Editor’s note: NASCAR driver Regan Smith, who’s behind the wheel of the Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team’s No. 78 car, is writing a daily diary this week for The Denver Post about the Daytona 500.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As I’ve been saying since I arrived in Daytona Beach last week, if you can’t get excited about the Daytona 500, you had better check to see if you have a pulse.
It’s not only the biggest race of the year, it’s the season opener too. A strong start to the season can do wonders for team confidence, as was the case with our Furniture Row Racing team last year when we finished seventh in the 500.
But before Sunday’s green flag drops for the Sprint Cup opener, we have a lot of work ahead of us because of the uncertainty of how the race is going to play out. The question that drivers keep getting asked: Is superspeedway pack racing back or will the two-car draft continue?
After hearing from fans about two-car tandem racing at the four restrictor-plate races last year, NASCAR made rule changes to return to traditional pack racing. It appears the rule changes have been successful, based on Wednesday’s practice sessions and also during Saturday night’s Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.
The number of crashes in the Shootout is a concern, but I don’t think it will be as bad Sunday — at least until the final 10 laps. When we’re approaching the checkered flag at a superspeedway race, anything goes, and there’s no telling what could happen. It will be exciting — that’s almost a guarantee.
My speculation is that pack racing will return, but in the closing laps it will be a two-car tandem draft that eventually will determine the winner. Ask me tomorrow and I might have a different opinion — things can change that quickly around here.
We should get a better feel for how things are going to shake out after today’s Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races, which will determine the starting positions for the 500.
But the 150s are not going to give us all the answers. It’s like a Catch-22. You want to race hard, earn a good starting position and a strategic pit stall (pit stall selections are based on qualifying order). But on the other hand, you don’t want to wreck your primary car. I guess it’s a matter of weighing the risk/reward factor.
I expect to see hard-nosed racing from the teams that aren’t locked into the 500. Fortunately, we’re not one of those outside teams, based on finishing in the top 35 in points last year.
Wednesday was the first day that we practiced in race trim, and I feel much better about the performance of our No. 78 Chevrolet. It has more speed and sucks up nicely in the draft.
But we still have work to do. I would like to make a few more moves with the car. I am confident that we’ll get there by Sunday.
