Kurt Busch (L) visits with SPEED's John Roberts, Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace in NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. (Image: SPEED) » More Photos

Enough about that. We’re racing at Daytona this weekend and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be one of the favorites Saturday night. He is one of the best in the draft. Tony Stewart is outstanding and he and Jeff Gordon always run well at the restrictor-plate races. Don’t count out Kurt Busch, either.

Success at Daytona comes down to teammates, handling, partnerships and knowing how to draft. These guys also have to go in with the right attitude and I’m not talking about the cocky attitudes of Montoya or Kyle Busch.

You know it’s going to be miserably hot on the Fourth of July in Daytona and drivers will get frustrated and short-fused. They must go in with a good mental attitude and keep in mind that if they make the wrong decision, it could cost them the race. A good mental attitude at Daytona is more critical than anywhere else we go.

The heat at Daytona brings up another hot topic in NASCAR. Guys have been complaining for weeks about the increasing temperatures inside these new cars. But not every driver is complaining, so there are certain things some teams are doing differently than others to prepare their cars. It’s not NASCAR’s fault. There are things out there to ease this problem. NASCAR will let these guys do anything to keep drivers safe and comfortable and the drivers complaining are totally out of line.

Driver preparation is crucial. A big part of the problem is drivers take their “driver comforts” for granted and don’t go to the shop to inspect their cars each week. They figure it will be okay but once the seat belts are strapped on, that little thing, whatever it is, that bothered them before the race will drive them crazy all night long. It’s the driver’s fault and no one else’s.

Can you believe all the “Silly Season” action this summer? Silly Season arrives earlier and earlier every year. We’re only at Daytona and Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Bobby Labonte, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler and others have re-signed. Casey Mears is out. Tony Stewart is looking. Mark Martin is leaving.

Tony Stewart is buying into the Haas Racing team, which is the best thing that can happen to Haas. Newman is a candidate to go with Stewart as his teammate but is also in the rumor mill for going to RCR.

I admire Tony for what he has chosen. He is walking away from a winning team and potential championships for a shot to build his own organization and possibly be really strong in five or 10 years when he’s retired from driving. This is really good for the sport because Tony will be a very involved car owner. No offense to some of the current owners but we need more who are true racers like Tony.

Mark Martin is going to the No. 5 car at Hendrick, which surprises me because I really thought he would stay with DEI. Where will Martin Truex go? Unfortunately, if he leaves DEI, that company will be thrown into turmoil. Aric Almirola is going to run fulltime at DEI next year. He shows great potential and will be a superstar someday but needs more seat time. Joey Logano will go in the No. 20 car and that’s a mistake. I think Gibbs will move him up way too quickly but only time will tell.

That’s it for now. Rest assured we’ll have more to talk about in the coming weeks as “musical seats” is just getting cranked up and someone will leave Daytona screaming and hollering.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.