The folks at Daytona International Speedway spent a fortune to lay a new surface on the historic high bank raceway and January saw the first real test of the speed available during the Grand-Am Rolex 24. The Daytona Prototypes and GT series put on a fantastic show with Chip Ganassi Racing taking the top 2 spots for the Daytona Prototypes. The top 7 spots separated by 60 seconds after 24 hours of racing. That shows not only the durability of the cars and the tenacity of the drivers but also shows the quality of the new surface at Daytona.
The next big test is the Budweiser Shootout to show how the stock cars of NASCAR take to the surface. It looks promising!
There are some body modifications with a new nose on the cars. The wing was replaced during last season for a more traditional spoiler in the rear. The new surface should show the advantages of these modifications with more speed and more control at those speeds.
Let’s go racing. 2011 offers changes in the cars, some changes in drivers and teams, some new sponsors and colors and some new examples of speed. This new season has put the fire into all the teams to go out and run hard. Every race matters with the new 43 point system so every start should be taken with a go out and run hard attutude. This can only mean a better show for the fans. Since it ultimately comes back to the fan base anyway, it will be a win-win for the checkered flag and the grandstand.
Start your engines and green-green go-go-go!