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the last lap to claim victory and deny Martin his chance at glory.
This year a lot has changed. The name of NASCAR's top series has once again been changed, this time to "The Sprint Cup". After so many years of it being called the "Winston Cup" and then the "Nextel Cup", it is hard to get used to but like all changes, it will become easier with time.
Last year the Car of Tomorrow was introduced for some of the races and this year it is the full time ride for all the teams. While some teams struggled with setups last year, don't expect the same this year. The winter testing sessions have brought everyone onto the same page. The testing speeds prove that.
Toyota looks to be a strong contender this year, now that Joe Gibbs racing has switched from he Monte Carlo to the sleek Camray. That puts Tony Stewart behind the wheel of one of these upstarts and he seems quite comfortable so far. Kyle Busch joins Tony as a team mate after his departure from Hendricks Motorsports. That puts two of the top drivers wielding Japanese power.
Hendricks Motorsports let Busch go because of the four team rule in NASCAR. With Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon ( last year's number one and two finishers) leading the charge again and new addition Dale Earnhardt Jr. also on board, not to mention Casey Mears who is always a contender, Hendricks looks very daunting, to say the least.
When Ginn racing merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc., they picked up the veteran Mark Martin to take over the number 8 car, formerly driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. The colour has been changed and the sponsor, "Army" has followed Martin, but look out for the "8" at Daytona as Martin looks to claim his piece of history this year.
The Dodge contingent is strong again led by Casey Kahne, and Bill Elliott will again drive several races for them, including Daytona. Dodge is due to break out into a streak of wins afer several so-so years since their retrn to competition.
One can't overlook the efforts of Kevin Harvick (last years' winner), or any of the Ford boys either. Daytona is special and with restrictor plates causing big packs, the action will be extreme from the green flag to the Checkered one.
Some of the big names in Open Wheel Racing have joined the NASCAR frey this year but for most, if not all of them, the learning curve is pretty steep for any of them to be contenders. Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was posting some pretty fast practice runs earlier, but once 4 cars hit the track at one time, expect him to start learning very quickly, and finish well back in the pack.
LOCAL UPDATES
New Brunswick International Speedway has undergone a name change over the winter and is now SPEEDWAY 660. Some cosmetic changes have also been done and the owners promise a more FAN-FRIENDLY facility. I always found it great so I'm looking forward to seeing the changes.
Tim Wile has promised some design changes at the Centre for Speed facility in nearby Shediac. This place offers many fan experiences including a class for youngters to prticipate in. This was very successful last year and with a new track, it should be lots of fun for all. As well, the Maritime Pro Stock Tour has returned to the speedy facility ths year for a 150 lap event. This should be a very exciting event as these cars can reach tremendous speeds.
Finally, there is one more event that I must tell you about. It takes place on February 24th at River Glade Speedway as the Snowmobiles hit a specially designed track for some good old side by side competition. The entry list is growing fast and should be a treat to see but remember to dress warmly.
Well, that's it for this time around. See you in a few weeks when I return for another season of Rock'em, sock'em racing. "Gentlemen (and Ladies), Start Your Engines !!!
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