Changes will be seen during Daytona weekend

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- Crews that stayed up for all of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona were told in advance that they needed to leave Daytona International Speedway as soon as possible Sunday.

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The racetrack wasn't being an ungrateful host; it just needed all the time possible to get ready for two more weeks of racing.

The schedule and rule book have been changed for this weekend's Daytona 500 qualifying, ARCA Series race and Budweiser Shootout, and for next week's schedule that includes races for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.

Every car at Daytona this Saturday will be on the track, giving fans an all-day buffet of racing and music.

In the past, the ARCA Series race and the Budweiser Shootout were held Saturday, and qualifying for the Daytona 500 followed Sunday. This year, they're all on the same day. One ticket is good for all three events.

The speedway wanted to avoid competing with the Super Bowl on Sunday, so it's packing a weekend's worth of action into one day. To make it even better, the ARCA race will feature the long-awaited stock car debut of Indy car driver Danica Patrick.

If Patrick does well, her race team said she might be back for the Nationwide Series race Feb. 13.

In another change, NASCAR has said it is lifting rules that prohibit bumping in the turns. NASCAR vice president Robin Pemberton said it best: "Boys, have at it."

NASCAR also is increasing the holes in the restrictor plate to allow more gas and air into the engine, which should increase speeds. A faster, crazier race should stir more interest from fans who would like to see outcomes determined more by a driver's nerve and skill.

One of the biggest changes is a new starting time. The Daytona 500 now will begin at 1 p.m. as NASCAR standardizes start times.

Day races east of the Mississippi River will begin at 1 p.m.; night races will start at 7:30.

There were 14 different starting times a year ago, including a 3:20 p.m. start for the Daytona 500. This caused considerable confusion, especially with television viewers.

By falling back to 1 p.m., the track will gain a two-hour cushion for bad weather. Two of the past seven Daytona 500 races ended before the 500-mile mark because the track didn't have enough time to wait out bad weather.