BLOG: NFL gives NASCAR cause to make Daytona even more special

This is an opportunity NASCAR cannot ignore.

Unless something extremely odd happens, the NFL will expand its regular-season schedule beginning with the 2010 season. Why is this relevant to NASCAR? An expansion would likely put the Super Bowl on the same Sunday as the Daytona 500, which would be a horrible way to begin a Sprint Cup season.

As big as NASCAR wants to be, it will always live in the NFL’s shadow based on the NFL’s diverse fan base. Should the above scenario arise, NASCAR would have have to make a move, and thre’s never been a better time to make a major change.

Instead of just moving the race back a week and taking one of the series’ off weeks away, why not take the opportunity to move the Daytona 500 to the end of the season? I know, I know, tradition blah, blah, blah....

It’s not like every Cup season has opened with the Daytona 500. As recently as 1981 Riverside, Calif., was the opener, so get off the tradition bandwagon. I like history and tradition as much as anyone, but it just dosen’t equate here.

As popular as the 500 is in its present form, imagine the buildup (and TV ratings) if the season were to end in Daytona. Sure, there is always the chance for a stinker of a championship race, but if the race remains the sport’s highest-paying event, there will be no dropoff in competition.

I say take the opener back to California for a test run. If Fontana can’t sell out the season opener, there need be no more evidence that the track just won’t work. Or take it to Vegas. If the March race there sells out, then imagine the hype starting the season there would create.

Or NASCAR could just switch Homestead with Daytona. Hey, fans wanting a winter getaway would love the chance to go to South Florida. After all, Daytona in February isn’t exactly tropical.

Either way, why let this opportunity to fine tune the schedule get away?