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Written by Jay W Pennell
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Monday, 18 February 2008 19:00 |
 By: Jay W. Pennell
Sprint Cup Correspondent
HardcoreRaceFans.com
As the sun sets on another Speedweeks at Daytona, teams head back to their shops briefly before making the long trek to the California Speedway. After spending almost a month at the World Center of Racing, it is now time to get back to business as the season kicks off in full swing.
Many of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Nationwide teams loaded their haulers for the cross-country trip today, while the Roush Fenway Racing team was busy practicing pit stops behind their race shop in the crisp North Carolina air.
Teams have little time to relax, as the schedule continues on to the next race with much preparation needed. Those that struggled or had bad luck have only a few days to put it behind them and try to turn things around. Those that had strong showings – especially Ryan Newman and Todd Bodine – hope to carry their momentum with them to the track.
The California Speedway is an entirely different beast than Daytona International Speedway. The Sprint Cup Series will be racing the current car for the first time at the 2-mile D-shaped oval. This will present a host of new challenges for the teams as they struggle to get the car to handle through the long sweeping corners.
In an interesting scheduling decision, the Craftsman Truck Series and the Nationwide Series will both hit the track on Saturday, February 23. The Truck Series San Bernardino County 200 is scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET start, while the Nationwide cars will hit the track for the Stater Bros. 300 under the lights at 7 p.m. ET. The stars of the Sprint Cup Series will shine once again in the Auto Club 500 Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. ![](\"/images/stories/hcrflogo.jpg\")
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