Daytona From the Cheap Seats

Leading up to the Daytona 500, fans heard lots of hype about reduced ticket prices. In an effort to ensure a sellout crowd, the Daytona International Speedway promoted the dickens out of their $55 superstretch tickets - the cheapest seats at the track.

A sucker for a good deal, I decided to snap up a couple of these cheap seats, just to see how the bargain basement experience compares to say, a much pricier spot on the finish line.

So Sunday morning, I headed to the Speedway at the crack of dawn armed with my cheap ticket, a warm jacket, and a list of budget-friendly things to do. I was determined to see how much bang I could get for my 55 bucks.

I paid nothing extra for the below activities. And I'm pleased to report that my experiment proves that if you plan ahead and have some patience, you can have a fantastic race experience without putting your engagement ring in hock.


Autographs at the Speed Stage - I hit the Speed TV stage early, well before the show's scheduled broadcast time of 9 a.m., and my early arrival paid off. The Speed staff hands out Home Depot hard hats and beads before the show. And before it went live, hosts Kenny Wallace and Kyle Petty walked down to the fans and signed autographs. Driver Paul Menard even stopped by. I hung around for the first live segment of the show and it was pretty entertaining - besides, where else could you see Wallace shake it like this?

Coca-Cola Track Walk - I had the best of intentions, but I didn't get to the Speedway early enough to register for the free Coca-Cola Track Walk. However, hundreds of other race fans did make it in time - and they were rewarded for their efforts. They got to see Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Dale Jarrett kick it all off by waving the green flag.

Jeff Gluck Tweetup - This may have been my favorite free activity of all. Current SB Nation blogger and bona fide Twitter celebrity @jeff_gluck is the originator of the race day tweetup - and the Daytona edition was the biggest yet. We met in front of the Daytona 500 Experience and were joined by Nationwide driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., David Newton from ESPN.com, folks from Watkins Glen International Speedway and a host of other online personalities, media members and Tweeps. As a special bonus, Gluck handed out free swag. What's not to love?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - I hightailed it from the Tweetup hoping to make it to the Turn 4 Chevy stage in time to see Jeff Burton talk to the crowd. Unfortunately, I missed Burton - but I did snag a pretty good vantage point from which to watch Dale Jr. talk to fans. The event was a Q&A session with a rep from Chevy - and it was lots of fun. Junior talked everything from racing strategy to what's on his iPod (country music) and he also revealed his plans for Whisky River (the Jacksonville location opens in April, and he'd like to open another location in Nashville).

Walking, Walking and Walking - The only people who get anywhere fast at Daytona International Speedway are the drivers on the track. It's wall-to-wall people and you've got to accept the fact that it's going to take a while to get where you want to go. While hiking from the Chevy Stage to the Turn 2 Grandstand, I was pretty glad I had missed Coca-Cola Track Walk registration - but the hike was a great way to warm up on a pretty chilly day.

Great view - I had never before watched a race from the backstretch, and I was thrilled with how well I could actually see the cars racing by. Since the superstretch is flat, you're treated to a terrific view of the cars coming off of Turn 1 driving into Turn 2 and racing down the straightaway. It's also a great place to be if you like watching wrecks firsthand. We saw our share.

Free advice - About midway through the first Potholegate, the more innovative fans in my vicinity began spouting off how they thought NASCAR should fix the "imperfection" on the track. Among the ideas I overheard? Georgia clay and sand. Quikrete. "Real" asphalt. Barricade tape and traffic cones. And this more laissez faire solution - "Just let 'em drive through it and let the chips fall where they may." Looks to me like NASCAR ended up using a combination of toothpaste and whiteout.

A Former Champ's Take on Jimmie J

Former Sprint Cup champ and current ESPN personality Dale Jarrett answered a couple questions about Jimmie Johnson and his almost certain step into motorsports immortality Sunday.

Jarrett, who will be in the booth for ABC’s live coverage of Homestead, was quick to give Jimmie his due in the talent department. And, I realize I may be in the minority, but I wholeheartedly agree with ol' DJ. Jimmie is the most under-rated and under-appreciated overachiever in the sport (perhaps in sports period). The dude is getting ready to accomplish a feat of which no other driver before him can boast - and instead of cheering him on as he drives into the history books, many fans could care less. More's the pity.

For Jarrett's astute comments, read on:

What does Jimmie Johnson have to do to win the championship?

"I think you have to focus in a number of different ways and break the weekend down. On Friday before qualifying, I want to make my car as fast as possible and see if we can start up front. That allows me to run the race I want to run. Obviously practice on Saturday, making the car fast once again will allow me to run the race that I want to, and I think that’s exactly what Jimmie Johnson is going to do. He’s going to try to lead some laps early if he can do that, get those bonus points, and then he’s just going to settle into a good position. I think what we will see, on the double-file restarts, Jimmie be extremely careful around traffic until things get single-file, and then he can pass cars one at a time; it’s much safer that way. I think we’ll see their normal 13-second pit stops become 13 ½, 14 seconds which will probably lose them a couple of spots in the pits, but they want to make sure they don’t have any problems with loose wheels or anything like that. And then he can run his race, finish somewhere in the top 10, maybe even 15, that’ll bring him another championship home."

What about the level of appreciation that Jimmie Johnson gets from the public?

"From the public it’s a little suspect. I think in the garage area everybody appreciates what Jimmie Johnson the driver has done. I think the public perception of him is that he’s with the best organization in the sport, he has the best race cars, he has the best engines, he has the best crew chief in the business, so therefore why shouldn’t he win? But that’s not exactly the case. I would have to disagree with everyone. Someone has to get in there and make all the right moves, push the buttons, do the things that you need to do on the racetrack. Jimmie Johnson does all of those things. He’s a tremendous talent behind the wheel, has a great head on his shoulders, and that makes for a perfect champion."

Photo info: Dale Jarrett talks to Jimmie Johnson (from Life magazine)

Are You Ready for Some Richmond?

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series is moving to ABC for the rest of the season...and Saturday night's race under the lights at Richmond International Speedway is gonna be one heckuva night. It's the final race before the Chase and the last time that the on-the-bubble boys will have a shot at a Cup championship in 2009. There's gonna be flat-out, wide-open, no-holds-barred racing. And for a diehard NASCAR fan, this is a night you don't want to miss.

ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, the race that will determine who's in and who's out of the Chase for the Cup, will air on ABC. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown presented by Degree V12 at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag is at 7:43 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12.

ESPN will also broadcast NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Sept. 11, at 5:30 p.m., and a telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup final practice on Friday at 2 p.m., both on ESPN2.

Set your Tivos now...and make plans for a rowdy and rockin' Saturday night.

Photo caption: Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Photo credit - ESPN

Bristol Winners and Losers

There were more winners at Bristol this weekend than Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, and more losers than Greg Biffle and Joey Logano.

Below are my picks for the folks who won out this race weekend, and those who can claim the title of Bristol's biggest losers.

Winners:
Mark Martin and Ryan Newman finally had a little luck and ended on a high note, putting them well inside the top 35 points standings. The champ, Jimmie Johnson, managed to sneak into the chase (was there ever any doubt?). And Marcos Ambrose put together an impressive race, finishing in the top ten for Michael Waltrip racing.

Losers:
Aric Almirola and Paul Menard still have to qualify on time at Martinsville. And poor Travis Kvapil desperately needed a good race, but he ended 39th in owners points, in addition to losing his ride (hopefully temporarily) to boot.

Winners: Ned Jarrett was a welcome familiar face in the broadcast group, joining his boy Dale and former colleague Dr. Jerry Punch as they called the Saturday night Legends race. And don't forget old-timer L.D. Ottinger who ran the wheels off his race car on Saturday night.

Losers: Digger--did I miss something, or was there no Digger episode this week? And Mr. Excitement Jimmy Spencer...he ran well during the Legends race, but he sure lived up to his nickname during practice when he wrecked fan favorite Junior Johnson.

Winners: The fans who attended Saturday's races. Both the Nationwide and Legends races were sheer entertainment a darn good time.

Losers: I hate to call fans losers, but the fans who attended Sunday's race witnessed one of the most boring Bristol races ever. Here's hoping the August race will be better!