Flo Riding to Daytona

Today's post comes from LaVeda Peterlin, a veteran of Chicago's WGN Radio and one of the best bowlers to come out of the South Side of Chicago. Since last year, LaVeda's been traveling the country in an RV, from Tennessee to North Carolina. This week finds her at Daytona International Speedway for NASCAR's opening weekend. Check out her blog here: http://ljpeterlin.wordpress.com/

This week I spent living in my RV on the infield at Daytona. It has been a lot of fun, and you can feel the anticipation building for the upcoming big race weekend. Being on the infield has been a great experience; the first time I stood by the railing and watched the cars go by at speeds of more than 200 mph was exhilarating. On the infield there are mostly half million dollar, bus-type RVs, decked out with all the amenities, many of them with elaborate platforms built on the rooftops. There are also converted school buses and smaller RVs, but with the high price of admission, there are few, if any, eye sores. One thing for sure: Nascar fans are passionate about their drivers and showing their support.
Since Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are now on the same team, there is less animosity among the fans than years ago, when there were two distinct camps. Now it is fine to like the both of them and root against Jimmie Johnson since he has been the big winner recently. Since Dale Jr. has joined the same team as Jeff Gordon, he has not been as successful as he’d like; in fact, he has not won a race in the past two seasons. More than 90 races have been run without Junior visiting the winner’s circle. Jeff Gordon has been in more than 60 races without a win of his own.

Today is the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s passing, and many fans have tributes displayed on their RVs. Dale’s untimely death occurred on this very track, and no matter which driver is your favorite, the iconic stature of Dale Earnhardt cannot be ignored. NASCAR will have a tribute during the Daytona 500 on Sunday, when there will be silence during the entire third lap in memory of the man who drove the famous black No. 3 car.

The week has not been without controversy as everyone sees Dale Jr as the favored son, and wants him to win in honor of his beloved father. He pulled the pole for the Budweiser Shootout and then won the pole for the 500. There has been some speculation that Nascar is helping him as much as possible. With speeds over 206 mph, he is finding the newly paved Daytona Speedway to be to his liking. The drivers are pairing up and drafting to clock over 200 mph, which has Nascar concerned with safety once again.

Since Dale Sr.’s death, safety has been improved dramatically, and although it is exciting to see drivers top the 200 mph mark, it would be tragic if high speeds caused another needless death of a driver.
The fans are here to have a good time and it is obvious they enjoy seeing the speed of the cars, but not at the risk of losing another life. This should be a sport to watch, and not a matter of life and death.