The Final Word

A maximum of 96 points are left on the table as the boys and Danica move on to Phoenix and Homestead, which comes as bad news for pretty much anybody not named Jimmie Johnson or Brad Keselowski.

It was truly a Tale of Two Cities kind of day at Martinsville last Sunday afternoon. You know, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times... It could not have been much better for Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski, who came away from the contest two points apart on top of the standings with three to go.

Now, that was a race worth watching. The lead changed, some cars got bopped. It did not look a thing like Formula One where every one goes real fast in a single line train, where one lap looks just like any other. Kansas provided every argument as to why we watch NASCAR.

It is a good thing we live in this modern era, where by the push of a couple of buttons one does not have to choose between watching the Yankees play the Tigers or watching NASCAR from Charlotte. A fella can watch both. View one while recording the other, then when you hit a bank of commercials or return to real time, you simply reverse the process. Non-stop Saturday night action.

With this having been the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, there are a number of things I am thankful for. Among them is the track in Talladega, Alabama and a race that lived up to expectations. A race where I watched lap after lap and did not feel compelled to wander away to find a ball game of some sort to break the monotony.

I keep running Sunday's highlight over and over in my mind. It was incredible. A soon to be 39 year old dashing to his left to make an outstanding grab in Toronto for the Yankees. You may ask just what in blazes Ichiro Suzuki has to do with NASCAR. Sadly, not a damn thing, but at least I had a moment of excitement to tell you about.

Babe Hamlin? Okay, it might not roll off the tongue as nice as Denny Hamlin but, like George Herman Ruth of old, Hamlin was bold enough to call his shot and was good enough to pull it off in winning at New Hampshire last Sunday.

The excitement. The drama. The dreams we have, only to be dashed by the reality. In more ways than one, this was Chicago. Thankfully, there is the personal video recorder.

This wise man noticed that in 13 of 15 attempts, Mr. Busch had finished not worse than sixth. That would leave no room, one would think, for Jeff Gordon to make up a 12 point deficit. It seemed like a pretty good bet. Thank God that wise man didn't wager on the outcome.

Atlanta, the place where Richard Petty made his exit and Jeff Gordon made his Cup entrance back in 1992. It is where Alan Kulwicki claimed his title. It was the venue from which Sunday's action was telecast, but after the initial broadcast hype I found these old eye lids fluttering like I was a damsel meeting Prince Harry in Las Vegas for the first time. To ask if I found much of the race boring, especially the first two-thirds, is like wondering if the Pope is German.