Area racing enthusiasts can rev up for Daytona at the Portland Expo

The 2012 NASCAR season gets underway on Sunday with the Daytona 500, one of the few (if not only) instances in professional sports where the biggest contest of the year comes as the season opener.

So racing enthusiasts in Maine are no doubt amped for race day. Starting tonight, local drivers, racing teams and even just spectators can get their fix at the Portland Expo, where the annual Racin’ Preview show opens at 4 p.m.

www.beechridge.com

Representatives of area teams and tracks — such as Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, pictured to the right — will be on hand to talk about the upcoming season. The Expo promises to be packed with cars from all eras, with the Maine Vintage Race Car Association lined up for an extensive display.

Expected to be on hand for parts of the two-day event are Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Champion Johnny Clark and series Mod Champ Andy Shaw, among many others. The guys on the weekly racing radio show “In the Pits” talked up the event this morning, on FM 96.3, The Big Jab.

The show runs until 10 p.m. tonight, and opens up again from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow.

Andy Shaw, PASS Mods Champion, celebrates victory. (www.proallstarsseries.com)

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.