Offseason agendas varied among drivers in garage (cont'd)

Birthing classes were also on the agenda.

Diaper duty may be in the far off future for Penske teammate Ryan Newman; he preferred to spend time perfecting his hunting skills.

The avid outdoorsmen went duck hunting in Nashville, Tenn., with competing team owner Richard Childress. The pair happened to be there together attending Sound and Speed, a NASCAR country music fest.

• Daytona Countdown
• Acceleration
• Preseason Thunder
• Get your tickets
• Book your travel

The following morning at 5 a.m., Newman and Childress loaded up the 12-gage shot guns and threw on their cowboy boots.

Admittedly, Newman said he used a lot of ammunition although killed few fowl.

"I wounded one," Newman laughed. "Somebody shot it before, but it was still my duck."

Newman wasn't the only driver toting a gun during the offseason. David Ragan, Roush Fenway driver, headed home to Georgia with a few of his teammates and fellow driver Erik Darnell for some quail hunting.

"I'm too impatient to sit in a deer stand," Ragan said.

Later, he and Darnell headed west to Angel Fire, N.M., for a ski trip.

"I'm mediocre," Ragan said. "I'm usually scared going down the black diamond [advanced slopes] but I'm pretty good going down the kids slope. I don't want to risk breaking an arm you know."

Other Roush Fenway drivers Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle all took a trip to Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado with their significant others.

"I have a story to tell about altitude sickness, I can't tell you now," McMurray grimaced. "But I will say Greg [Biffle] is as crazy on a set of skis as he is inside a car."

So whether the drivers were jet setting to far off lands or merely enjoying pleasantries of a simpler life, life in the slower lane, they made the most of their off time. Now the fun and games are officially over and the season is upon us.