Green Flag 11.22.07: Let's Give Thanks
Posted by Jim Carson on 11.22.2007
I'm making a list and checking it twice. Oops...wrong holiday.
Well, mainstream racing is pretty much over for the year, and Jimmie Johnson is our new fake NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion.
We all know how much of a sham the "chase" is, but it could be worse. JJ did win 10 races this year, four more than Gordo and seven more than the next guys on the list, Baloney and Backflip Boy. So it's not like he backed into it. The fact remains that the points were artificially mangled and Jeff Gordon should be the champion for the fifth time, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was 2004 with Kurt Busch (only one guy in racing should like Busch's title, and that's Sam Hornish). And JJ does have one the right way from last year.
Let's get the non-"chase" points out of the way, because the rest of this column will be 100 percent positive.
FINAL REAL POINTS
---NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
1. Jeff Gordon, 5455
2. Jimmie Johnson, 5102
3. Tony Stewart, 4749
4. Matt Kenseth, 4718
5. Denny Hamlin, 4623
6. Kyle Busch, 4585
7. Carl Edwards, 4574
8. Clint Bowyer, 4556
9. Jeff Burton, 4549
10. Kurt Busch, 4371
11. Kevin Harvick, 4344
12. Martin Truex Jr., 4314
13. Ryan Newman, 4046
14. Greg Biffle, 3991
---NHRA TOP FUEL
1. Rod Fuller, 1637
2. Larry Dixon, 1478
3. Tony Schumacher, 1472
4. Brandon Bernstein, 1451
5. J.R. Todd, 1242
6. Bob Vandergriff, 1214
7. Melanie Troxel, 1173
8. Doug Herbert, 1087
9. Doug Kalitta, 1045
10. Dave Grubnic, 1023
11. Whit Bazemore, 989
12. Cory McClenathan, 986
13. Hillary Will, 892
14. Clay Millican, 816
---NHRA FUNNY CAR
1. Robert Hight, 1408
2. Ron Capps, 1393
3. Tony Pedregon, 1374
4. Jack Beckman, 1219
5. Gary Scelzi, 1210
6. Mike Ashley, 1201
7. John Force, 1093
8. Del Worsham, 1050
9. Jim Head, 966
10. Ashley Force, 960
11. Jeff Arend, 934
12. Cruz Pedregon, 925
13. Tommy Johnson Jr., 916
14. Kenny Bernstein, 903
---NHRA PRO STOCK
1. Greg Anderson, 1898
2. Dave Connolly, 1773
3. Jeg Coughlin, 1614
4. Allen Johnson, 1279
5. Jason Line, 1228
6. Kurt Johnson, 1137
7. Richie Stevens, 1056
8. V. Gaines, 1025
9. Larry Morgan, 999
10. Warren Johnson, 963
11. Jim Yates, 871
12. Greg Stanfield, 843
13. Max Naylor, 829
14. Kenny Koretsky, 722
---NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Matt Smith, 1329
2. Andrew Hines, 1217
3. Angelle Sampey, 1030
4. Chip Ellis, 1031
5. Peggy Llewellyn, 903
6. Craig Treble, 850
7. Karen Stoffer, 829
8. Eddie Krawiec, 799
9. Steve Johnson, 746
10. Antron Brown, 708
11. Chris Rivas, 669
12. Matt Guidera, 645
13. Hector Arana, 593
14. Geno Scali, 565
WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR IN MOTORSPORTS
- I'm thankful to see four first-time winners in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series this year (Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Casey Mears, and Juan Pablo Montoya), the most in nearly two decades.
- I'm thankful to occasionally see Cup races decided by fuel mileage that sometimes produce surprise winners like Mears at the Coke 600.
- I'm thankful to occasionally see finishes in NASCAR like what Happy Harvick and Mark Martin produced in the Daytona 500.
- I'm thankful that we fans are not quite through with Mark Martin yet.
- I'm thankful for VCRs and DVRs, so that we can record NASCAR races and zip through them in an hour and a half instead of four hours.
- I'm thankful for the Wingboxcars and that they've passed every test they've encountered so far.
- I'm thankful for Jason Leffler and Stephen Leicht, the two non-Cup invaders to enjoy wins in the Busch Series in 2007.
- I'm thankful that Aric Almirola found a good ride (12 Cup races in '08 with DEI) with a team other than Joe Gibbs Racing, which screwed him over in the Busch race at Milwaukee.
- I'm thankful for Brewco Motorsports. After a 2007 season with mostly Cup drivers in its Busch cars, the team will have young Brad Coleman make a full-season run in 2008 in what will be called the Nationwide Series.
- I'm thankful for Wicked Stepmother Teresa, so that Junior Nation has someone to blame for his problems this season.
- I'm thankful for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which unlike the Busch Series is not afraid to be different from Nextel Cup.
- I'm thankful for Sprint, because the company won't try to force media outlets to write the series sponsor name in all caps.
- I'm thankful for Robby Gordon and Kyle Petty, Cup owner-drivers (especially Robby's single-car team) who managed to stay in the top 35 in points and get locked into the first five races of 2008.
- I'm thankful for the Speed Channel, which shows the Craftsman Trucks, Formula One and plenty more racing of all types, plus Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain and Inside Nextel Cup with Mikey.
- I'm thankful for my favorite commentary team in motorsports, Speed's F1 group with Bob Varsha, Steve Matchett and David "Done Blowed Up" Hobbs. They're so good that they can make F1 interesting.
- I'm thankful for the open-wheel feeder series (GP2, Champ Car Atlantic and Indy Pro) and also the veteran drivers who compete in those series longer than the sanctioning bodies intend for them to race.
- I'm thankful that Danica hasn't been sucked into NASCAR, at least not yet.
- I'm thankful that Paul Tracy was briefly sucked into NASCAR, then sucked in NASCAR and went back to Champ Car.
- I'm thankful that Graham Rahal is poised to become open-wheel's breakout star next year.
- I'm thankful that Champ Car still runs at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, and found a way to make turn one less disastrous with standing starts.
- I'm thankful for the Indianapolis 500, the one time all year when open-wheel drivers other than Danica really matter on the national stage.
- I'm thankful that Tony Kanaan will likely become the #1 driver at Andretti-Green Racing and have his best-ever chance at the Brickyard in 2008.
- I'm thankful for the on-board cameras in Champ Car and IRL races (and F1 in Monaco) when they're on temporary street circuits.
- I'm thankful for Robin Miller, the most honest and hilarious racing reporter anywhere.
- I'm thankful that Helio Crazyclimber is in the final three on Dancing with the Stars.
- I'm thankful that the Speed Channel and various news shows keep us informed on the dancers, so I don't have to watch that crappy show.
- I'm thankful that John Force wasn't more seriously hurt in that crash in Dallas and will be back behind the wheel (and the microphone) next year.
- I'm thankful for Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Matt Smith, the only non-fake champion the NHRA crowned this year.
- I'm thankful for Angelle Seeling...er, Savoie...er, Sampey, and that she won PSM championships before the "countdown" crap started.
- I'm thankful that Top Fuel drag racer (and first "countdown" victim) Rod Fuller has a sponsorship deal for next year with Caterpillar.
- I'm thankful that Bob Vandergriff and Morgan Lucas keep making Top Fuel final rounds now and then; one of these days they'll each get that first Wally.
- I'm thankful for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, because it's made the on-track action in sports car racing interesting over the last few years, and because it's reduced to two classes instead of four.
- I'm thankful that NASCAR stars such as Baloney Stewart and Kasey Kahne that give back to the sport's roots by staying involved in short track racing.
- I'm thankful for the many paved and dirt short tracks across the continent, and those promoters constantly working to keep short track racing relevant.
- I'm thankful for the polarizing short-track drivers, which fans either love or hate. The list includes Ted Christopher in New England asphalt modifieds, Scott Bloomquist in dirt late models, and Eddie Hoffman in Midwest asphalt late models.
- I'm thankful for the states where you can't go more than 15 miles in any direction before hitting a racetrack, such as Wisconsin and Michigan for paved tracks, and Iowa and Pennsylvania for dirt tracks.
- I'm thankful for the dragstrips around the country that invite street racers to compete safely and legally.
- I'm thankful that I can still see motorcycle road racers make the daring corners at places such as the Corkscrew turns at Laguna Seca or the International Horseshoe at Daytona.
- I'm thankful for 411mania, which gives me a place to vent about racing without complaining if I miss a week now and then, like next week, most likely.
There is racing in a few warm-weather locations over Thanksgiving weekend. (OK, the first one probably isn't too warm right now.) For asphalt modified fans, there's the Turkey Derby in New Jersey. Asphalt Late Model Stock Cars can go to the Thanksgiving Classic at Kenly NC. Dirt Late Model fans can see Ken Schrader if they head to Columbus MS for the Possum Town Grand Prix. USAC midgets and sprints have the famed Turkey Night at Irwindale CA. And the A1 Grand Prix road-racing pointy cars have a race this week in Malaysia. And don't forget the Snowball Derby next weekend at Pensacola FL.
We'll see what kind of tribute I can come up with next time. Happy Thanksgiving!
