Today was very anti-climatic.  NASCAR builds up today’s race as THE race to watch, but for me it was pretty much of a let down.  Some will think it has to do with Jimmie Johnson winning the championship.  Part of it is, but for the most part the racing wasn’t all that exciting.  I mean Carl Edwards clearly had the best car of the day.  Would the racing been better if both Denny and Kevin didn’t have their bad luck?  I think it would have been.  But alas, the race I wanted didn’t appear today.  Once again, NASCAR nation has to sit through the off season knowing Jimmie Johnson is still the champion.

I know what he did is very historic.  I am completely aware of this fact.  I also give props to Chad Knaus and the #48 team for what they have accomplished over the past 5 years.  I get it.  I will also tell I would like to see some other team step it up and defeat these guys.  I don’t think changing the Chase or going back to the old system will fix it.  That just doesn’t seem right.  Why change the rules because you don’t like the person who wins all the time?   I have read several message boards where people say they are going to stop watching NASCAR.  Sorry, that won’t be me.  I love this sport too much.  Others are angry about the #48 winning again and that NASCAR rigged everything.  I don’t believe that either.  All the drivers and teams know the rules going into the season.  Teams are just going to have to figure out how to beat the #48 team plain and simple. 

Denny did not do what he needed to do to win the championship.  He didn’t have a good race last week at Phoenix and well, today he really wasn’t a factor after his spin.  I think Kevin could have been a factor, but a costly speeding penalty hurt his day.  It’s was about which team was going to make the least mistakes.  Jimmie didn’t.  At times his pit crew was slow on pit road, but compared to the other two drivers, Johnson made the least mistakes today.  Jimmie also did what he needed to do this weekend.  He qualified 6th and well, Denny and Kevin qualified, 17th and 29th respectively.  Jimmie put all the pressure back on the other teams.  But if you have followed NASCAR over the past five years, Jimmie puts on his A-game when he needs to.  That’s just a fact my fellow NASCAR car fans whether we like it or not.

As NASCAR turns to the off-season, I am looking forward (and counting the days) until the 2011 Daytona 500.  It will be interesting to see if NASCAR makes some changes to the Chase.  I would like the leader of the first 26 races to have the advantage going into the Chase.  I don’t know what NASCAR can do about the falling ratings.  I don’t know if it’s the television packages currently in place or if there is just too much saturation.  I do think the economy has played a role, but it’s not the only reason for what’s happening in NASCAR. I for one found myself doing other things on Sunday instead of watching racing.  It’s evident by the attention I have paid to The Park over 2010.  I hope tomorrow brings good things for Richard Petty.  Like I said on Wednesday, I can’t imagine NASCAR without a Petty. 

Here’s to another NASCAR season, may next be better than this year and may we crown another champion other than Jimmie Johnson.

Here’s to looking forward to February 20, 2011.

Here it is November and I can’t believe I haven’t (1)posted anything since August and (2)the 2010 NASCAR season is in it’s final days.

Quite a few things have happened in NASCAR since the last time I have posted.  I have definite opinions on things so without further ado…here I go.  Pull those belts tight, kick the tires, and light the fires becuase it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

1.  Kasey Kahne–I guess sometimes you just have to move on.  Hope Richard Petty Racing can remain in NASCAR.  I cannot even imagine NASCAR without a Petty.

2.  Babies and more babies–don’t drink the water as I always say.  Congratulations to all the new daddies and mommies!

3.  Pit crews–I have to give Chad Knaus for having a pair to make this changed DURING the race.  Sometimes when your workers aren’t doing their job as you expect of them you have to make changes.  The crew members need to remember they work for Hendrick Motor Sports.  It’s all about TEAM at Hendrick.  Sometimes that is how it goes.  But if Gordon had not “crashed” at Texas, this midrace change discussion would be moot.  All I have to say is those guys now on the #24 need to show Chad we still got it!

4.  Jeff vs Jeff–I will admit, I loved the fact that Jeff G. made his feelings known to Jeff B. about his “crash” at Texas.   Yes, Gordon did have a little ways to go to get to Burton which in turn made him think about what he was going to to Burton.  But still…it was worth watching those repsected veterans of the garage have at it.  And the fact they had to get in the same ambulance was fun.  I was waiting for the ambulance to start rocking, but no such luck. 

5.  Kyle Busch–Talented driver…sucky attitude.  I just can’t get on board the Kyle Busch fan nation.  He is a talented driver and I think he has been somewhat good for NASCAR.  But damn…quit acting like my seven year old when he doesn’t get his way.  You were penalized for speeding on pit row because you didn’t want to go a lap down.  Hello, you could have raced your way into the lucky dog position and/or done a wave around on the next cauation…or even hell, earned the lap back the hard way.  But noooooo, you decided to throw a little hissy fit on NATIONAL television and tell the officials they were “number 1”.  So, as I explain to my seven year old son, your actions have consequences.  And that’s what you got…consequences. 

6.  Have At It–love it!!!.  It’s produced some great racing and fodder for all the NASCAR shows. 

7.  Jamie McMurray–Last year you didn’t even know where you were going to be and you bust out with wins at Daytona 500, the Brickyard, and Charlotte.  Sometimes a change of scenery makes all the difference

8.  Dale Jr.–I just hate watching interviews with him.  You know how it is when you are at work and are required to do certain tasks.  You don’t care for them, but it’s part of the job.  That’s what I see with him.  I loved watching him win in the #3 Wrangler.  I actually found myself cheering for him.  I guess I wanted to see that #3 in Victory Lane again.  I miss watching his daddy race.  I can’t believe it will be 10 years come February 2011 since we all said goodbye to the #3. 

9.  Tony Stewart–It’s been up and down for my driver.  Like with all NASCAR fans, we all want to see are driver win.  He is currently sitting in the 9th position.  That’s not bad, but I still wish he was racing for the championship on Sunday.  Tony will also say goodbye to one of his sponsors after this season…Old Spice.  Can’t wait to see the  new paint schemes with Mobile 1. 

And finally…

This Sunday is the final race of the season.  This is the closest Chase since the inception of the Chase format.  Denny Hamlin has a slim margin (15 points) over Jimmie Johnson (4-timer and defending champ) and 46 points over Kevin Harvick.  I think it will be Denny’s championship to lose.  I would love to see Harvick overtake both and win it all, but Denny and Jimmie will have to both have something disasterous to happen.  Still, all three drivers have had a season to be proud of.  I am not a fan of Denny Hamlin.  I just haven’t been since he whined about a Nationwide driver racing him too hard.  And well, I don’t want to see Jimmie win ANOTHER championship.  So I guess what I am saying is GO HARVICK! 

As the sun sets on 2010, just remember…the 2011 Daytona is February 20, 2011.

I am an only child and I am pretty sure my father would have rather had me born a boy, but I wasn’t.  Like most little girls, I played with my share of Barbie dolls and did some girly things, but that wasn’t all of my life.  I grew up with a father who loved sports. It didn’t matter what sport was on television he was there watching it along with me, his only daughter.  I spent many of my formative years listening to him talk about football, baseball, or whatever was on television at the time.  I grew up an Ohio State Buckeyes fan.   I remember hearing about the Big Red Machine and yes, I cheered for the Cincinnati Bengals.  (Please note, my family moved to the state of Texas from Ohio when I was five–that was 35 years ago).  He wasn’t just about watching the game, it was about knowing the game.  He would talk to me about every nuance of every sporting event.  At first I didn’t get, but slowly I began to develop my own love for sports.

Sports for me was a way to escape and find my niche.  It was a way for me to feel comfortable with others, well more importantly, men.  I know it is weird, but once I found sports I find some sort of confidence and self worth about myself.  I could tell you more about football than I think some of my friends every wanted to know.  There were times I felt like I was a freak of nature, but I didn’t care, I loved sports.  There isn’t a memory of my father that doesn’t involve some kind of sporting activity.  I would spend weekends playing golf with him.  He taught me how to play pool, hit a golf ball, and to bowl.  I had the fortunate opportunity to live next door to three boys and well to be honest, I didn’t mind.  I learned how to throw a football.  In fact I had a better spiral than most boys in the neighborhood.  I learned how to throw a baseball, pitch a softball, slide, and tackle.  I also learned about fixing cars.  It was also at this time the seeds of my love for racing began.  I spent many Saturday nights at the local dirt track with my father and mother watching late models and modified races.  My father was part of the pit crew for a friend of his who drove a modified.  I loved it!  I still acted like a girl.  I had posters on the wall of Ralph Macchio and the guys from Dukes of Hazzard on my bedroom walls.  But I also had picture of Roger Clemons and a poster of Joe Montana.

I cheered for my father’s teams when I was young, but as I got older I developed my own love of sport teams.  I am still a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes and I still root for the Reds, but like with anything in life, children develop their own passions different from their parents.  I love the Dallas Cowboys.  I cheer for the Rangers and Mavericks.  And I know, it seems weird to my hubby, I cheer from the Astros. He has tried to understand my love for Joe Montana, but I can tell him, sometimes there are things in life you just can’t explain.

Sports has always been a part of my life.  I married someone who has the same passion for sports I do.  I have a little bit more of an obsession with NASCAR than he does and he has that same obsession with football.  But he gets me.  He doesn’t see me as some freak of nature.  That’s what I used to think about myself.  I used to believe men were intimidated by my knowledge of sports, but as I got older it didn’t matter as much.    At first men my think I don’t know what I am talking about, but the longer they sat with me, the more it didn’t matter that I was a female.  I knew what I was talking about and they talked with me.  They didn’t see me as a female, but a fellow sports fan.  I also have to thank sports for helping me repair my relationship with my father.  I was angry with my father when my parents divorced.  Even during this difficult time, when I thought I couldn’t talk to my father, I was able to discuss sports.  It was the one constant throughout our lives that we are able to share.

To quote my favorite coffee cup (and I am paraphrasing it)…I am female, I love sports, and yes I watch ESPN.

I have been neglecting The Park for the past several months.  I really wanted to focus more on NASCAR, but in order for me to do that, I need lots of spare time to search for things on the web, watch television, and pretty much involve myself in NASCAR.  Don’t get me wrong, I am still the rabid NASCAR fan, but lately some other things have taken priority in my life. 

When I began this little blog, it was a way to keep my mind occupied and well…to share my passion for NASCAR.  My friends and family tolerate me, but they just don’t get it.  I just tell them it is a NASCAR thing.  Through the past several years I have met quite a few NASCAR fans that are just as passionate as I am about the sport.  Even though I haven’t met them on a personal level, I feel a connection with them.  I consider NASCAR Nation a family and I am proud to be a member.  I guess there’s the rub.  I felt so much pressure to write about NASCAR all the time.  It got to where I didn’t want to write here in The Park.  So I decided to go back to its roots.  I would write about not only NASCAR, but other topics of interest or just randomness that invades my every day life.

I know it seems blogging has become sort of “old school”, but for me I like it.  Many people don’t know that I truly like to write.  I may not be as witty or creative as a friend of mine, Ms. H., but I think I have a pretty good sense of humor.  I can however get riled up just a like a pissed off rattlesnake, but that’s the best part of The Park.  I can pretty much post what I want here.  Sure, I may not have people commenting on my posts and you know what that’s ok.  So if you come across The Park and like what I have written..thanks for stopping by.  I hope I have brightened your day or made you stop and think about things.

I have also changed the look of The Park too.  I kind of like the theme that WordPress has offered.  Somethings when you get a makeover, you get new life.  So here’s to The Park…may she return to her old glory!