The big race

That's right, ye socks, we've been enjoying Speed Week in this little corner of heaven, topped off this afternoon by the Daytona 500.

Yours truly is not the world's biggest NASCAR fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've always admired how they put their biggest event at the start of their season. That would be like making the Super Bowl a season opener. Sorta.

Due to the ongoing economic malaise, attendance at the big event was down this year. But, Daytona is still a magnet for the die-hards like my friends Duran and Monica. And, they tell me there was nearly as much celebrity spotting to be had this year as in previous years. Here's a short list:

* Urban Meyer, Gators football coach
* Tim Tebow, Heisman trophy winner
* Steve Spurrier, former Heisman winner, Gators legend, and current South Carolina football coach
* Joey Galloway, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
* Tony Sparano, coach for the 'Phins.
* Gene Hackman
* Tom Cruise

(What's with all the football guys and actors being so in to NASCAR?)

Anyway, I know why I was tuning in to the race. And, I think if ye socks were honest with yourselves, you'd admit to the same reason: We all want to see a big wreck. I'm not saying that we want to see anybody get hurt, far from it. But, we want to see a bunch of 360's and smoking tires.

Well, we weren't disappointed in this running of the 500. In Lap 123, Brian Vickers tried to block Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He failed. Some folks are wringing their hands and blaming Junior for the massive pile-up that followed. But, I was actually watching the tube when it went down, and the blame lies squarely with Vickers.

Later, the race was called due to rain, which was more than a downer. Didn't bother watching Matt Kenseth celebrate in victory lane. And, I probably won't spend much more time watching any more races this year, much less giving this sort of in-depth coverage in the dryer. I promise.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend, and stay out of Junior's way!