Gentlemen! Start your engines. Those are the words NASCAR fans will hear somewhere around 1 p.m. today [Sunday]. I can't wait!

My team, Joe Gibbs Racing, will be racing new cars this season -- Toyotas. I'm wondering how that will turn out, and hoping that "my" driver, Tony Stewart, will win another championship.

Among the things I enjoy about NASCAR racing: They still open each race with a prayer and by singing the national anthem. They are not shy about either, and I like it! Also, they usually honor the United States military by having fly-overs during the singing of the national anthem.

Yes, "we" might all be rednecks and, if so, so be it -- if that is what it means to be a NASCAR fan.

Like to know some interesting facts about NASCAR?

Where was the very first NASCAR race? It was on a dirt track at the old Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina.

What state has earned the nickname "NASCAR Valley?" North Carolina, because almost 75% of all American motorsports employees work in North Carolina.

Which NASCAR race was the first to be televised nationally? The Daytona 500 in 1979. The King of NASCAR, Richard Petty, won that race.

Which NASCAR driver holds the record for most consecutive NASCAR championships? Cale Yarborough, who won three consecutive championships in 1976, 1977, anad 1978.

Which NASCAR driver won the most Cup Series Championships during the 1990s? That would be Dale Earnhardt, NOT Jeff Gordon.

Any idea what make of car won the first NASCAR race? A Ford? A Chevy? A Dodge? None of the above, but a Lincoln Cosmopolitan.

What records might be set this season? Don't know, but I can't wait to hear those words, "Gentlemen! Start your engines [even if I hear them because I record the event and didn't see it live!].

Jack Rollins is the managing editor of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.