Speed Week Has Begun

Saturday was the first NASCAR and ARCA race of the season.

And, needless to say, it went out like a bang--of metal that is.

A thirteen car crash led to a 15-lap-early finish for the ARCA race, adding to the earlier delay of 45 minutes to fix the fence broken by Blake Feese.

Two ARCA drivers were transported to the hospital after Todd Kluever and Dan Shaver collided. Shaver was transported and released while Billy Venturini has not been released.

Associated press says that Venturini suffered a fractured cervical vertebra but is conscious and alert.

Early in the ARCA race Feese in the 94 Ditect.com Chevy ran into a fence, leaving a gaping hole and four reporters down. Only two were injured. Pierce Williams returned to work, but Steve Rose was transported to the hospital.

The ironic thing: Feese is to step into Kyle Busch's vacant spot in the Nascar Busch Series. Should be interesting how that will play out, especially now that four reporters are probably never going to cover a race he starts in.

But ARCA's troubles weren't over. Amid the wrecks were 62 Clair Zimmerman who pulled an Elliot Sadler Talladega move with a flying leap-- literally into the fence.

For a pictorial view visit http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/pgStory?contentId=3393000&pageNumber=1

The NASCAR Budweiser Shootout left out the "shootout." When Winston owned it there was actual a "shoot" for a driver to get into the shootout making the field 19 bud pole winners or previous shootout winners. Now, we have twenty, with the spots being filled only by pole winners and past Shootout winners.

Where is the fun in that?

The whole point of the Shootout is to watch someone get into the race and then try and beat the pole winners. A driver is supposed to "shoot" for a chance to win the money.

Now they are giving the drivers a break. Or should I say a time to fix.

Mark Martin's tire blew and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a plug wire loose before the end of the first twenty laps.

Before, their problems would have left them out of the top ten, out of the race, and out of the chance for the $212,945 prize.

But, that was when the Budweiser Shootout was about competition.

Martin and Earnhardt Jr. returned to the race and came to the finish line with top ten finishes.

Here is to hoping that this year that the Daytona 500 is more about competition and less about coopitition-- Darrell Waltrip's word for drivers of other teams working together to come in first and second at Daytona International Speedway.

Stay tuned for for more of speed week.

To read about the Budweiser Shootout Victory by Jimmie Johnson visit http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/02/12/bc.car.nascar.shootout.ap/index.html