Local Look: Daytona

Event: Gatorade Duel at Daytona, Daytona 500, Hershey's Take 5 300, Florida Dodge Dealers 250

Local papers contributing: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dallas Morning News, Florida Today, Orlando Sentinel

The deal: Mark DeCotis of Florida Today says Richard Petty can be excused if he believes what passes for NASCAR racing today is far different than what passed for racing in his heyday.

	Royal performance Daytona 500 records owned or shared by Richard Petty Record Stat Most wins 7 *Most wins in a row 2 Between first, last win 17 years Races Led 20 Miles completed 12,150 Laps led, career 780 Laps led, race 184 Margin of victory 2 laps * -- Shared with Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin

Because you see, Petty isn't just another embittered codger who is just living in the past. He makes some good points.

"NASCAR, over a period of time, basically ... with the sponsors, the fans, the whole deal, they've slanted the situation from pure racing to show," the seven-time NASCAR champion told the paper.

"There was rules ... it was OK when Dodge was the best car. They let it be that way, and then Ford would be the best (the) next year, or whatever. Now they're trying to say 'everybody's got to run 190 mph and we want everybody to do the same and we want 43 cars coming across the start-finish line side-by-side after 500 miles.' I hope that they don't get too much into the show business part and leave the racing behind."

Why we care: After years of repeatedly running in the back of the pack, regardless of who was behind the wheel or atop the pit box, the Pettys made a bold move to get back into the game. They contracted with Evernham Motorsports to supply engines and the Pettys hope they can use the horsepower as the foundation for restructuring their entire operation.

The deal: Rick Minter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Boris Said, a road racing specialist with bushy hair and a laid-back approach, doesn't come across like the typical driver on the Nextel Cup circuit.

Boris Said was 11th in Sunday's Daytona 500 qualifying. Credit: Autostock

And although he has become a serious candidate to earn full-time status in NASCAR, he doesn't plan to change his ways.

Why we care: Said, who assured himself a starting spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 with an 11th-place qualifying run, is unique among top-flight athletes because of his genuine, self-deprecating humor.

While talking with reporters last week about his superspeedway debut last year in the Budweiser Shootout, he showed how cleverly he can deal with the notion that he's nothing more than a road-course ringer.

"I'm sure people were taking bets, not on if I was going to crash but on what lap and how many people I took out," he said.

The deal: Terry Blount of the Dallas Morning News says Craftsman Truck Series standout David Starr believes this season could be a special one for everyone who works on the No. 75 Chevrolet.

David Starr had 16 top-10 finishes in the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series Credit: Autostock

"We have all the right pieces in place," Starr told the newspaper. "Wayne and Connie Spears have given us everything we need. The team is better than it has ever been."

Why we care: Starr had no problem with consistency down the stretch last season. In the past 11 races, Starr's average finish was 9.0. Bobby Hamilton won the championship with an average finish of 9.4.

Starr was 15th in the standings after 10 races, but finished sixth after posting two victories and 11 top-10s in the last 15 races.

The deal: Shannon Shelton of the Orlando Sentinel says at the annual NASCAR media day last Thursday, Greg Biffle answered numerous questions about the probability of making the Chase for the Nextel Cup this season -- something he didn't address much, if at all, in 2004.

Greg Biffle won two Nextel Cup Series races in 2004. Credit: Autostock

"I think we have the tools it takes and the cars that it takes this year," Biffle told the newspaper. "The thing was, we always ran well, but we never finished well."

Why we care: Biffle's performances this past week have only added to the speculation that he's ready to enter NASCAR's elite. His testing times ranked among the fastest of any Cup drivers at Daytona, and he proved his speed was no fluke in the Shootout. Biffle led 44 of the 70 laps and looked to be headed to victory until a lengthy pit stop pushed him back to fifth.

Third-place finisher Jeff Gordon noticed something special.

"I thought the No. 16 car was the strongest out there," Gordon said.