The Final Streak Of The 2006 Season

It is time to say goodbye to the 2006 season and get ready for the Daytona 500 in February of 2007. Can you tell I am happy that this so called silly season is over and done with? Jimmie has his crown and gets to sit high on the thrown for the next year as the 2006 Nextel Cup Champion; it is still hard to say Nextel. As expected, the race at Homestead was not one of the more exciting races we have had this year. One finds themselves getting bored watching all the drivers, with the exception of Harvick, avoid Jimmie like the plague. No one wants to be labeled as the driver that ruined the wedding. This is one of the many problems with the Chase format. Maybe NASCAR will put on their thinking caps this off season instead of the dunce caps and perhaps come up with a way to solve the issues revolving around the Chase.

Thank goodness we have football to fill the gap during the off season. We can take time to recharge and get ready for 2007. People can now get those home projects started that they have been putting off on the weekends and even perhaps take in some golf, yeah right.

Here are the last bare facts of the 2006 season. It has been a pleasure to write these articles over the season and I do look forward to being back again next year. I am not a writer for any magazine or corporation. I just put my thoughts down here to share with everyone and I am always open to feedback.

- We all knew that Jimmie had a point’s lead of more then 60 points but how many times did we have to hear it in the Countdown To Green pre-race show? That topic was beaten so much it was a well done steak.

- Since when does a Miss Florida get to read the invocation? Is she an ordain minister? How did she make it through her question and answer portion of her pageant when she has to use index cards to read the invocation.

- Bravo to the American Idol winner Taylor Hicks for his rendition of the National Anthem.

- Hard to believe that Ryan Newman couldn't see that rookie strip that went all around the #30 car of Juan Montoya.

- Keep your fingers crossed for some better marketing commercials next year and that the elephant and the spooky girl do not return. What is that slogan? Oh yes, it's the windows. I hope breaking one doesn't mean 7 years bad luck.

- Do you think that Mark Martin would have been a good contestant on the TV game show "To Tell The Truth"

- Can people give it a rest about how it is about time that Jimmie Johnson finally won the Championship? He has only been driving in the cup series for 5 years. How do you think Mark Martin feels after his 24 seasons in the cup series without a championship?

- Welcome to the Nextel Cup Montoya despite the BBQ grill that was lit by Ryan Newman.

- Farewell NBC and welcome ABC/ESPN.

- Denny Hamlin finishes 3rd in the point standings. He is the only rookie to finish that high in the standings. He knocked Tony Stewart off of that stat when Tony finished 4th in the standings in his rookie season. Just to be fair to Tony, he was under the old points system.

- What happened to Jeff Gordon? Looks like Hendricks dumped everything into the #48. Jeff was running in the back all day and that worthless effort to try and block for JJ was just plain ridiculous.

- Congratulations to Greg Biffle on this 3rd straight win at Homestead. Just one of those important things that got over looked due to all the hype of JJ winning the cup. Like Rodney Dangerfield, Greg gets no respect.


We close the book on this season and now it is time to gather our thoughts about what will happen in 2007. Toyota will be entering the series. Numerous drivers shifting teams. NASCAR possibly changing the Chase rules, again. You never know what to expect in the wild world of NASCAR.

Have a great off season everyone and Happy Thanksgiving.