Daytona 500: Will It Be As Good As Days Of Thunder?

As we approach the starting Daytona 500 line, I'm wondering whether or not this year's race will be better than Days of Thunder, the classic 1990 racing movie starring Tom Cruise.

For starters, the pre-race build up has not been as good. Not to take anything away from NASCAR, but I don't see Dr. Claire Lewicki anywhere in here. Damn, she was hot.

If I was a betting man, I would have known to bet on Tom Cruise very early in the movie. Even with injuries and with the odds stacked against him, I had the feeling that he'd cash in.

And if not him, I would have a hedge bet on Michael Rooker's character, Rowdy Burns, which would have turned out to be the wrong decision.

In real life, who's our protagonist? Should it be Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards or Kyle Busch that's among my Daytona 500 picks?

Let's not forget, Days of Thunder was about a young driver with a temper. When that temper was out of control, he was a detriment to the sport, his team and himself. But when that temper was channeled into positive energy, nobody could stop him.

Cole Trickle, in many ways, is Tony Stewart. Who else is really that volatile?

The Daytona 500 will be entertaining, but it won't be Days of Thunder. That was a two-man race the whole way, and the rivalry had developed off the track. First, it was Trickle and Burns, then it became Trickle versus Russ Wheeler.

I hope FOX let's a few swear words go—that would definitely spice up my bet on Daytona.

I'll go with the Kyle Busch odds to win the Daytona 500 this year. For starters, he showed he can dominate the regular season, and he's the favorite.

Wait, that's probably bad that I'm picking the favorite.

Just for laughs, I'll watch Days of Thunder on Saturday night, then I'll bet on Kyle Busch and sprinkle on Tony Stewart on Sunday for the Daytona 500 line.