I have discovered that the best way to watch races is with the television on, the sound down, MRN on the radio and my laptop open. The laptop is essential, because it allows me to connect with sources at the track who can tell me what is really going on during the race. Sadly, television coverage often misses big stories.

I rely heavily on TweetDeck. TweetDeck is a browser that lets me follow multiple Twitter feeds at once. Whom do I follow? I follow almost everyone who follows my Twitter feed - a good rule of thumb for making friends on Twitter. Whom do I read? I narrowed my 500-plus friends down to my favorite 15 feeds. I hope these can be of some help to you as the season starts.

In no particular order…

Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck)
Blogger for SB Nation and NASCAR Twitter pioneer; pictured above, left, in a Twitpic with a message for @TheDalyPlanet

The Daly Planet (@TheDalyPlanet)
NASCAR television blogger whom I am convinced never sleeps

Nate Ryan (@nateryan)
USA Today auto racing reporter and lover of weird music

Ryan McGee (@RyanMcGeeESPN)
ESPN The Magazine writer; pens a great blog

Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN)
ESPN NASCAR lead reporter; prolific tweeter

Dustin Long (@dustinlong)
NASCAR beat reporter for Southern newspapers

Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer)
NASCAR reporter for Associated Press

Michael Waltrip (@mw55)
Driver, owner, class clown

Delana Harvick (@DeLanaHarvick)
NASCAR wife, team owner, prolific tweeter

Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin)
Probably most talented driver who tweets regularly

Juan Pablo Montoya (@JPMontoya)
For those who like honesty and enjoy radio-controlled aircraft as a hobby

Marcos Ambrose (@MarcosAmbrose)
Australian driver

Max Papis (@maxpapis)
Italian driver (something about those foreign-born drivers makes them fun to follow)

Kyle Petty (@kylepetty)
Analyst who tweets during races

Kenny Wallace (@kenny_wallace)
Driver, announcer, character

Oh, and if you're not following us already...

All Left Turns (@allleftturns)
Bunch of smart-asses

Did I leave any of your favorites off the list?