One of the great things about spring, besides the warm waether finally making it to those of us in parts of the country that have been freezing our rear bumpers off for about six months, is that the short track racing world comes back to life. Granted, there are many tracks on life support, but at last count, there were nearly 1,000 local tracks in operation around the country.

Whether you're a fan, a driver, a crewperson or a media member, odds are your first introduction to auto racing was at some Saturday night bullring. I think that's why Bristol and Martinsville and Richmond remain such popular stops in big-time NASCAR racing. They're throwbacks to the way most everyone begins in racing.

Short tracks are facing a battle to survive and I urge you to support your local speedway as much as possible. The future of the sport is really at the grassroots level and it's a shame to see some of the places I grew up reading about as a kid and later getting a chance to visit professionally gone. Let's not let this industry go the way of drive-in movie theaters or miniature golf courses.

And if the NEXTEL Cup Series is racing on a Saturday night, fire up the TiVo and get out to the short track. It'll be winter again before you know it.