No Shortage of Excitement at Daytona This Year

Dale Earnhardt apologized after the Daytona 500 nearly lulled fans to sleep with a three-hour, mostly single-file parade last year.

“Bill France Sr. is probably spinning in his grave,” the seven-time Winston Cup champion said, referring to NASCAR’s founder.

Nobody expects The Intimidator to apologize again today, not unless he’s feeling guilty about pounding a rival into the wall in what drivers expect to be the best race in the track’s 42-year history.

This shouldn’t be another Snore at the Shore. Daytona is racing again.

“It’s going to be a madhouse,” said Jerry Nadeau, who’ll start fifth in the 43-car field of the record $11 million race.

NASCAR was embarrassed last February by Dale Jarrett’s nearly unchallenged run to a third victory and the dominating Fords’ sweep of the top five places in stock car’s Super Bowl.

It wanted desperately to avoid a repeat--especially with Fox Sports kicking off the new $2.8 billion, six-year TV package that NASCAR hopes will carry the sport further into America’s mainstream.

After agonizing over possible rule changes most of the season, NASCAR came up with a new aerodynamic package last fall for its two biggest and fastest ovals--Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR mandated less engine restriction, providing a bit more horsepower, and new aerodynamic strips on the roof and rear spoilers, catching more air and providing extra downforce and drag. As a result, the October race in Talladega was a heart-stopping classic.

There were 49 lead changes, a high-speed chess game with constant three-wide action throughout the field and a breathtaking finish -- with Earnhardt somehow driving from 18th to first in the last five laps.

But Daytona isn’t Talladega--the track isn’t as wide or quite as banked.

“There won’t be much three-wide (racing) out there,” two-time Daytona winner Jeff Gordon said. “This place won’t allow much of that. Talladega is more a horsepower track and, at Daytona, you’ve got to handle.

“But, you know what, I think it’s still going to be exciting out there for 200 laps. This is the first time I’ve been to Daytona where I have no idea whatsoever who is going to win. Normally, I would say Earnhardt has a distinct advantage here. But I don’t think even he has an advantage.”

As much as everyone hoped that the excitement created in Talladega would spill over to Daytona, it was all speculation until last Sunday’s Budweiser Shootout, a 70-lap, made-for-TV event that began Speedweeks.

The 19 lead changes in the brief race were 10 more than in last year’s 500-miler on the same 2 1/2-mile track.

After the race, Earnhardt recalled his comment about France, the late NASCAR founder, and said, “Well, I’d say he’d be jumping up and down this year about this kind of racing.”