NASCAR Season Kicks Off With Rolex 24

NASCAR hosts a number of exciting auto racing championships every year and this year will be no different. Not only will the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series be kicking off in less than three weeks time, but a number of great drivers, such as Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears, are set to return to the racetracks for another great season.

NASCAR hosts a number of exciting auto racing championships every year and this year will be no different. Not only will the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series be kicking off in less than three weeks time, but a number of great drivers, such as Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears, are set to return to the racetracks for another great season.

So far it seems as though NASCAR enthusiasts cannot wait the last few weeks before the Daytona 500 officially kicks off the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A large number of drivers and car owners will be heading down to the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday to take part in the Rolex 24. So far the line-up is looking pretty good. NASCAR stars have been participating in this pre-sprint cup race since 1962, making the most of the race and enjoying a fun-filled weekend that also gives them a great season warm-up. Casey Mears, who won the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype in 2006, and Juan Pablo Montoya who took the title in 2007 and 2008, will both be returning to Daytona for this year’s race. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson will also be making an appearance, as will other greats such as Kyle Petty, AJ Allmendinger and Colin Braun. Roger Penske, Richard Childress and Kevin Buckler have also submitted entries for the event. More than fifty different Daytona Prototype and GT cars are expected to be entered for the event, making the Rolex 24 at Daytona action packed and exciting.

So far the race is set to start at 15:30 on Saturday, but practice runs and qualifying will get underway long before on Thursday. All eyes will be on Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas to see if they can again burn up the tarmac on the “Roar Before the 24” test to determine the fastest speed. Both Pruett and Rojas are defending Rolex 24 at Daytona winners and they have taken the Daytona Prototype trophy home before. Montoya has remarked that his car is ‘pretty quick’ and said he is excited about the event. It won’t be long now before fans crowd the Daytona stadium ready to warm up for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with a little pre-championship racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.