With the Super Bowl right around the corner, the time of year has returned once again. This particular pocket on the calendar serves as the preparation point that will give way to the onslaught of sport for the year to come.

As we speak, New Orleans is being blitzed and invaded by 49ers fans and Ravens fans alike, not to mention the straight-up football fans and “party fans” that are piling in. It is Bourbon Street, after all.

Even the First Super Bowl Party gets a little loose! By White House (Pete Souza) / Maison Blanche (Pete Souza) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We know the pageantry and performance of the big game won’t disappoint. The annual pinnacle of American sport never lets us down, and even if the scoreboard is lopsided, one of your friends at the party seems to always end up that way as well, making the whole Super Bowl party experience a let-down-free zone.

Pushing all the rif-raf to the peanut gallery, the 49ers open, and will most likely remain, favorites – and with good reason. Colin Kaepernick is a dynamic force that is currently surfing the wave that most young phenoms always seem to – “they don’t even know where they are right now.”

The combination of Colin Kaepernick riding the whitewash of momentum, coupled with his elite, dual-threat ability coming of age right before our eyes, makes the 49ers an extremely dangerous favorite. The 49ers could win by a slim margin or a big margin. This is something you can’t necessarily say about the Ravens.

If the Ravens get over, it will be a ‘Rice, Rice, Flacco to Boldin or Pitta 3rd down conversion’ type of game. The deep bomb to Torrey Smith is something I don’t really see the defense of the 49ers allowing, given the prowlace their two all-pro safeties.  At the same time, I would also be foolish if I didn’t consider the magic a retiring Ray Lewis and his defense seem to have going.  Underdogs can still overachieve.

Analysis of the game aside, the unbridled fun of the Super Bowl also serves as a recognizable signaling of the year to come in all other arenas of sport.

The NBA all-star game is on the horizon, and unfortunately for most fans, the taste of purple and gold is impossible to remove from the palate of NBA water-cooler talk everywhere.

Dwight Howard throw-downs have been few and far between so far this season. By Fido (Flickr: Bucks @ Lakers) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I know everyone is exhausted with the revolving Laker discussion, but the reason the Lakers continue to hoard the headlines is a reason you rarely equate with this franchise – their ineptitude.

Give me an “A” or give me an “F,” right?  Unfortunately, “F” sells in a huge way, and sadly, sells even more than “A” does – but you can’t blame the Lakers for all the attention they are recieving.  Another main reason the Lakers are hogging print and air waves is because nothing around the rest of the NBA is making waves.

The Heat are dominating in their defense of the title. The Celtics, Knicks and Rose-less Bulls are still nipping at their heels in the East.  Great.

In the West, the Thunder are still running, the Spurs are still lurking, and the Clippers and Grizzlies are still up-and-coming. Great.

Yawn.  Alright!  I’m awake!

Moving on — what or who else looms near this time of year? You got it – everyone’s favorite worst guy ever, the infamous “bracket guy.”

Unrightfully so, no one pays an emphatic amount of attention to the national NCAA basketball scene until March rolls around, but when it does, get ready to throw down your bracket and your bucks.

Cinderellas will be the overlying theme as they always are, and golden chariots will turn back into pumpkins in the end like they always do – but the overall saga of March never comes up short.  One.  Shining.  Moment.  I’m welling up just thinking about it.  No I’m not.

Seamheads are beyond hyped this time of year as well. Everyone is a potential pennant winner in spring training, and pitchers and catchers report in less than a month.

With the Giants coming off another World Series Championship and the Dodgers having huge expectations, the rivalry only looks to get juicier. By andyrusch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/asrusch/5748267516/) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Money, money and more money has morphed a perpetual big-market underachiever into the new West coast version of the New York Yankees. Trading for the gigantic contracts of super stars has given way to monumental stadium renovations for the Dodgers, which will create more revenue, and eventually give way to taking on even more gigantic contracts of super stars.

Moneyball may get you to the dance, but big money allows you to go home with the prom queen in the end. The Dodgers have officially taken on the new face of baseball’s dark side, and will become even more of a polarizing team than they were before.

Spoiler alert: yes, the rebels eventually win in Star Wars, but in baseball the empire always eventually wins in bulk. Blue thinkers finally realizing gold once again could be right around the corner.

From progression to regression – congratulations on almost killing your sport one more time, Gary Bettman. Hockey is back, but now the few casual fans that existed before care even less.

Kings captain Dustin Brown hoists the cup, a trophy of a dying sport. By Eric Chan from Hollywood, United States (DSC00815 Uploaded by JoeJohnson2) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On a positive note, the Kings raising the banner was beyond due.  It was an awesome run last season and a championship that was well deserved for Kingdom loyalists — but the realistic future of hockey has essentially become a dimming light, one that now can barely even be seen by a telescope in the night sky of the American sporting realm.

It wouldn’t be an all discussion without mentioning eagles and earplugs, two associations about to start the longest campaigns of any professional leagues in the United States. 10 months?  Forget campaigns, try marathons.

There are niches in our sports melting pot that absolutely live for the PGA and Nascar circuits. And strangely enough, they couldn’t be more polar opposites.  Its the quietest sport and the loudest sport.  Its the high-class perception and the low-class perception.  And given the differences, it’s kind of ironic how the hardcore fans of both circuits would probably never get along, yet the 19th hole and the 5th wheel effectively serve the same purpose.  I guess that’s one thing everyone can agree on – booze.

So there it is and here it comes – the great American sporting landscape.  And with all of the anticipation and excitement on the horizon, there’s honestly nothing I can see that could put damper on the cornucopia of sport all of us fans are in line for, could there be?

April 15th. Yea, the smartass went and did it.

The tech and I headed out at dawn. California Jets was back. He was enthralled without coffee from the get-go. I wasn’t exactly. I didn’t quite know what he was so excited about, but the enthusiasm he was exuding eventually rubbed off on me. The alleys of Highway 46 passed and I fleetly came to a fever that rivaled his.

Soon the beelines of the Western Bakersfield thoroughfares were wandered, and we ultimately found our destination at the old runway near the aqueduct. We passed through the gates without the fee for admission even questioned.

I was treated to a back-stage pass to California Jets, and upon arrival, I quickly came to realize not only how serious these professionals take their craft as well as the performance of their crafts, but how the fascination of the general public can intensify given the presence of the magnitude and skill of the performing cast.

The tech I traveled to the event with was my good friend, Scot Sneed. Before the fair, I only partly understood what his career entailed. I fully came to appreciate it when I found myself knee-deep in the highest level of the RC Jet circuit.

Sneed is a turbine machinist and engineer for Jet Cat, USA. Jet Cat is a German-based company that is the Coca-Cola of the RC jet turbine engine industry. Exactly how Coca-Cola are they? Jet Cat provided approximately 90-95% of all the turbine engines sported at not only this event, but all remote control jet events like this, worldwide.

Early Friday I tried to keep my networking to a maximum and my inquiring to a minimum. I decided to begin with a lot of listening and deemphasized questioning.  The high sun and calm conditions were ideal for aviation, as this was the encompassing story that could not be discounted at the outset of the event.

The technology and intricacies of these so-called “toys” were as inconceivable as they were amazing. The cost to assemble these jets to perform at the elite level that that do can range anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000. Per jet.  It was amazing how steadfastly these professional and amateur pilots functioned when considering that they were flying the average man’s bi-annual salary through the heights and depths of the Central Valley air.

I began my snoop by trailing Sneed and his mentor, Jet Cat USA owner, Bob Wilcox, around the perimeter. What I observed from them was a melange somewhere between coach, trainer and team doctor. Not only did they play make-ship, on-the-fly surgeon with electrical and soldering agents, but they also had the where-with-all to advise pilots in tactic and overall engine management, using an assortment of tools, gauges and even verbal advice and guidance. The appreciation of their time and place was felt from not only their customers, but by all privy on-lookers as well. They were the true nuts and bolts of the illustriousness that was being seen in the air.

Bob Wilcox, aforesaid head of Jet Cat USA, is nearing retirement. The business of turbine engines is only a fading sliver of what he has accomplished in unique industries similar to turbine engines for RC jets.

Wilcox used to contribute during the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s in building special effects products for numerous Hollywood films. He only steered towards turbine production when his exclusive talents were replaced by the modern innovations of CGI.

After spending time with Wilcox during a Friday night dinner at the Woolgrowers Basque House Restaurant in Bakersfield, it is without a doubt that he has put his time in, and then some, to these special trades.

This dedication rings true when observing the Jet Cat operation. The product and its people sells itself, as the vast majority of the clients don’t need to be sold in a market of gimmicks.  The best engines don’t need to be sold, they sell themselves.  And the best pilots don’t need to be sold on an engine.  They simply know.

While Wilcox garners all the respect and has been around the block – his protege, Scot Sneed, is undoubtedly one of the straws that stirs the drink in the tent-pits of these world-class RC pilots during events such as California Jets. Sneed serves as a primary problem-solver in the realm of these pros and amateurs, that are flying their well-beings and toys through the instability of the skies.

As the day grew on, special privileges reaped special benefits. Here is a shot of the early Friday runway, as well as a few shots of some entry level “sport” jets that were in the show: the BMV USA, a Swiss Army jet, the Viper – which is one of the most popular “sport” jets on the market, the U.S. Navy 7-W, and a jet being repaired in the Tam Jets tent.

After blending with a few of the pilots, designers and engineers, and perusing the actual jets themselves on the runway, I decided to follow Andreas Gietz on his run with the Composite ARF AR-4 Blue Angel.  This was a great way to get my feet wet by following a true professional and his skill.  I was in unmitigated reverence throughout the process.

Gietz is the owner of the German-based design company, ARF Composite. They supply most of the RC Jet world with composite-made scale and sport jet-frames, which range from $1,500 to upwards of $5,000 per specimen.  I was fortunate enough to be ad hoc next to their tent when they sold a $1,900 frame to a pilot that was exhibiting joy and mania at his purchase.

“Aside from the P-47, the Blue Angel is probably our most popular scale jet,” said Gietz.  “The fans in the crowds at all events we go to just love them.”

Gietz and his Composite ARF team spend roughly half the year traveling the world and working events congruent to California Jets. There are numerous comparable events to California Jets in the United States alone, annually.

“It is hard at times, but it is our life and our passion, so it makes it all worth it,” remarked Gietz in a distinct German accent.

I then corralled the tech I rode in with, and Mr. Wilcox, who were attempting to get one of their most intimate customers, local pilot Gary Banducci from Arvin, California, back up in the air.

Apparently there was initially a problem with the fuel pump and fuel line. Turns out through a series of tests, that the problem wasn’t the fuel pump or line at all, but rather a fuel component called a solenoid. After a purge of the fuel line, a quick installment of a replacement was all that was needed, and Banducci’s Jet Cat was back up in the air.

I then wandered back over to the German tent, which was the most popular of the function, and was conveniently located right next to the Jet Cat tent in which I was fortuitous enough to be welcomed. It was time for the class of the event to take out their duel jets that they feature in a team-type show, their Canadian Snowbird scale jets.

It was quite a display to watch ARF Composite centerpiece, Gietz, as well as arguably the best overall pilot at the event, Thomas Singer, use teamwork in the air and bring both jets back home with flawless landings.  It is something quite charismatic to see two of the best RC jet pilots in the world deliberate these gorgeous declarations as not only what they were personally, but rather who they were as the jet within themselves . The sign of a good pilot is one who flies what he is flying foremost, and almost truly becomes one with the satellite that he is controlling, rather than simply portraying the tendencies of his own bare-individualistic tendencies.

Gietz then unveiled his gem for the show, a P-47 Razorback that was a primary vessel that was embattled in World War II over the skies of Europe. I felt the buzz from the crowd in the distance as well as from the pilots and high-ups that were near me on the runway. This was a spectacle to behold in the world of hobby aeronautics.  The P-47 lived up to its billing and undoubtedly stole the show.

The crowd that was present for the Saturday show was constantly at attention and truly appreciated the dexterity and majesty that was on display.  They packed in all over the site and were “ooo’ing and ahh’ing at the marvel that was being demonstrated.

The best American pilot of the event, and perhaps the superior pilot present, was David Shulman, a native of Florida, who heads Schulman Aviation. His company specializes in teaching RC jet pilots not exclusively how to fly, but predominantly how to fly in the coop of the elite. Shulman travels the world with his instruction, and his mastery and tutoring is in extremely high demand in the realm of the RC jet universe.

“Just in the past year, I have been all around the United States, as well as South America, Europe, Dubai and even to Asia,” described Shulman, as he commented on the far-reaching market for his topflight discipline and guidance in the field.

Shown below is Shulman according his talents for all that were modern to the event.

Shulman came across as a dedicated family man that has been fortunate enough to parlay a childhood dream into a world-class career in his field. When asked how much of his time he spends on teaching and how much of his time he spends on actual recreation, he poignantly asserted, “It’s all work for me now. Between traveling and teaching, there is little time to spend with my kids, so I try to keep all the time spent within the business focused on the business, and the remainder alone is for my family”

When I asked him about how he came up in the sport, he smiled and reminisced, “My father taught me from as far back as I can remember and I have been flying since I was three.”

This “family business” mentality resonated with a guy like me who is currently engulfed in such an enterprise.

When I asked him about his children and if they are involved in Dad’s business, he replied, “yes, my daughter just started flying, too.”

I then asked him how old his daughter was, and he quipped with a grin, “she’s only three!”

It was then time to experience a meeting with Tam Nyguen, or “Tam baby” as he is affectionately tabbed by all within the industry.

Owner of Tam Jets, Nyguen is a virtual phenom in the industry of design and engineering. Tam also works for Nascar in designing the cooling systems for their braking components.

A shy and introverted man, it was hard to get many words out of him – but the amount of attention his tent was engrossed in told me all I needed to know about the respect he garners within the patronage.

Heading back out to the runway, I viewed a couple of jets that peaked my interest and were different than most all that were being flown. These cumbersome yet sleek hulks bellowed smoke as they passed low and had smooth ascensions and turns around the field that weren’t the norm for the day. They stood out something solitary.  They didn’t need steep climbs or axis-spins to boast. They were subtle and majestic, which peaked my personality.

The model was the Victory, and it was my opinion that they lived up to the name, and then some.

These were my favorite jets of the meet. The Victory is the model of a private jet that is usually reserved for corporations or the privately wealthy. They have room for five to six people and can be piloted by only one. The price tag for a real Victory? Only a respectable $1.5 million.

I described to the owner of the silver Victory that his jet was my favorite of the entire meet.  He expressed his appreciation, as he was already aware of who I was and what my purpose entailed, and responded, “you saying that makes this all worth it.”

I assume he meant that my comment made all the time and thousands of dollars that he had expended in his passion, somewhat accounted for.

The aforementioned, world-class German pilot, David Singer, then broke out the grand finale. The trick plane he walked to the platform was amazing. It dazzled the crowd as it seeming defied gravity, rivaling only the astonishing agility and racket of a UFO.  It was a great way to close the entire weekend.

After the closing show, all the pilots still remained to get a few more runs in before the sun receded under the Western range.

While unfortunately, I was not present on the runway during the one and only crash that occurred during the entire event, I saw the burst and reverberation out of the corner of my eye while lounging in the Jet Cat tent.  Upon the distress, I quickly sprung to the scene.

A Tam Jets pilot lost control of his Viper and wrecked the entire $7,000 machine to close out the day.  He was subsequently awarded a booby trophy and playfully mocked at the Saturday night banquet.

What this humble reporter took from the experience eventually cultivated into an understanding that kids of all ages can still admire and dream, eyes pointed to the sky with radar-like attention.

California Jets was a success, as the Fansmanship from last year to this year gained momentum. Next year it is surely to gain even more moxie and clout.

The weekend was then topped off by a classy banquet on Saturday night at the Double Tree in Bakersfield, one in which I was lucky enough to attend. The backdrop was an outdoor patio that was garnished with ponds, fountains and palm trees.

I was opportune enough to sit at the first table from the podium and rub elbows, as well as jokes, with the vital parts of the exposition such as: Sneed, Banducci, Shulman, Orlando native and elite pilot Pablo Fernandez, as well as son of Jack Diaz, the South American godfather of the sport, Geraldo Diaz.

Geraldo and his 4-year old son provided entertainment for the entire table. Father was incensed at the fried food that was being served on the children’s menu.  His nutritionally-regimented son wasn’t used to a spread such as this.

His son and I had already exchanged an intellectual dialogue regarding my Boston Terrier, Dino, earlier in the day.  He couldn’t believe how well the dog listened and heeled to my voice.  The boy was fully bilingual, and conversationally well beyond his age of four.

As dinner concluded and the announcements ensued, Andreas Gietz swept the major awards, as the other pilots around the front of the banquet joked that they should just get him a chair up on the stage so he doesn’t have to keep coming up time and time again to accept his accolades.

The banquet concluded with an auction that displayed donations from all of the companies present, an integral income that fuels the California Jets event. The spectrum of items that were auctioned off ranged from $20 parts to $1,500 components and full electric jet packages.

Auctioneer, Dave Presta, that was present on the runway at the field, and had a lot of good one-liners that garnered laughter from the party.  “Tam-baby’s” young son made a lot of bids on the items up for tender.  His bid was perpetually a jubilant, “free!”

It was a real pleasure and thrill to be a part of this event, and see the inside story that entails the family of elite jet pilots around the world. And that’s just the feel that everything had, like a family. A family that displays their expensive hobby for the thrill of romanticists.

Two days is all that it took to get this newly-spawned fan hooked. The energy of the event rubs off on you.  It was the same vigor that was gained en route to the event as the vivacity that was being enjoyed amid the extravaganza.

I cant wait  to venture out to “The Willow” next year, for California Jets 2012.

If you’re a fan of D-How, I am truly sorry. The guy played the most uninspired game I have ever seen. He looked more like Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum than he did superman, with one bead of sweat glimmering from his reddened cheeks, as he smiled all evening at the half-clad body of Rihanna.

No I am not arguing in favor of Bieber fever to the Magic for D-How to Hollywood. The fever needs to stick to swooning fifteen year old girls with hip thrusts.  While D-How needs to go back to playing basketball with more drive than a uni-cycle. Dwight were you not the first overall pick in 2004, the guy who was supposed to help us forget about our generations great centers– Olajuwan, Ewing, Robinson, Mutumbo, and Shaq?

Yesterday you were far too much of the Afro-American Shawn Bradley. Pathetic.

Which is why Daytona– a “man” compared to the NBA’s “teenager”, shined yesterday. The tenth anniversary of the late great Dale Earnhardt’s death–Nascar’s MJ or Magic–touched me deep, as I reminisced on moments watching the great circle the track, while I hung with my ol’ man.  Those memories felt like yesterday–the flamed grill stinging the eyes with those dancing orange flames, while a beautifully seasoned tri-tip drips juicy fat onto oak wood.  Dad gurgling a Coors, with hash curling from his calloused cracked hands, while my uncles spit slurs at the fine Betty walking toward the beach in a poke-o-dot bikini. When the race began, everyone shuttup and watched. Something about the humming motors, thousands upon thousands of fans, and the various colored flags waving in the smooth wind of Daytona courted their boyhood (courting mine now) with memories of  wood race cars in Boy Scouts, skate boards, and bmx.

The glory of  yesterday reflected from a boy…literally. The victor of the 53rd Daytona 500, was  twenty year old rookie Trevor Bayne. He drove the famed Wood Bros. #21 car, leading them to their first large scale victory in ten years. As always the race was a cautiously safe ride for the first 175 laps, with your classic two by two mini races, and an occasional burst into the breakaway flat.  But it was far from boring. Jonathan Washer, from examiner.com, reported the race as ” [a] race [that] was filled with cautions and caution laps, there were too many two by two racing which made it seem boring for a 500 mile (200 lap) race.” Washer began the treatise as a lover of Nascar, which is why his opinion surprised me.

Or maybe it didn’t. The decline in Nascar’s attendance is not because the sport has become boring or awash with drivers that are “too safe”.  The decline is a derivative of pop cultures desire for athleticism–a highly relative term–considering most of us would not have the strength nor the fortitude to control the wile and torque of a car speeding around a track at 170-190 mph. Our cultures inability to see the competitive nature of Nascar is rooted in our entertainment world–the fact that we are now more of a fashion/hip hop culture that wants to see freakish, circus like movements in the air. We only want the wrecks or the dunks, not the patience of a skilled driver, taking small move after small move till the paramount of the 190th lap. A lap when no holds bar, and it becomes a dog eat dog experience on the race track.  My father’s generation looked at the resiliency of an individual, and judged them by their ability to withstand a sporting obstacle and win, win, win, on the biggest stages. We=beauty. My father=heart.

“The cool”=shoe shiner to my father as well. It did not matter what smile or swagger you had during his era, because it was more about the heart of each competitor. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Jerry West, Joe Joe D, The Big O, and Earnhardt Sr., were not a popular face in and of themselves, they were particles of popularity within the greater face of the sport itself. Basketball, Football, Baseball, Nascar, etc, made them who they were, not the opposite.

Which is why Nascar was where it was at yesterday. The NBA paled in comparison to a sport that still offers a freckle face twenty year old Bayne the opportunity to win on the biggest stage. A pile up on lap twenty nine, involving big names like Brian Vickers, Waltrip, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordan, not only opened the field for youngsters like Bayne, but proved to the sporting world just how hard these guys compete. They literally risk their lives for the love of a sport, which should hit home for the people who choose to judge life by its quality not by its quantity.

Go ahead, you can have Bieber fever, and I will gladly remain steadfast in Nascar.  And when you leave, do you mind dumping Dwight “Tweedle Dee” Howard into the dumpsters out back? Thanks.

–Luke Johnson

This traditional hollering at the beginning of each race by Nascar TV commentator Darrell Waltrip is the question that is unequivically posed by an inebriated Randy “Hardtimes” Kenney. Before every race we have attended together, he would ask this question with unbridled enthusiasm to at least twenty random fans while on the walk to the track from the 5th-wheel parking lot.

“Do you know the 7 most famous words in racing? If you do, I’ll give you a dollar. If you don’t, you have to give ME a dollar.”

He was always able to buy the first round of beers inside the gates from the proceeds earned.

As the 2011 season narrowly approaches, memories are reborn along with the anticipation of new ones to come from the great American racing series.

Even though Jimmy Johnson has won an unprecedented 6th straight Sprint Cup title in his number 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe’s Chevrolet, the season-long headline will be what it always has been in recent years past – will Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally live up to expectations as Nascar’s most popular living driver and win his first Sprint Cup title?

Earnhardt, who is on the pole to start the Daytona 500 Sunday, sits on pole at this race for the second year in a row. Back to back poles at the Daytona 500 is something only Mark Martin and Dale’s late father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. have done in the past quarter century.

A wreck in Wednesday’s practice however, involving Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex, Jr., Brian Vickers and Jimmy Johnson, will force Earnhardt to start in the back of the field.  Nascar rules state: if during practice between qualifying and the race, a driver wrecks the car he qualified in to where it is undrivable for the race and thus has to switch to a backup car, he must start the race at the “tail-end of the longest line,” in “Nascar-speak.”

Fortunately for all involved in the mishap, qualifying position garners you little advantage at large, 2.5 mile super-speedways like Daytona and Talladega.  This is due to the amount of positions changed every lap, which tends to happen consistently because of longer straight-aways and drivers drafting in long lines off of each other.  A driver all by himself and not in a line of drafters could lose 10 positions or more just on one straight-away.  At these tracks, as long as you qualify and are in the race, you have a shot to win.  Just look at last year’s winner, relatively unknown Jaime McMurray.

This year is also the 10-year anniversary of Dale Sr.’s death at Daytona. Michael Waltrip won his first and only Daytona 500 in 2001. His elation in victory, however, was quickly curbed. As he crossed the finish line, his car-owner at that time, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed on turn 4 while traveling upwards of 200 miles an hour into an unforgiving wall. As a tribute to Dale, Sr., Waltrip will be racing in a black number 15 Napa Toyota on Sunday.

This isn’t the only tribute there will be this Sunday to Dale, Sr., who is basically the Elvis of Nascar, and is still amazingly it’s most popular driver according to merchandise sales even a decade after his death. There will be a number 3 (his longtime and retired car number) painted on the grass near the entrance to pit road. Also, as the drivers turn left around the newly re-paved surface, during the 3rd lap of the race, a moment of silence will be upheld by the over 240,000 fans present. They will be instructed to hold up 3 fingers during this respectful hush as the sounds of the pistons roaring will be all that is audible.

When Daytona Beach is vacated by the hundreds of thousands come next week and the season begins to progress, week after week, Johnson will have the bullseye squarely on his back. Earnhardt, Jr.’s back will also be accompanied by something – a monkey of gorilla-like proportions. But what else is new in Nascar, right? Well, surprisingly, things change as much as they stay the same.

A new points system will be introduced in 2011, a basic reverse snaking system (43 points for 1st, 42 for 2nd, 41 for 3rd, all he way down to 1 for 43rd). Additionally, the winner of each race will recieve 3 bonus points. Drivers will also receive 1 bonus point if they are able to lead the race for one full lap, and 1 bonus point will be up for grabs for the driver that leads the most laps.

Nascar CEO Brian France called the new system “a straight-forward way for us to communicate the standings, as opposed to the complicated formulas for points in years past.”

7-time Sprint Cup champion Richard Petty likes the new simplified points standings. The simple man in the cowboy hat is behind this ideal of simplicity so much, that he is also vehemently against the small bonus points system altogether.

“They ought to make it so simple that a 10-year old can keep up with the points standings,” said Petty in a recent interview.

The playoff system in Nascar, called “The Chase for the Sprint Cup,” will still carry 12 drivers as it has since it’s inception in 2004. However, this year there is a new twist that has been added to the equation. Before, it was simply the top 12 in the points standings that received bids into the chase. Now, the top 10 will get in the chase after the first 26 races based on points, as well as 2 wildcards. These wildcards will be decided by which 2 drivers outside of the top 10 in points have won the most races, regardless of overall points standings.

“It gives drivers a chance to get in on their own merit,” said Tony Stewart, who likes to the new wildcard structure.

The biggest villian in the series, Kyle Busch, also agrees. “It’s better than a fan vote deciding the final two,” said Busch, in jest.

These shakeups are a transparent attempt by Nascar at trying to gain back causal fans. The ratings surge of Nascar viewership in 2006 and 2007 has seen a heavy decline since. Johnson’s dominance has played the major role in this trend. As in all other sports, dominance is a bore to the casual on-looker.

That, however, is not the only problem mentioned by the ones in charge of presenting the product to the viewers. Fox Sports Chairman David Hill believes shorter races would bring more fans back to the turnstiles and TV tubes, stating, “with all the diversions in today’s world, the races are far too long to realistically keep viewers for the entire 3 to 4 hours of the race.”

One other fundamental change this season to the Nascar brand as a whole regards drivers competing in multiple series. Sprint Cup drivers, although still able to drive here and there in the “minor leagues” for purposes of existing contractual obligations to sponsors, are now out of the points championship contention in those two other series, the Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series. This will allow the titles of the minor leagues to be contended by only the up and coming young drivers, which naturally should be the purpose of the minor leagues, shouldn’t it?

With Sprint Cup drivers also racing in these series in years past, the overall talent and equipment level was entirely an unfair playing field. The annual winners of these series were household Sprint Cup names. Drivers who’s livelihood was only being able to drive in these minor leagues, had a distinct disadvantage and never realistically had a shot to win. That dynamic saw a lot of young drivers fall by the wayside that maybe shouldn’t have, due to the money issues of losing sponsors by not having a chance to be seen, made note of by commentators or being able to exude the slightest bit of relevance.

This new rule doesn’t let the rich keep getting richer at the expense of the little man. Many Sprint Cup drivers, surprisingly however, are welcome to the change. Why would Albert Pujols want to hit 100 homeruns in triple-A anyway?

Kyle Busch, who two years ago while running in all three series, won both the Natonwide and Craftsman Truck Series. He is now unable to repeat this display of overall endurance, which could be a blessing in disguise, due to the overall dedication it takes to complete such a feat. Running in all three series may have lead to a decline in his consistency that year in the most lucrative and highest level of competition, the Sprint Cup series.

Last year’s Nationwide series winner, the most talented up-and-coming young driver in the Sprint Cup Series, Brad Keselowski, will be unable to defend his Nationwide title this season. Although somewhat disappointed, he was not bitter about the rule change at all.

“It’s important to live up to the spirit of the new rule, and it will be for the best to focus only on the (Sprint) cup side of things,” said Keselowski.

The “Silly Season,” as it is commonly known amongst fans, is the off-season game of musical chairs the drivers whose contracts have expired play in changing cars, teams and sponsors. While there aren’t as many major changes in the ranks of the most popular drivers that has been seen in years past, there are still some moves of note.

Kasey Kahne headlines the list of switches, as he will be going from his number 9 Budwieser Dodge to his new ride – the number 4 Red Bull Toyota. He is joining Brian Vickers, who recently returned from a blood clot disorder, and his number 83 Red Bull Toyota car, in the 2-team German-owned Red Bull organization.

Amazingly talented Austrailian road-course sensation Marcos Ambrose will also unveil his new number 9 RPM Stanley Dewalt Ford.

Penske announced their expansion by dropping Keselowski into their number 2 Miller Lite Dodge full time, a ride that was formally driven for nearly the past decade by Kyle’s older brother, Kurt Busch. Busch will now be behind the wheel for Penske’s new team, the number 22 Pennzoil Shell Dodge.

After a fall out with Hendrick Motorsports as well as the Red Bull team in the past two years, Bakersfield’s Casey Mears announced that in 2011 he will be driving for longtime Nascar Series small-market organization, Germain Racing, in their number 13 Toyota.

Another one of Bakersfield’s own, short-track specialist Kevin Harvick, who last year lead in points for nearly the entire season only to fall just short in the chase to Johnson’s 48 team, said that he is doing exactly the same things he did last year to try and repeat his good fortune in getting to that point. The one and only thing Harvick has changed? “I changed my phone unlock code to ‘48 48’ so I will remember all year long who I have to beat.”

As the green flag waves this Sunday in Daytona, everyone will undoubtedly be gunning for the 6-time defending champ, as they will be all season. If you happen to find the lost phone of any Sprint Cup driver this season that isn’t named Jimmie Johnson, you will know unlocking it won’t be much trouble at all.

Now, if we could only find drunken Hardtimes’ lost phone.