Fast Friday: Let's Drop the Green on 2012

No model again this week. Instead, let's celebrate the first racing action of 2012: the 50th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Daytona!

I'm not a tremendously huge sports car racing fan, but the Daytona 24 is always worth tuning in to for a number of reasons. First, it's a real race after a long off-season! Plus it comes at a time of year when it's generally cold and yucky up here, so it's nice to watch something happening in the Florida sunshine.

But perhaps most of all, this has become sort of an annual all-star race, with drivers from many different series whose season hasn't started yet taking a shot. Of course, that means multiple IndyCar drivers will be on the course in action for the first time since the Las Vegas tragedy.

Among the regulars scheduled to drive are Justin Wilson, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Graham Rahal, along with Ryan Briscoe, James Hinchcliffe, Raphael Matos and Paul Tracy. Some other names familiar to Indy fans are John Andretti, Max Papis and Scott Sharp, among others. Should be a good time. Maybe it will inspire me to get back at the poor half-finished model cars on my bench!

Oh, and did you hear Rubens Barichello is taking part in an IndyCar test next week? Things that make you go hmmm.