Racing reconvened on both coasts over the weekend with NASCAR at Daytona Beach, Florida, and NHRA in Pomona, California. While NHRA held their first national event of the 2013 season, NASCAR was just kicking off their week of racing that leads up to their Sprint Cup season opener, the Daytona 500, which takes place on Sunday, February 24th.

Danica Patrick won the pole for the Daytona 500 to become the first woman to qualify for a pole position in NASCAR Cup racing (photo courtesy nascar.com).

The excitement of Speed Week is already in full swing with the pole position for the 500 going to Danica Patrick who set the bar with a lap time of 45.817 seconds with a top speed of 196.43 mph – the fastest in 23 years! This is her first pole in the Sprint Cup series but last year at Daytona she sat in the led the pack on the first lap of the Nationwide race at Daytona as well. To cap it off, Patrick is the first woman to win a pole position in Sprint Cup history.

Patrick’s teammates of the Stewart-Hass Racing team, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart were fourth and fifth in qualifying showing how well the team has adapted to the new Gen-6 Cup car which replaces the Car of Tomorrow. Actually, many teams seem to be adapting to the new car as 22 racers reached a top speed of 195 mph.

On Sunday, NASCAR presented the Sprint Unlimited race to heat up the series and get things in gear. And things definitely heated up as a nine car accident was triggered when Tony Stewart made contact with Marocs Ambrose triggering a wreck that took out Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and several more. In the second segment of the Unlimited it was all Kevin Harvick as he led nearly every lap. He was challenged by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart on the last lap making two perfectly timed blocks to hold off the charge and take the checkered flag.

Kevin Harvick held off Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart to win the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona (photo courtesy nascar.com).

Speed Week continues with races and practice time throughout the week. Thursday will be the exciting Budweiser Duel where the rest of the 500’s qualifying order will be set. Patrick already has the pole and Jeff Gordon will be next to her, but the rest of the field will be running for their position in the 43 car field on Sunday.