Trevor Bayne, you are not dreaming...

You just one the Superbowl event of NASCAR, the Daytona 500. This was the thing that NASCAR really needed after a disappointing season last year with attendance and in my opinion just the lack of fans not wanting to watch the races due to having the same winners week in and week out. Here we now have a kid, and yes a kid, only 20 years old comes out of nowhere and takes the checkered flag.

As I watched the tandem duo's all day during the race, I had my eye on this kid. I was very impressed with him and also Regan Smith driving the #78. These two were always there being the pushers vice the pushee and they were hooked up with some veterans during the race. Hard to believe that you would want someone with one of those dreaded yellow stripes on their bumpers behind you pushing going close to 200 mph but that wasn't the case with Bayne. Now Smith is not a rookie but he hooked up with Dale Jr who is very selective on his draft partners. It was unfortunate that Smith got caught up in that late wreck but was able to salvage it for a decent finish.

We did hear a lot of talk during speedweeks about Bayne but no one really picked this youngster to win the Grand Daddy of NASCAR events. It is a shame that he is not running a full season and is committed in the Nationwide Series because he gets no points in the Sprint Series but hey at least he got the $1.5 million dollar check. Hats off to Bayne and his entire team and it was so great to see the Wood Brothers in Victory Lane after 10 years since their last win. This kid will be flying high for quite some time and his name is now part of the history books as winning the Daytona 500, he definitely has some company in that department. He may not win another Sprint race this year but he can always say he was the winner of the 2011 Daytona 500.

Congratulations Trevor Bayne!!!

Dale Jarrett to be inducted...

into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.

Former NASCAR champion driver Dale Jarrett, crew chief and engine builder Waddell Wilson and former Charlotte Observer motorsports writer Tom Higgins will be inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame in January.

All three were selected on more than 65 percent of the ballots cast by NMPA members to earn induction into the Hall of Fame.

"These three men have impacted the sport on the track, in the garage and in the media center. Their contributions are significant," said NMPA President Dustin Long.

Higgins covered NASCAR and other motorsports in a 40-year journalism career, including 34 years at the Observer. He was one of the first reporters to cover NASCAR full time. He received NASCAR's Award of Excellence in 1996 man and won the NMPA's George Cunningham Award in 1987.

As a crew chief, Wilson won the Daytona 500 in 1980, '83 and '84. His engines powered teams to 109 wins, 123 poles and three Cup championships.

Jarrett, now an ESPN analyst, won the 1999 Cup championship. Among his 32 Cup victories were three Daytona 500s (1993, '96 and 2000). He and father Ned are the second father-son combination to have each won at least one series title behind only Lee and Richard Petty.

Read more: http://www.thatsracin.com/2010/09/01/45456/jarett-wilson-higgins-get-motorsports.html#ixzz0yKorIYAq

Bandalero's at Waterford Speedbowl

It was Wacky Wednesday at the Waterford Speedbowl last night on May 26th, 2010. That is my daughter Chelsey getting ready to sing the National anthem. She did a beautiful job at singing, I am just so proud of her.

We had a fantastic time. My company, Progeny Systems, sponsored our night at the races.

#11 FEDEX Team Claims Pit Crew Championship

Congratulations to Denny Hamlin's Pit crew for taking the #1 spot at the Pit Crew Championships held in Charlotte beating out Dale Earnhardt's team in the semi -finals and thus beating out Jeff Burton's team to win it all.

Denny and his crew have been a great streak and this is just another one of those feathers in the cap.

Can you say Sprint Cup Champion???

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