The CHIMES

Issue date: 2/12/10 Section: Sports

Football season has just ended, March Madness is a month away, and the NBA is taking their mid-season break. Sports fans are just foaming at the mouth waiting for the next sport to begin. Baseball? No. NASCAR? Yes! Thousands of rednecks across this great nation are pumped.

The Daytona 500 will start the season on Feb. 14. NASCAR runs almost year-round, from February to November. It is the biggest race of the year. Drivers and their teams have been preparing for this race for months. It is unlike every other NASCAR race. The purse for winning is over a million dollars.

2010 Daytona 500 logo. The Daytona 500 will take place on Feb. 14. Top-ranked racers including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin will compete for the million-dollar win. Photo courtsey of nascarsandiego.com

In the weeks leading up to the Daytona 500, there are qualifying races, and showcasing races. The Gatorade Duels will be run on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 2p.m. and 4p.m. The qualifying races are 60-laps long and determine the starting order for the Daytona 500. Mark Martin will be starting on the pole in the 2 p.m. race and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be starting on the pole in the 4 p.m. race.

NASCAR has made many rule changes during the off-season in order to boost ratings and minimize fan complaints. Some of the rule changes include adding a rear spoiler, a bigger restrictor plate, and looser rules on bump-drafting at the superspeedway. They are also standardizing the start times of races in order to gain fans. NASCAR is trying to level the playing field, and allow more teams to compete.

As for the 500, everyone is a contender. The garage of Rick Hendrick holds four of NASCAR's strongest and most popular drivers. At the top of the list is four-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. He drives the number 48 Chevrolet, and won the Daytona 500 in 2006.

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