The Final Word

Lord, I wish to give thanks for the return of Bristol to being Bristol. I don't know if the shaving down of the track made the difference, but something was different from what we saw in the spring. There was action that kept you watching, and I'm not just talking about the one's that gave the bodymen and mechanics some extra work.

As they were revving up the engines in Michigan, I was listening to the Sirius radio in my car as we drove west of Rocky Mountain House en route to the Columbia Icefields and Jasper. It was a great way to follow the race, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, listening to the live action, and not a word from either Rusty and Brad. Yes, life can be sweet.

Watkins Glen's storyline consisted of two things; a great finish and a lot of bad things happening to good people. Kyle Busch was one of the day's better entries, was leading on the last lap, but when he struck oil he was not as thrilled as Milburn Drysdale was when Jed Clampett did the same.

Finally, one name has been missing from the list of those who appeared to be in contention for the 2012 NASCAR Spring Cup title. Now, all is right with the world.

Jeff Gordon has four Cup championships, but Jimmie Johnson now has five. Jeff won the Brickyard 400 four times, and now so has Jimmie. You could think of this as Jimmie having taken over from Jeff as Rick Hendrick's premier driver.

What can we say about New Hampshire, the race track, not the state? The action was not exactly gripping, it proved a dandy cure for insomnea, it showed that Denny Hamlin is still tough, but Kasey Kahne was the one celebrating in the end.

Daytona was once again a thrill ride, with action from start to finish. But enough about the Nationwide event. The Cup side, well the final few laps sure provided something to talk about, but the tandem racing of Friday actually trumped the Saturday evening affair.

Kentucky might have had its traffic troubles a year ago, but Brad Keselowski managed to make his way to the front Saturday night to pretty much ensure himself a shot at the title.

Finally. Dale Earnhardt Jr wasn't the only one wishing them final laps would quickly go by, lessening the opportunities for things to just go to hell. But they did not, and four years (and two days) after he won on fuel mileage at Michigan, Junior did it again.

What a beautiful track. What greenery. What a nice day. What good announcers, who were both informative and entertaining even when the race on TNT might not have always been.