When you think of perfection during the summer, it might be a beach, basking in the warmth of the sun as you relax on your chair, or lounging in the pool with a glass of lemonade.
For those around a certain 2.5-mile super-speedway in Volusia County, perfection during the summer is the sound of 43 stock cars at the Daytona International Speedway, battling wheel-to-wheel at speeds in excess of 195 miles per hour.
There's nothing like the white-knuckle action of Daytona, when these courageous drivers battle it out around the 33 degrees of banking of this mammoth track.
What other track, aside from Talladega, produces racing where the competitors travel into the corners going four abreast?
Add to the fact that this is Independence Day Weekend and you have a race that even our forefathers couldn't script any better. What better way to celebrate America's birthday with the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola (400 miles, 160 laps) of full-throttle competition?
As if that wasn't enough, fans will get the summer sampler that the NASCAR Nationwide Series are preparing to eat and drink up, with their Friday night race in the form of the Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by Coca-Cola (250 miles, 100 laps).
Two races, full throttle, restrictor-plate style spells out one thing for the fans: an exciting weekend of racing for all to enjoy! So with that, let's take a look at this weekend's NASCAR action at Daytona!
On Your Side: Nationwide "Ensures" Excitement at Daytona
While it may not have the rich history and tradition of its sister Sprint Cup series with July and Daytona, the 250-miler (Friday night, 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2) has served as a precursor to the Saturday night showdown.
Just like the Cup ranks, the same factors play into a Nationwide Series race at the plate tracks: "The Big One," drafting partners, "making deals," hung out to dry or clotheslined, and of course, the dreaded yellow-line rule.
Even the non-racing fan knows what "The Big One" refers to. It's the wreck that everyone hates but can't stop looking at because of the highlight reel material it has, with parts flying over the place, sheet metal crumpled up to bits, and tempers flaring over destroyed, multi-million dollar speed machines.
It's the high speed game of chance and chess all into one, with each competitor having to trust one another as they negotiate the narrow lanes and near, three-stories of banked corners in a relatively short, sprint-to-the finish race.
With the exception of the 2007 race (postponed to a Saturday afternoon matinee), the series has raced at DIS, Friday night style since 2002.
Among the all-time winners for this second, spectacular event are Joe Nemechek, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Mike Wallace, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin.
Of that list, only Wallace and Truex, Jr. (though he was somewhat double dipping it with the Cup series on a limited schedule) have been the true insurance agents who have won this event.
As the old adage goes, "expect the unexpected."
Just because you may think this will be another round of the Joe Gibbs Racing collective against Roush Fenway Racing's brigade doesn't mean you should count out team owners like James Finch, Rusty Wallace, Rick Hendrick, or even Roger Penske (can he be considered an "underdog" in any racing series?).
There will be storylines to follow, including Junior's quest to win three July spectaculars in the N'wide level, the tight rookie battle that has Brendan Gaughan being chased by Justin Allgaier and Michael McDowell by only a 15-point margin, and of course, if one of the true insurance agents can beat the "frauds" who compete part-time or for the full season.
Handling, which will also be mentioned in the Sprint Showdown segment of this preview, will also play a pivotal role for who has the car to contend to a car that can barely defend itself against the hordes of drafting packs that are always a part of the racing at Daytona.
With that said, here's a look at some "surefire" picks for Friday night!
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