DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Three attack helicopters hovered over Daytona International Speedway early Saturday as three other fighter jets were perched on the runway that runs parallel with the backstretch.
The scene could have been confused with pre-race festivities, but their presence was anything but theatrical.
Today's Daytona 500 is a logistical nightmare for security, especially during the nation's level-orange alert, but speedway officials are confident they're prepared to head off any problem.
"We have security measures that have been in place since 9-11," speedway spokeswoman Kathy Catron said. "We're carrying it over. When the country increased its alert status, we increased the quantity of what we had planned. You will see a bigger law enforcement presence."
Fans entering the grandstand areas will be allowed one soft-sided cooler and one clear bag. Cameras, scanners and binoculars must be carried or around the neck and not inside the bag, Catron said.
Officers will conduct random searches, and bomb-sniffing dogs will patrol the 167,785-seat grandstands.
A small amount of antidotes for chemical attacks have been added to at least one of the speedway's care centers.
Law enforcement from city, county, state and federal offices are involved with today's security.
"We've been through this once," she said. "It won't be any different that what we went through last year."
The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated a 3.45-mile no-fly zone below 3,000 feet around the speedway for blimps and aircrafts pulling banners.
The military, which will participate in Sunday's pre-race ceremonies, will be on alert at nearby Daytona Beach International Airport as a precaution.
MORE POWER: Despite getting caught with an illegal carburetor following one of Thursday's 125-mile qualifying races, Rusty Wallace's Dodge had eight fewer horsepower than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s.
NASCAR put both cars on the chassis dynamometer following the race. Although Wallace's team had an advantage with the illegal part, Earnhardt still had more power.
Eight horsepower translates to nearly three-tenths of a second on the racetrack. At nearly 190 mph, that's like spotting Earnhardt a 20-yard lead on every lap.
PIT STOPS: With his win Saturday, Earnhardt has won three of his past four starts on the NASCAR Busch Series. The Busch Series has only 24 fulltime teams with sponsorships, and four of those will use different drivers. That means only 20 teams will compete for the championship - as long as they remain solvent. ... When Mike Wallace starts the Daytona 500, he will become the only driver in the speedway's history to race in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, Saturday's Busch Series race and Sunday's main event for the Winston Cup Series. He finished sixth in the truck race and fourth in the Busch Series race. He starts 18th today. ... Casey Mears hit the wall during the final practice session Saturday and will have to start the Daytona 500 from last place in a backup car.
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