The Countdown has begun

42

Forty-two. An important number. A number that has ties to not only Math, but Science, Technology, Astronomy, Religion, Music, Television and Film, Video Games, and Sports. When I hear the number forty-two, it makes me think of Jackie Robinson. When a friend of mine hears the number forty-two, he thinks about the movie The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

But today, this 10th day of January, when I hear the number 42, I think of NASCAR. Forty-two days from today, I’ll be sitting in front of my television, watching my favorite sport come back for another season. I’ll be cheering for my favorite driver, and hoping some others don’t finish.

Like every year before, there will be changes for the 2015 season. Changes that’ll undoubtedly have me confused for the first few races. Here’s a few….

• Carl Edwards moves from Roush Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing. He will now be teammates with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth.
• Adam Stevens moves up to the Sprint Cup Series from the Xfinity Series. He was the crew chief for the #54 team. He will now be Kyle Busch’s crew chief in the #18.
• Sam Hornish Jr moves from the Xfinity Series (driving part time) to Richard Petty Motorsports.
• Trevor Bayne gets a new look at Roush Fenway Racing, with a full time Cup Series ride.
• Greg Ives was crew chief for Chase Elliot in the Xfinity Series. Now he will be Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief.
• Horsepower reductions being made to the Sprint Cup cars will go from 850 to 725 with the help of tapered spacers.
• Roller valve lifters will be used instead of flat valve lifters.
• The rear spoiler will be reduced from 8” to 6” to reduce drag.

There are so many other changes being made but didn’t feel it necessary to list them all. You can check them out yourself at the NASCAR website.

Some of the rules have me annoyed. I feel like they’re making NASCAR more boring by making the cars even less fast and more the same. This is supposed to be STOCK car racing, not IDENTICAL car racing. And while I’m on the subject, can I just say when did a Ford Fusion or a Toyota Camry become a race car? They are grocery getters!

Forty-two days….