may be the official first race of | | | | Tony Stewart finishing third was hugely positive |
| the season, but the Bud Shootout is the moment | | | | news. You might love Tony or you might hate him, |
| things really get rolling. The event this past Saturday | | | | but he is vital to the sport. He is one of the few |
| night offered some interesting insight into the coming | | | | drivers that isn't so corporate and actually says what |
| season. | | | | he thinks whether it is "pc" or not. His diatribe against |
| The first thing that stood out from the night was | | | | Goodyear was both hilarious and right. No other |
| apparent right off the bat. There were a ton of | | | | drivers had the guts to say what should have been |
| empty seats. Now I know as well as anyone that | | | | said, so having him look competitive with his new |
| things are incredibly tough for a lot of people given | | | | team is a good sign. Drivers that become owners |
| the economic mess, but all those empty seats were | | | | have a habit of riding around in the back of the pack |
| a shocking site nonetheless. If the Daytona 500 has | | | | and that would be a shame with "the mouth that |
| the same kind of attendance, we can expect then | | | | roared!" |
| entire season to be the same. The powers that be | | | | Finally, the race itself was excellent. There were |
| at NASCAR had to be shocked even if they were | | | | crashes, passing, bump drafting and it felt good to be |
| expecting things to be slow. | | | | watching a race again. After all the bad economic |
| On a more positive note, the race itself felt like a | | | | news and the teetering of the American |
| new beginning of sorts. I still think the new car was | | | | manufacturers, there was some concern we might |
| hit by the ugly stick, but the movement of drivers | | | | see major problems in NASCAR this year. We may |
| and sponsors among the teams gave one the feeling | | | | still, but all was good for at least one night. |
| anything was possible. The season will probably settle | | | | If the Daytona 500 continues the momentum of the |
| down to a battle between Hendrick and Roush again, | | | | Bud Shootout, it will be a great race. Most race fans |
| but it was nice to see everyone look pretty racy. | | | | could use that right about now! |