It's All About the Mirrors...

Hall of Fame Racing has signed J.J. Yeley to drive for the No. 96 team in the Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2008. Yeley's debut in the No. 96 DLP HDTV car will come in February's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. His entry into the prestigious event came via his first career pole at Michigan International Speedway this past June. "In 23 years of being involved in professional sports, I have worked with many great athletes," said Jeff Moorad, owner of Hall of Fame Racing. "J.J Yeley's determination to succeed reminds me of many of the championship athletes that I have been around in my career. He is hungry and determined to win races and championships and to do it with class. We look forward to J.J. being an integral part of Hall of Fame Racing and to winning with him going forward." Yeley comes to Hall of Fame Racing from Joe Gibbs Racing, the team for which he drove full-time in the Nextel Cup Series beginning in 2006. Yeley will take over for Tony Raines, current driver of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Chevy, following the conclusion of the 2007 season.

No word on where current driver Tony Raines will end up. It is a shame to hear about this for Tony Raines, he is a good race car driver but it just seems that they want more and they are going after some young blood from the dirt tracks.

JGR + Toyota = Turmoil?

It is now official that Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota will be joining forces in 2008. What does it all mean? Your guess is as good as mine. I have received numberous comments, both positive and negative, about this merger and all I can say is, it is what it is. Toyota will definitely be the big gainer in this merger due to the fact they will get guaranteed starting spots next year in the Top 35. JGR is the one that will give Toyota that added boost they have been looking for in Nextel.

I know alot of you fans out there really really hate the idea of Toyota coming into the Cup series. We all have our roots in America and back the makes of Chevy, Ford, and Dodge but remember that all those cars are made outside of the US while Toyota is stationed here in the US, giving much needed jobs to people out there. NASCAR has always been tied in with the major US auto makers but lets face it, Toyota is here to stay.

You all can bash me or curse at me or do whatever, I am just stating my opinion. Heck, I even own a 2006 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE but I will say this, I have not had ONE problem with this car except for the routine maintenance. I have owned 2 GM cars and I will not even go into how many times they were in the shop. Makers like Nissan, Toyota, and Lexus have it figured out, it is all about quality and not quantity. It is about pride and professionalism that goes into making their cars.

I really don't care what manufacturer is out there racing, all the cars look pretty much the same, it is just the sheer excitement of watching the race that I will always enjoy. Isn't that what it is all about, enjoying the sport but there will always be people out there that still have ill feelings about Toyota and threaten to stop watching the races. Reading back, I saw column after column about how high ticket prices are for the races but you know what, people still pay the prices, I know I have, I will be the first one to admit it.

Let's just enjoy the sport. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it.

I am sure I will hear a bunch of flack over this but if you are going to comment negative on it, please try not to use the harsh language, it really is not necessary.