Well the Daytona 500 has finally been run which indicates to a lot of us that the short track racing season isn't very far off.  It won't be long before the roaring sounds of engines and the delightful smell of fumes from burnt race fuel fill the air.  There is nothing like rolling the car off the trailer for the first time at the beginning of a long season.  And we can't help but get that child like grin as we size up the tires just before those first practice laps.    Excitement, anticipation, and uncertainty are the feelings that consume me before the start of the season.  I’m excited to start the season with a new engine in a fresh car with a clean straight mark free body.   I’m anticipating a great season that’s full of fun and hopefully a few wins along the way.  But I can’t help but feel a little uncertain about how things will unfold.  I know that the car was fast last year but will it be the same?   I most certainly got better through out the year last year but how long will it take to get back in the swing of things?    And I wonder who’s coming back this season and who will be the new competition?   These are all questions that as a relatively new driver seem to run through my head but I try to remind myself that I can only control the things that I do as a driver and if the racing luck is there it’ll be a great season and if it isn’t it’ll still be a great season it just might take a little more work.   During this part of the off season the cars are either ready to go or real close to it.   And as the work required becomes less the length of time for bench racing becomes longer.  Although most of us probably won’t admit it I’m sure we all catch ourselves when the work is done and before we turn out the lights silently staring at the race car with a big old smile on our faces.   Those are the times when I thank God for this great country of ours and for this sport of stockcar racing that in my opinion is the greatest there is.   Now I’m not saying that other sports are bad I’m just saying that they don’t really compare.   There aren’t any state funded High School racing teams at least there aren’t any that I’m aware of.   And when was the last time someone was given a scholarship to college to compete on the school race team against other Big Ten schools.   No I think we all got here the same way and that is what makes this sport great.   We weren’t given the chance to compete we had to pay for it with our blood, sweat, tears, and hard earned money.    While I’m sure that opening day at Wrigley Field is something special it will never compare to the first race of the season.    Because we don’t have preseason exhibition races to get ready to race.   No we had better have our stuff together from the start because unlike opening day in those other sports all the teams attend our opening race and that takes the odds in winning from 50/50 to about 1 in 30.   I don’t know about you but I’m getting a little tired of watching some fool dance around in the end zone after a touch down even though his team is still losing.  What is that all about?   It would look awful funny if our favorite driver got out of his car and celebrated a pass for say fifth place with 10 laps to go.   Anyway the days of staring at our cars and thinking of that first trip through the pits are slowly dwindling and soon we’ll be so wrapped up in it that we won’t even have time to mow the lawn let alone watch a ball game.   So bring on the noise, the track food, and the blur of color from the cars as they zip past.   I’m ready to hit the track!   Well maybe not quite ready but pretty close.