Hello race fans!

WOW!!! What a spectacular race on Sunday! Congratulations to Jamie McMurray on his Daytona 500 win! I personally thought it was some of the best racing I've seen there in a long time. With the exception of the pothole (don't blame NASCAR, it wasn't their fault) the racing seemed to be much better with the bigger restrictor plate. Although, I was a little worried when everyone got on the track to practice for the Bud Shootout. There were alot of accidents which seemed to be the result of the faster closing rate which comes from the larger plates. Once everyone figured that out, things settled down. But starting with the Bud Shootout, that produced some excitement, though I have to admit, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be. Congrats goes to Kevin Harvick on another win there! The last few laps produced most of the excitement, and I was very worried we were going to see little racing for the rest of Speedweeks. But, the Duel 150's were very good and had some of the closest finishes I've seen at that track and the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races were fantastic!

Now on to the Nationwide race. For all of you Danica skeptics, I think she proved herself to be a true racer. She did a fantastic job in the ARCA race and even though she crashed out of the Nationwide race, she did play it smart, when she felt uncomfortable she moved to the back of the field. Unfortunately , in doing so, she ended up getting caught up in someone else's wreck. I think the true test will come this weekend end in California. She certainly isn't afraid to get in there and mix it up with the boys! Good luck to her and all the drivers this weekend!

Lastly, I was so impressed with Jamie McMurray's interviews following his big win. He seems like such a genuine person, and to see the emotion he showed really was a true testiment to how much everyone wants to win this race. I like to see the raw emotion, cause I think it puts into perspective that these guys and girls are just like everyone else. They are human beings! Way to go Jamie and thanks for a great race and great finish!

Also, congratulations goes out to Elliott Sadler and his wife Amanda on the birth of their son on Monday morning! Talk about cutting it close! Carl Edwards and his wife Kate are anxiously awaiting the birth of their child this week. Best wishes to them!

Now off to California! I think the season really starts here. So having said that, good luck to everyone and be safe!

See you at the races!