While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series has the first of six open dates on its schedule.
Three races in may be the perfect time for a breather considering the exciting coast-to-coast action that’s accompanied the start of the 2010 season — one of the most anticipated on record.
Danica Patrick made her national-series debut while also bringing an incredible meter-moving presence to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. She’ll return to series competition this June 26 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In the meantime, she’s back to her “regular” job in the IndyCar Series.
Said Patrick on her Twitter account earlier this week, “I am going to miss driving the stock car (and the people), but it is time to get the IndyCar season started.”
Out of the gate, there have been three different winners — Tony Stewart (Daytona International Speedway), reigning series champion Kyle Busch (Auto Club Speedway) and two-time series champion Kevin Harvick (Las Vegas Motor Speedway). Busch, who started first at Daytona after the field was set via the Rule Book, Joey Logano (Auto Club) and Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas) are the three different polesitters thus far in 2010.
Three series-only regulars are making noise in the top 10 in the standings: Justin Allgaier is fourth, Steve Wallace is sixth and Scott Riggs is 10th. An average of 3.3 “regular guys” have registered top-10 finishes in the first three events versus an average of 11.3 double-duty driver entrants.
