Daytona 500

Normally I would be sitting in a hotel in Daytona Beach or the surrounding area right now eating dinner or downloading pictures from the weekend. This year I am not. I sit at home on my couch, having just put my daughter to bed.

The 53rd running of the Daytona 500 completed this afternoon with an unlikely winner. Honestly, how many of you had heard of Trevor Bayne before this weekend? I knew he raced in the Nationwide Series last season and I believe the season before, but didn't know much more than that. A guy who turned 20 years old yesterday wins the biggest race of the season in only his 2nd start. How insane does that sound? A guy 10 years younger than me wins the biggest race of the season in only his 2nd career start? He outfoxed names like Stewart, Earnhardt, Gordon, among others. It's just amazing. And it was nice to see the Wood Brothers, who have been in the sport for a long, long time and have fallen off in recent years get a win in the sports' biggest race again.

No, I won't instantly become a Trevor Bayne fan, but it was interesting to see a rookie win the 500. I was speechless after the race had concluded.

Daytona and Bahrain

I've been to Bahrain five times since 2007. While there I never saw the amount or level of protests that I've seen on TV in the last two weeks. It's amazing. At the same time it's easy to understand what's going on. Having seen it with my own eyes, there is a definite separation of class. The rich definitely have a lot and the non-rich do not. The difference is obvious. That being said, I hope that both sides are able to come to a peaceful resolution and business get back to normal there.

I'm getting ready to watch the Daytona 500 from my couch for the first time since 1998. It's weird watching it on TV. I'm definitely missing being there, but know that events in my life have changed my priorities. Hopefully I can return next year.

NASCAR announced today that the Daytona 500 in 2012 will be one week later. They're trying to avoid any conflicts with the NFL's Super Bowl, as the NFL is proposing a longer schedule for 2012. It will be interesting to see what will happen since the NFL is talking about a lockout. If there is no Super Bowl in 2012 (unlikely, but it could happen!), will NASCAR look foolish?

Also, having the Daytona 500 on President's Day weekend was a good thing as several fans have the day following off for a government holiday. It's a little disappointing that NASCAR has already announced this change, so we will see what happens.