Sniffing the Second Half

Nextel Cup vacations at Pocono Raceway one more time this summer, but NASCAR’s second honeymoon here — the Pocono Mountains are the destination for many newly married couples — doesn’t come until early August. We go to Michigan next, then winery hopping in Sonoma before a lesson in revolutionary history in New Hampshire.
After that comes Daytona, which was the start of our long, strange trip. Daytona marks Red Bull Racing’s second trip to some of America’s greatest speedways. We’ve been — or will have been — to these places once in 2007: Pocono, Bristol, California, Richmond, New Hampshire, Dover, Talladega, Charlotte, Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas and Phoenix.
That’ll be 12 tracks, after July’s 400-miler at Daytona, where we get to use our own notes, past experiences and dos and don’ts. That’s why the upcoming races at Michigan and New Hampshire are so critical. What we learn there can be applied to a hard charge into the top 35.
Brian’s 83 is beginning to reel in that elusive cutoff in the car owner standings. And just imagine what AJ, who’s made five races in a row, can do when he tackles a track for the second time.
Indeed, the dog days of summer count just as much as the glory of Daytona.