Another Daytona 500 is in the books, which means I'm getting the annual onslaught of people asking me why the 500 is the first race of the year. Fans of other sports always have a hard time processing the idea that NASCAR starts the season with its biggest event. The fact that we call it "the Super Bowl of stock car racing" surely doesn't help.

If you know anything about racing, though, you know that Daytona is exactly where it should be. Since it's the first race of the year, everyone can throw the kitchen sink at it without worrying about preparing for any other race before it. I heard somebody the other day call it the only Hail Mary on our schedule. That's exactly right.