As of today, we have 19 days until Daytona. Believe me, they're passing slowly, at least in my neck of the woods. There still are a few tidbits of interest, though, so here goes:
Eager to Start
Anthony Lazzaro(left), the driver for Cal Wells' #97 McDonald's BGN entry, will be sitting out the Daytona weekend. Scott Pruett(seen at right), the driver for the #32 Tide Cup car, also owned by Wells, will substitute for him. Lazzaro has to wait for Rockingham on Feb. 26 to make his debut because of an accident he had in an ARCA race last October at Talladega. It kept him from entering the last three BGN events of the season, so he's not eligible yet to run on a superspeedway. You can find more information at the PPI Motorsports site here: PPI.
Here are a couple of other good links with more information on the story:
Lazzaro delays Busch Series debut by a week
Pruett In For Lazzaro at Busch Race in Daytona
Both Pruett and Lazzaro are new crossovers from open-wheel racing, so it'll be interesting to see what they can do. Is another Stewart in the works?
Finally!
Mark Martin has kept his promise, and it appears as though this really will be his final year in the Busch series. He'll be running in 14 races this season, and has a spiffy new paint scheme courtesy of Winn-Dixie, his primary sponsor. It's supposed to commemorate the greatest moments in his Busch career, but looking at the car, it's hard to see. Artistic licence, I suppose! Martin has the most wins of any driver in the Busch series, with 40 checkered flags, 81 top fives, and 109 top tens. You know, it's no wonder the man has back trouble. Back surgery notwithstanding, you'll still be able to catch him in a Busch car this year at places like: Rockingham, Darlington (one of MY favorite tracks), Texas, Dover, and Michigan. For more information, you can visit Mark's site here: Mark Martin's J-Mar Express.
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