Finishes don’t get much closer than the 2007 Daytona 500.

In fact, as the 2010 edition looms, only a handful are closer than that which separates 2007 Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick from second-place finisher Mark Martin.

The 18-race 2010 NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship series is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET on Tues., Feb. 9 (02:00 GMT, Feb. 10) with a 100-lap event on iRacing’s virtual-world duplicate of Daytona International Speedway. This marks the first time that NASCAR has sanctioned online racing competition.

The 1993 Daytona 500 provided a photo-finish fit for a family album, provided that family was the Jarretts.

Coming off a solid year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he scored one win (Michigan) and Rookie-of-the-Year honors on the season, Colin Braun is gearing up for his first full year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driving the No. 16 Con-way Freight Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. The Ovala, Texas native will be led by veteran crew chief Eddie Pardue in the 2010 campaign and will be in the hunt for the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year Championship in the Nationwide Series. After finishing media day at Daytona International Speedway, Braun sat down for a few questions about his upcoming season.

Sports car fans have until Feb. 19 to take advantage of a special $20 all-inclusive ticket package for the Grand Prix of Miami on March 5-6, an action-packed weekend including Round 2 of both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

With the excitement of the recent Rolex 24 At Daytona still fresh in all minds, the race is on for the 2011 challenge champion.

SPEED coverage of the ARCA Racing Series season opener from Daytona scored a Nielsen Household Rating of 2.30 (1,723,000 households), a 59-percent increase over last year’s 1.45 (1,062,000 households). Highlighted by the stock car debut of Danica Patrick, race coverage peaked at 2.66 (1,997,000 households), up a stunning 72 percent from last year’s peak of 1.55 (1,137,000 households).

Bryan Silas and the Fast Track Racing team left Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway happy campers Saturday night after Silas steered his No. 11 American Custom Yachts, Inc.-Rockingham Speedway Ford Fusion to a ninth place finish in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.

In a rough and tumble race that resembled more of an episode of the hit TV series Deadliest Catch, Martins Motorsports driver Tommy Joe Martins who has recently partnered with the program’s Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, steered his # 95 Ford Fusion much like the Captain would in the treacherous Bering Sea to an impressive 8th place finish in his Daytona International Speedway and ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards debut.

Robb Brent had looked for the perfect birthday gift heading into Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway — a win in the season opener but the Shelby Township, Michigan native came up short despite posting a very solid 13th place outing.