NASCAR season is close at hand. Can you feel it?

Okay, yes, the Daytona 500 is still over a month away. But as most of us froze last week, Sprint Cup drivers and teams spent much of that time down in sunny Florida working out the kinks at Daytona International Speedway in six testing sessions, aptly named Preseason Thunder.

We learned that, at least on the super speedways, the two-car tandem is likely here to stay. But, with NASCAR taking plenty of preventive measures to try to encourage the return of pack racing and speeds consistently reaching the mid-200s (let that sink in for a minute), we should be all set for a season opener almost as exciting as last year’s epic—somehow won by Trevor Bayne.