The Final Word

Pocono. Jimmie Johnson. His 63rd career Cup victory. Did I leave anything out? Sunday was all about Johnson pretty much all of the time. Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr, who both won at Michigan last season, were the runners up at Pocono as Five Time claimed his third checkered flag of the season.

You settle down to watch a movie, to follow the storyline, even expecting what the outcome might be. Matt Kenseth was to win at Dover, Jimmie Johnson was going to challenge him for the victory, Tony Stewart would have another dud day, and the boy sees dead people.

It is the biggest motor sport weekend, as they ran the 97th edition of the Indianapolis 500 and the World 600 in Charlotte. Oh, yes, they also ran the Monaco Grand Prix, but my bed won that race. It is not often that I will spend a day watching two races, but Memorial Sunday is different and usually well worth the time.

What can be better than a nice holiday weekend, my boys playing some baseball, a bit of golf, me finally able to mow the lawn, visiting relatives up from California, and sunshine? Add a couple of televised NASCAR races, and you got yourself one happy Canadian.

What a difference a couple of weeks can make. Matt Kenseth had just won at Kansas, only to be docked 50 points, among other team fines, penalties, and suspensions. Not good. After taking it in the teeth he rebounded to finish seventh at Richmond, eighth at Talladega, and then things really perked up. NASCAR gave him back all his points from Kansas, except for a 12 point slap, and they reduced his crew chief's suspension to just one race. The last one he ran.

Talladega, where we watched Matt Kenseth dominate, where we saw Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards contend, and where we watched a lot of cars torn up. It is also where we saw two cars from an underfunded operation charge up from out of nowhere to claim the top two spots at the finish line.

Richmond is in the rearview after providing, for me at least, a surprisingly entertaining contest. Next on the calender is Talladega, where one would think only rain might prevent the good times from continuing to roll this weekend. As we head to the big track there are a few big stories vying for our attention.

I have known for a long time that I tend to march to the beat of my own drummer. Maybe that is why I am not surprised to see that such notions as Earth Day, Mother Earth, and Going Green simply do not resonate with me. Of all the things that make me warm and fuzzy, the parade that is all preoccupied with the environment or carbon credits or global warming leaves me rather cold.

When Richard Petty speaks of what he thinks about the 25 most recent nominees for NASCAR's Hall of Fame, one should listen. That does not mean I have to agree, as it was announced last week that the 20 who missed the cut last year will be joined by five more contenders for induction.

Believe it or not, there are actually some poor souls out there who still think NASCAR is only about a bunch of folks turning left. However, we know it is much more than that.