Daytona 500 Preview

Today is the beginning of a busy two week
period for sports fans. All this week will be a
build-up for next Sundays Super Bowl game.
I have already posted a prediction for that game
so I will stand by it.
This week will also see the NASCAR track at
Daytona, Florida come alive again. The official
Daytona 500 race will be Sunday February 14th
but all this week there will be practice sessions
and the qualifying races.
Most of the attention will center around driver
Jimmie Johnson, who has claimed the Championship
the last four (4) years in a row. He definitely will
have a target on his back as the other teams try to
de-throne the champion in 2010. Johnson and his
crew chief, Chad Knaus, have proven to be the very
best in the garage and on the track. It will be up to others
to not only equal the success of the number 48 team,
but to surpass them.
I have posted in the past my loyalty to the number 29
team. 2010 will be a decisive year for Kevin Harvick as
this is the final year of his contract with Richard Childress
Racing. 2009 could not have been a worse year for
Harvick and the 29 team. A second place in the 2009
Daytona 500 and a third place finish in the season
finale at Holmstead were the highlights of the year. In
between was the bottom of the barrel in a season that
saw Harvick fail to win a race for the first time in his career.
With a good season in 2010 he could remain with RCR, but
an encore of 2009 will ensure he goes elsewhere for 2011.