And Away We Go!

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Six years ago, Matt and I were fortunate enough to attend the Daytona 500. Attending NASCAR's biggest race of the year was everything I expected and more. And if you're going to have your photo taken at Daytona, there was no better place than lying down on the start-finish line. This is still one of my favorite photos of Matt and me.

This year we'll be enjoying the Daytona 500 from our couch, rooting for our favorites and watching our fantasy picks. Our family fantasy league on Yahoo is quite competitive. With three consecutive championships, my dad is looking to become the Jimmie Johnson of our league. And we can only hope to spoil his ambitions.

I'll share my fantasy picks every week, time permitting. Without further ado, here's my picks for Daytona:

A-List: Tony Stewart. This is a gut pick. I don't know why, but I have this feeling that this is Tony's year to win the Daytona 500. Maybe it's his confidence coming off his championship last year. Or it could be his new crew chief Steve Addington. While I think he could win it all, every other driver I picked is driving a Ford with a Roush-Yates engine.

B-List: Greg Biffle. Roush Fenway is not known for its restrictor plate program, but their cars have looked impressive this year. I may be taking a gamble by picking Biffle over some drivers who are strong on the superspeedways, such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jamie McMurray. But this is where I'm going to put my money on Roush Fenway.

Marcos Ambrose. If you had told me a week ago that I would be picking Marcos Ambrose in a restrictor plate race, I would have said you were crazy. But Marcos has been impressive in his two races in Daytona. Let's hope this Daytona 500 changes people's minds on Marcos being just a "road course guy."

C-List: Trevor Bayne. Yeah, I know. It's easy to pick the defending champion. But that kid, that car and this race seem to work well together. And the Roush-Yates engine doesn't hurt either.

As far as points go, Daytona is only of 36 races in the season. But for the drivers, it is THE race to win. Sit back, hang on, and enjoy the ride!