After I took in an early movie on Sunday morning, seeing the spectacular film Jumper starring Hayden Christensen, with incredible action packed sequences and jumps from China to Egypt, I had plenty of time to catch the 50 th running of the Daytona 500. And it seemed that jumping, was also the theme of this season of Nascar. With so many racers coming and going, the new edition will sure liven up the entertainment on and off the track. The talent pool of drivers has two main rookies this year changing racing venues and jumping from Indy Racing League to join Nascar. Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti, two former Indy 500 and IRL Championship winners, these two, competitive racers will be a great addition to the already talented group of racecar drivers.

This is my first time watching the Daytona 500. Usually I cannot sit through hours and hours of racing, especially if it is not open-wheeled. I mean, I love racing, but five-six hours is a lot. Maybe I will get used to it the more I watch of Nascar. I usually watch the beginning and tune in for the end around 15-10 laps to go. That is when all the action happens. The crashes, the leader changes, the fantastic race to the finish line is the best part of the race.

Although I have never been to a Nascar race, stockcars are becoming more intriguing, especially since it seems that every racecar driver from IRL is making the jump. All my favorites it seems are leaving. Who is next to jump, Dan Wheldon perhaps? A.J. Foyt IV gave it a try, but unfortunately it did not work for him. Maybe he will give it another try, why not. And what about Danica Patrick? There was a lot of talk about her making the move to Nascar, but it never happened. Maybe it was just talk, maybe she had second thoughts. Who knows, maybe she just wants to win her first race in IRL before she makes the jump. I think it would be cool to have a woman racing in Nascar. Whoever that woman is, she will be the first, and what a mark she will leave, leaving the door open for other female racers to join the exclusive boys club.

With more and more racers jumping to Nascar, whether from Champ Car, IRL, or F1, this is the most known and widely popular racing league in the States. The venue travels all over. The fans pack the seats race after race. The following is huge. So just what is it that is enticing the racers? Money. That is always the number one reason. Racecar drivers in Nascar make more, a lot more than the other leagues. Fame. Nascar is the more watched. The more recognized. Maybe open-wheeled is becoming a dying sport in the States. In Europe, F1 and other open-wheeled leagues flourish, but in the States, there has been talk of combining IRL and Champ Car into one league.

I can understand if a racer wants to try something new, and wants to try driving stockcars instead of open-wheeled, but why leave a league you have become great in? Why leave when you could try winning back to back Indy 500 and IRL Championships? Is the allure so seductively strong that it can take such great drivers away from the other leagues? Is money and fame really that important, more important than a racecar driver's love and passion for open-wheeled racing? Apparently so, it did it with Franchitti and Hornish Jr., and for a short time, Foyt IV. I guess some things can never stay the same. I guess everything has to change. And that even includes the most avid of racing fans!

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