I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and aren’t left dealing with too many leftovers at this point.
Each year at this time, I take a moment to think of what I am thankful in life. After all, that is the point of Thanksgiving. I not only think of the things I am thankful for in my personal life, but what I thankful for in the things I enjoy, including racing. So, here is my list of what I am thankful for after the 2008 NASCAR season.
The fact that no one was seriously hurt.
In the Nationwide series, Dario Franchitti essentially saw his NASCAR career come to an end at Talladega when he crashed, was t-boned, and broke his foot. However, it wasn’t the injury that ended the career; it was the lack of sponsorship for the Sprint Cup car that culminated about the time Dario was able to get back behind the wheel of the 40 car. We had some spectacular crashes in the Cup Series this year.
Michael McDowell’s short career with Michael Waltrip Racing will likely be best remembered for his amazing tumble down the backstretch at Texas Motor Speedway. The car was a mangled mess, but McDowell climbed out and walked away with nothing more than a few seatbelt bruises.
Jeff Gordon hit the cut through the retaining wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- hard enough to send the engine of the 24 DuPont Chevy 50 feet beyond where the rest of the car stopped. I am certain I wasn’t the only one who saw that crash and thought for sure Gordon would be carried away on a stretcher and spend a few days in the local hospital. Amazingly, he climbed out of the car, waved, and other than admitting he had a heck of a headache the next day, seemed none the worse for wear.
Denny Hamlin blew a tire and slammed the wall at Talladega, very hard, ringing his bell and sending him to the hospital where he was kept overnight for observation. However, he was released, and other than a headache, was good to go.
Say what you might about the new car, but in these three instances alone, it saved serious harm and worse. We also had the standard “Big One” at Talladega, anger management issues among several drivers who did as much damage to themselves and the guy they were mad at. But in the end, no one spent more than one night in the hospital, and with the exception of Dario, everyone was back in their ride the following week.
I am thankful that I was able to watch history being made as Jimmie Johnson collected his third championship. Oh sure, I would have rather it had been someone else…like Tony Stewart. However, it took 30 years for a second person to earn three championships in a row, and I wasn’t a fan back when Cale Yarborough did it the first time. With the levels of competition out there in this day and age, who knows how long it will take to have another driver win three in a row. I’m glad I was able to see it happen.
I’m glad to see that the people who market collectables like die casts and other souvenirs took the current economy into consideration and actually lowered their prices. No, they still aren’t dime-store cheap, but they are cheaper than they were before, which means I can afford to buy a thing or two for those whom I know would enjoy them instead of just passing them up. Now if only the track promoters would take the same steps to make it easier for fans to afford race tickets…..
I am thankful that my folks now have a Wii so when I come down for a visit, we can sit and compete using a racing game. Now, it is an Indy racing game, not NASCAR. They don’t make a NASCAR one yet. (Note to the folks at EA Sports…when you make your next NASCAR game, make one for Wii!)
Speaking of my folks, I am thankful that now they live in Virginia, they are actually talking about going to a race next year. We haven’t decided on Richmond or Martinsville yet. (I am hoping to maybe convince them to do both….but I’ll enjoy just one for now). My dad has been to the Nationwide races in Homestead, but neither he nor my mom has ever been to a Cup race before. Slowly but surely, I am converting them…..
I am thankful for all the friends I have made being a fan of NASCAR. Some of them have given up on NASCAR because it isn’t “the way it used to be”, but it is through the sport that we became friends. Maybe someday they’ll come to realize it hasn’t been the way it “used to be” for a decade or so, but for now, I’ll just be happy that they are my friend and miss the fact I can’t talk racing with them anymore.
Finally, I am thankful to be embarking on my fifth year writing for insiderracingnews.com. It is hard to believe that it was four years ago that I wrote to Ron Felix plugging the idea of me writing a weekly column talking about NASCAR from a rookie fan’s perspective. I am still hardly an old timer, but I am hoping I have gained enough knowledge about this sport that I am providing you, the reader, with something to think about each week. I know you all don’t always agree with me (thanks for all the e-mails by the way!), but that is something else I am grateful for: the ability to work as part of an open forum where everyone can write about and discuss racing, regardless of your point of view.
Have a wonderful week. Next week, I will be writing from New York City where I will be attending the 2nd annual “Stewie Awards” at Sirius-XM headquarters. Who knows what kind of interesting things I will unearth while there!
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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