DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It wasn't beach weather_even the seagulls bundled up. Nevertheless, the final 50 laps of Sunday's Daytona 500 were blowtorch hot.
I managed a couple of walks along the sand because you must when you're at Daytona. I'm told the ghosts of land-speed demons Barney Oldfield, Sir Malcolm Campbell and others still make their banzai runs along what is now hotel alley, crowded with high school and college kids during spring break _ and bikers due next week.
A stop at the Ocean Deck for a brew was mandatory, but the clientele is changing: more young people and fewer old drivers and writers hanging out this year. No surprise_the clock is ticking and stops for no one, including Benny Parsons and Bobby Hamilton, whom we lost in January.
As has become customary as I prepare to return to Detroit, here are some things from Daytona I liked and others I'd prefer to leave behind:
On the positive side, I enjoyed . . .
Kevin Harvick and his 500 win. He drives much like Dale Earnhardt, whom he replaced at Richard Childress Racing after Earnhardt was killed here in 2001. Harvick isn't a driver - he's a racer.
The "Candy Men" - David Gilliland (M&M's Ford) and Ricky Rudd (Snickers Ford), who colored up the Speedway with their cars, candor and sponsor products.
Watching Juan Pablo Montoya. How could you not be impressed with his speed and willingness to mix it up with the good old boys? He had a tough 500, finishing 19th, but he will win a race in 2007.
The appearance at a news conference of Boris Said's young son, Boris Jr., whose `Fro is almost as curly as Dad's and shows no signs of graying.
The racing of Tony Stewart, who has the ability to drive his car anywhere on the track and always fast. Until he crashed Sunday, he looked to have the 500 in his grasp.
Bobby Labonte, J.J. Yeley, Tony Raines and Kyle Petty, who prove you don't have to be a jerk to be a popular professional athlete.
Driving through the Turn 4 tunnel to the infield, which, like entering Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is one of the great thrills to a new racing season.
Following fellow countryman Marcos Ambrose's debut in the Busch Series. Ambrose, a star Down Under, finished 16th and humbly admitted he has plenty to learn against NASCAR's best.
Sticking around late for the Craftsman Truck race - which never fails to excite.
That Mark Martin is still racing - what a talent, at 48. He almost won America's Great Race. Maybe next year.
The flyovers. I'm jealous of the view the pilots get of the track.
The campers_they always seem to have a ball.
On the negative side, I hated ...
Having to write about cheating almost every day.
That Martin didn't win the 500. Everyone in the NASCAR garage_and in the media center - was rooting for him.
My grilled salmon at a certain popular restaurant near the track. Made me sick for two days.
The wreck as the pack stormed to the finish line in the 500. It was truly scary - just ask the drivers in the middle of the mess.
Driving through the Turn 4 tunnel and leaving Daytona International Speedway. It's hard to say good-bye.
Until this time next year, so long from Daytona!
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