The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog

The NASAR Busch Series starts 2007 in a familiar place and coverage is back to a familiar network.  Tony Stewart would like to go 3 for 3 in the last 3 years in this race, but faces challenges from many sides.  Your cheat sheet for the Orbitz 300:

Starting lineup: NASCAR.COM
Broadcast: Starting at 1:00 on ESPN2
Notes:
-The Toyotas qualified surprisingly well, with Jason Leffler, John Andretti, and Dave Blaney all placing in the top 11.  Two other teams also dominate the front of the field, those being the Roush Fords and the DEI Chevys.  Aric Almirola drove the #18 Gibbs Chevy to the top spot, matching what J.J. Yeley did a year ago.
- Speaking of Yeley, I’m pretty shocked he failed to make the show.  Also failing to do so were the #24 of Casey Mears and the #22 of David Stremme.
- Stewart’s old Gibbs teammate Bobby Labonte will reunite with him several races this year, as Labonte will drive the KHI #77 with Stewart in the #33.  Also on nostalgia runs are Mark Martin in the #06 for Roush, Robby Gordon once again in the #55, and Bobby Hamilton Jr. is back with Rensi with a special paint scheme honoring his father.
- My predicted winner for the race: Martin Truex Jr.  Truex is flying under the radar amongst the others in this race (Stewart, Dale Jr.) but he is a stout plate racer in his own right.  He has won the Talladega races each of the last few years and could pull it off in the #11 today.  I am very, very tempted to say Juan Pablo Montoya here as well.  Definitely keep on eye on him and don’t be surprised if he wins.

Here are the broadcast schedules for the rest of weekend:
(Just a heads up - I won't be doing this amount of detail every week, but I want everyone to enjoy as much Daytona programming as possible.)

Today

NASCAR Live from Daytona – 9:00 AM on SPEED
Nextel Cup: Final Practice – 10:30 am on SPEED
NASCAR Live from Daytona – 12:00 PM on SPEED
Busch Series Countdown – 12:00 PM on ESPN2
Busch Series: Orbitz 300 – 1:00 PM on ESPN2
NASCAR Live from Daytona– 5:00 PM on SPEED
 

Sunday

NASCAR Live from Daytona – 9:00 AM on SPEED
NASCAR Now – 10:00 AM on ESPN2
NASCAR RaceDay – 11:00 AM on SPEED
Chasing Sunday: The Race to the Cup – 1:00 PM on FOX
Nextel Cup: 49th Annual Daytona 500 – 2:00 PM on FOX
The SPEED Report – 7:00 PM on SPEED
NASCAR Victory Lane – 8:00 PM on SPEED
The SPEED Report – 8:30 PM on SPEED
Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain – 9:00 PM on SPEED
NASCAR Now – 10:00 PM on ESPN2

My last post before The Great American Race will appear later on today.

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