As the great poet-philosopher Jerry Reed best put it: “When you’re hot, you’re hot. When you’re not, you’re not.”

You know the clichés – but they’re all true: It’s always darkest before the dawn. When one door closes, another opens. And so on.

From front-row Cup qualifying to Danica’s ARCA debut to the Bud Shootout, Daytona braces for its biggest Saturday opener yet. Time to strap in, people.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It may not be unsafe, but it’s fair to say that the racing this year is going to be more dangerous. NASCAR officials have loosened the reins. They have upped the ante. They have damned the torpedoes in order to let the…

Danica Patrick would have had to win to make a better impression than she did in her stock car racing debut Saturday at Daytona.

IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick finished sixth in her stock-car debut at Daytona International Speedway.

Danica Patrick has finished sixth in her stock-car debut at Daytona International Speedway.

The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Series holds a special place in my heart. The first race I ever covered was an ARCA event at Talladega back in 1987, and that particular event, incidentally, was also the first stock car competition I’d ever seen live.While the more experienced writers were off covering NASCAR, I was the one assigned to the “little guys.” They made a newbie feel …

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It may not unsafe, but it’s fair to say that the racing this year is going to be more dangerous. NASCAR officials have loosened the reins. They have upped the ante. They have damned the torpedoes in…

Standing under the fluorescent lights in his auto shop, Greg Sarff gets a little emotional when he talks about the Daytona (Fla.) International Raceway.