Dec 25, 2006
Christmas Gifts in the Fast Lane
Christmas has arrived. It's a time for celebration and for giving, and it's also a time for introspection. The year is nearly at a close. Racetracks are quiet, and there is a peacefulness that won't be disrupted until January brings tests and February brings races. As we make merry before the blat of highly tuned engines breaks the silent night, we thought it would be appropriate to offer some gift suggestions to various racers and race series. So here is Racing Rap's Christmas list:
To NASCAR's Nextel Cup -- a "Car of Tomorrow" that is actually faster than the car of today.
To NASCAR's Busch Series -- a sense that a "development series" is meant to be a development series, not Major League Light.
To NASCAR's Busch Series, part II -- a new sponsor that will be comfortable with the series being referred to as the Busch Series for the foreseeable future.
To Formula One -- a race in which one car actually passes another car under green.
To IndyCar -- a series people care about to accompany the Indianapolis 500.
To ChampCar -- a clue.
To Danica Patrick -- some wins, so she won't become the Anna Kournikova of racing.
To Michael Schumacher -- a BarcaLounger chair, warm slippers and a Meerschaum pipe.
To Tony Stewart -- the book Zen and the Art of Racecar Driving.
To Juan Carlos Montoya -- a taste for fried chicken, biscuits and gravy and hush puppies.
To Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- a nice family dinner with his stepmother.
To Brian France -- a new Lexus with a better cupholder.
To Jeff Gordon -- a return to the "leading man" role because he's played the best friend long enough.
To Jimmie Johnson -- well, nothing; he seems to have it all.
As for us? Well, our gift is to be able to follow racing and offer our opinions on it. Without you, that would be impossible (or at the very least, pretty lonely.) So thank you very much for logging on and seeing what we have to say. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! And for once in this column, that's not a joke.
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