Have you filled up your car in the last few days? If so, you know that the price of gas is going up fast.

What do rising gas prices mean for you? Our economy? Our country?

These are important questions that deserve important answers. This week on the blog, we’ll try to provide them.

What happens when you combine the greatest sport in the world with one of the greatest stars in the world? We’re about to find out as Danica Patrick’s second NASCAR season is underway:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ycn-7901778

For years, Danica has been one of the most marketable celebrities in all of sports. But when she started competing in some NASCAR races last year, many people laughed and complained that this was just a publicity stunt. They’re not laughing after last weekend in Daytona:

“Patrick completed her first NASCAR race of the season on Saturday, February 19th with a 14th place finish at Daytona in the DRIVE4COPD 300; she qualified fourth for the race, and became the first woman to lead a lap at the historic NASCAR track. Hopefully, as she enters the next phase of her NASCAR experiment, Patrick can continue to improve….”

She can and she will. She is another example of someone who is willing to chase the dream!

How great is NASCAR?

There is no other sport in the world where a 20-year-old part-time participant can show up and win the biggest race in the sport. That’s exactly what happened this part weekend at the Daytona 500.  Trevor Bayne is living proof that in NASCAR anyone can chase down the American dream:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/21/2078477/bayne-remains-in-dream-state-after.html

As this article notes:

“Trevor Bayne winning Sunday’s Daytona 500 became the biggest Cinderella Story in the history of NASCAR. But for the driver who just turned 20 years old on Saturday, it’s still hard to imagine that the glass slipper fits. Bayne, who is running a part-time schedule in the Sprint Cup Series this year, pulled off the biggest upset in the 53-year history of the Daytona 500, though an argument can be made that Derrike Cope’s victory in the 1990 race was more stunning. As the youngest Daytona 500 champion, Bayne has become an overnight sensation not only in the motorsports community, but in the world of sports as well.”

Now that’s what I call the American Dream! Unbelievable…only in NASCAR…the greatest sport in the world!

NASCAR is the greatest sport in the world. But don’t take my word for it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/The-most-attended-sporting-events-in-the-country?urn=nascar-243650

A couple of weeks ago, much was made about the Super Bowl hosting 100,000 people. That made it the second largest Super Bowl ever. Pretty impressive, right? It is until it is compared to NASCAR’s numbers.

This weekend the Daytona 500 will host more than 250,000 people! That’s two and a half times the size of the Super Bowl. And that is even more proof that NASCAR really is the American pastime.

This week we continue our series on the Daytona 500 and why it’s the greatest race in the world.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the most tragic day in NASCAR history. In February 2001, Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500. Losing the 7-time Winston Cup winner left a huge hole in this sport. Earnhardt was the last great NASCAR superstar.

Take a look at this clip from a documentary about the day Dale died:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiNnHsSdwnA

Dale is gone but will never be forgotten. It remains for the rest of us to continue to build the sport that he lived and died for.

In just a few days I’ll be attending my first Daytona 500. But it won’t be my last. This is the greatest race in the world and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

And this should be an exceptionally exciting year for NASCAR. This year, NASCAR has done something that few other sports have done: it’s started holding town hall meetings where the various teams can have input into how NASCAR is governed:

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/07/28/rhendrick.fsabates.owners.town.hall.meeting/index.html

As this article notes, NASCAR has come a long way:

“NASCAR has historically been run by the founding France family as a dictatorship, and although participants could offer opinions, the ruling family made all the decisions. It was somewhat benevolent, though, and the late Bill France Jr. traditionally hosted an annual fishing trip following the July race in Daytona in which drivers and owners could raise questions and concerns away from the race track. Current NASCAR chairman Brian France has continued the post-Daytona trip, and owners in attendance earlier this month decided to call a meeting for further discussion among a larger group of participants. NASCAR approved of the idea, and an agenda was set to discuss ideas ranging from restrictions on traveling crew members, tires used in a weekend, the current testing ban and shortening the length of the races.”

I would argue that NASCAR is more democratic than it’s ever been. So I encourage everyone to jump on board. This is a great sport and it’s about to get even better!

Here is one big reason why I can’t wait for the Daytona 500: for the first time in more than 30 years, there is a brand new track:

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-daytona-international-speedway-a-whole-new-nascar-track/

As the article notes:

“The $20 million project, which began July 5, is nearing completion, with the result being that drivers will race on a sleek, faster surface in NASCAR events during Speedweeks in February.”

What makes this especially interesting is that we won’t know until the actual race how this new track will impact drivers:

Although Goodyear and team engineers have data on how new track surfaces typically respond in their first races, there still will be a lot of mystery surrounding February’s Daytona events. Repaving work usually impacts the bumps and “waves” that become part of a track’s nature over the years, and a new surface typically means more speed and more grooves. Navigating Daytona’s bumps and lumps has become a science of sorts since the last repaving job in 1979, as the track surface has aged and changed in the intense Florida summer heat and almost daily afternoon thundershowers. Some of that track ‘character’ will be gone, but new track president Joie Chitwood, anxious to see the results of the repaving, says that’s a ‘risk’ he’s willing to take.”

So fasten your seat belts! This is going to be one fascinating Daytona 500!

This is one of the most exciting times of the year for me. We are fast approaching the biggest sporting event of the year.

No, we’re not talking about the Super Bowl that was played yesterday. We’re talking about the real Super Bowl. We’re talking about America’s real national pastime. In just a few days, they’ll be revving up their engines for the Daytona 500!

I can’t wait. And this week, we’ll be talking about what it means, how it works and why it’s so special.

Today we continue our series on what is going on in Egypt.

The good news is the people want freedom. The bad news is that anti-American groups might gain power. One such group is the Muslim Brotherhood, which opposes peace with Israel (something Egypt has had in place for decades) and is lukewarm at best in opposing terrorism:

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=206712

As this article notes, Israel in particular is very nervous about the Muslim Brotherhood being involved in the governing of Egypt:

“Many in the pro-Israel community have been concerned that the waning position of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his regime will empower the Muslim Brotherhood and are fearful that the US could contribute to its rise by viewing the Islamic group as a legitimate Egyptian political player.”

As events unfold in Egypt, the American policy should be simple: we should encourage freedom but keep an eye on groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.