Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

The scene in “victory Lane” at “The Homestead Miami Speedway” was energetic and upbeat. Matt Kenseth won the Ford 400. It was about time for the “17 crew” to post a win. On the other hand, that scene paled in comparison to the victory celebration going on a short distance away, where Jimmy Johnson was having the time of his life celebrating his second championship, and two in a row to boot.

The Season is over but not the stories.

The season may be over but the news stories will go on until the Daytona 500. Its been a really great season even if it was the Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon show for the second half. Congratulations to the “Lowe’s Chevy Team” on winning the championship. Hey, the guy can drive a race car! Like I have said before, Dale Earnhardt Junior will be in one of those cars next year. I, as a Junior fan, can only hope that he will be just that dominant. This is the time of year where we get to watch the post season awards banquet in New York City and then get the weekly news about who is racing for who in “08″. You have heard of the silly season right? Three quarters through the season when you typically see team changes and deals being made for the next year? Well now is the time for the second, quieter, silly season. There will be team changes during the off season and some drivers will not return to “The Cup” at all. It happens every year. As Nascar fans, we stay glued to whatever source we can find to get the news of the day. We hope it will be good news for our driver and not some untimely bad news that sometimes comes when we least expect it. The post season is sort of a time where we try to relax with family over the holidays and attempt to get our minds on things other than racing. I said ATTEMPT,I didn’t say we are successful by any means. When you got it bad, it stays on you like a fever.

The Hendrick Season!

OK , the holidays are over with the passing of ” New Years “, That is when Nascar fans will start to really think about ” The Daytona 500 “. But until then we will all be talking about the Hendrick season right? What a year for Rick Hendrick and his teams of Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon. If I can attempt to place myself in his shoe’s for a second, I can start to imagine the feeling that must have come over him about mid season when he started seeing how his multi-car season was going to go. The feeling of pride and accomplishment that the man must have had come over him would probably have made me pass out with dis-belief. Rick Hendrick has literally been through hell on earth with the passing of his son and many other loved ones, including his brother and two nieces, in a plane crash back in 2004. So the roller coaster of emotions must have been a pretty tiring ride for a while. You could not see anything but joy on his face Sunday as he celebrated with Jimmy Johnson and the “Lowe’s Chevy” team in the championship celebration area of “The Homestead Miami Speedway”!

He had a good reason to be overjoyed. How about a lot of reasons. Lets talk about The two driver’s stats for a minute. Jeff Gordon had 6 wins, 21 top 5’s, 30 top 10’s and an average finish of 7.3 and still lost the championship in the stretch. On the other hand Jimmy Johnson had 10 wins, 20 top 5’s, 24 top 10’s and an average finish of 10.8. So where is the the difference when Gordon seems to have the edge? It is in the points earned from the four wins that Jimmy had over Jeff this season. Had Nascar not decided that this year they would add ten points to the wins category, this chase would have come to a close a lot closer than it did. Jeff Gordon lost the championship by a mere 77 points to Jimmy Johnson. That means that had Jeff Gordon won four more races and tied Jimmy Johnson, the margin would have been 37 points. The rest of the points difference would have been a battle for laps led bonus points and finishing positions in 36 races. What all this means is that Rick Hendrick had the two most dominant teams in recent Nascar Nextel Cup history. It really was JUST that close!

Whats Next This Year?

The Nascar Championship Banquet. That will be held in New York City on Friday the 30′th of November. I believe it will be broadcasted on ESPN2. This will be preceded by a top ten car parade through the streets of Manhatten. after that is is the Holiday’s and some much needed time off for the drivers and crews in all three series. Its a long season, the longest in any sport in the U.S.A. and they really deserve the time with family and loved ones after giving so much of their lives to us the fans. Daytona comes really quick and I wish all of them the best for their family’s during the holidays.

As for the rest of us, The fans, We will be waiting in anxious anticipation for the “Speed Weeks” and the “Daytona 500″! When is that? The “Budweiser Shootout” is Sunday February 9th. The Gatorade Duels are on Valentines day, February 14th, and The Daytona 500 will be run on Sunday February 17′th.

As for me? Well I will be here from time to time letting you in on the news that comes out between now and Daytona. I am going to enjoy my first Holiday in 11 years where I don’t have to worry about getting home from the road or when I will have to get back into a big rig and leave again. I hope you all have a great Holiday Season and please stay safe out there on the road. Remember that there are a lot more people on the road that are not usually driving around big trucks. Be forgiving and drive even more careful. Thank you for what you do for our country.
Without you, America Stops!

Peace and Goodwill to all!