NASCAR season has arrived

NASCAR fans can finally start to celebrate. Another season begins Sunday with the running of the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

Racing at Daytona is always exciting and dangerous because engine restrictor plates guarantee a close finish and at least one wild wreck. Jeffs Burton and Gordon earned spots on the front row, while over two-thirds of the field was determined by the results of yesterday's two qualifying races.

Prediction - Jeff Gordon. The defending champion appears to have restrictor plate racing figured out better than anyone else. Gordon has won one race at both Daytona and Talladega each of the last two years.

Nextel Cup Points Championship - It would be great and ironic if veteran Mark Martin was crowned champion after not retiring as planned in 2005. But the pick here is Greg Biffle, who is coming off a second-place season that included six victories.

OLYMPICS

The lack of popularity in America for the Winter Olympics can mainly be broken down to one concept - winning.

In the United States, if we're not dominant at a particular sport, it seems that most people won't pay attention to it. Too many world-class American athletes are more well-known and worshipped in other countries.

When figure skater Michelle Kwan withdrew from the Olympics, she could easily have been upset at not having a chance to achieve the one thing needed to complete her illustrious career, a gold medal. Instead she said "It's not about the gold, but the spirit of the event and the sport itself." That Olympic spirit contradicts most American people's thinking that who wins is the most important part. Often Olympic events are more about the people in the competition and their sacrifices, injuries, and tragedies they have overcome.

A "win at all costs" mentality is what drove skater Tonya Harding to get some goon to club countrywoman Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. It is why America's gold medal hockey teams of 1980 and 1960 are admired, while the equally surprising 1972 silver medal team lives on in total obscurity. It is why many people can't understand athletes being happy with bronze medals. Being too consumed with winning is just not healthy.

Imagine being one of the best in the United States at a particular sport, then having the opportunity to represent your country on that sport's highest stage. Simply being able to participate in the Olympics is already a great honor.

Luckily throughout the world many people do appreciate and get excited about the Winter Olympics, and at least in them and American athletes the Olympic spirit does live on. It's just too bad it doesn't exist much among our general public.