HOT OR NOT: WRAPPING IT ALL UP IN A NEAT LITTLE BOW

GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA;
FOLKS, THIS IS THE LAST ISSUE OF THE HOT OR NOT FOR 2009. IT HAS BEEN A TON OF FUN SHARING MY IDEAS WITH EACH OF YOU, IT HAS ALSO BEEN A CHALLENGE AT TIMES TRYING TO STAY SOMEWHERE ON THE FAIR SIDE OF THE ISSUES. I SO OFTEN WANT TO JUMP TO THE DEFENSE OF MY FAVORITE DRIVER OR JUMP ON MY LEAST FAVORITE DRIVER AND REALLY YOU CAN'T DO THAT AND AT THE SAME TIME PRESENT A CLOSE TO THE TRUE VERSION OF WHAT IS GOING ON.

AFTER LOOKING BACK OVER THE WHOLE SEASON, IT WAS REAL AND IT WAS GREAT, BUT IT WASN'T REAL GREAT. FOR ME THE BEST RACE OF THE SEASON WAS WATKINS GLEN, AND THAT IS COMING FROM A GUY WHO DOESN'T LIKE ROAD RACES.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK JORGE AND THE OTHER GUYS AT FOXSPORTS FOR PUTTING THIS IN EVERY WEEK. SPECIAL THANKS ALSO NEEDS TO GO TO FOLKS LIKE KVALUS, TSFAN, VOLFAN, PHOTOGR, SPEEDBEAGLE, JON464, SoCal24 FAN AND ALL THE OTHERS WHO KEPT ME ENCOURAGED AND HONEST AT THE SAME TIME.

THIS IS HOW I SAW THE 2009 SEASON AND MAYBE A FEW OF YOU AGREE AND MAYBE YOU DON'T BUT IT HAS BEEN FUN ALL THE SAME.

NOT:

1. MICHAEL WALTRIP: MICHAEL, LIKE A LOT OF PRO ATHLETES, JUST HUNG AROUND TO LONG. NO ONE CAN QUESTION HIS ABILITY AS A TEAM OWNER OR AS AN "AD" MAN, BUT WHEN HE WAS AT HIS PEAK, HE WAS NO MORE THEN AVERAGE. WHEN I SEE MICHAEL TODAY THE PICTURE THAT FLASHES INTO MY MIND IS ONE OF Y.A. TITTLE, DOWN ON HIS KNEES IN THE MUD, HELMET OFF, BLOOD RUNNING DOWN HIS FACE, SHAKING HIS HEAD IN DESPAIR.

2. DALE EARNHARDT JR.: AFTER THIS SEASON JR. HAS TO DREAD GETTING OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING. WERE HIS PROBLEMS CAUSED BY A LACK OF ABILITY, I DON'T THINK SO, WERE THEY CAUSED BY A LINGERING FEAR FROM THE FIRE A FEW YEARS AGO, MAYBE OR WAS IT THE DISTRACTIONS OF BEING HUNTED AT THE TRACK BY FANS, SPONSORS, AND THE MEDIA, OR WAS IT THE FACT THAT IN AN EFFORT TO SECURE JIMMY JOHNSON A FOURTH CHAMPIONSHIP OR MARK MARTIN A FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP, THAT JR. WAS JUST SHUFFLED TO THE REAR AND TOLD, WE WILL GET TO YOU LATER. MY OPINION IS THAT THIS LAST REASON IS WHAT LIES AT THE BOTTOM OF JR.'S PROBLEMS.

3. KYLE BUSCH: KYLE IS A HELL OF A DRIVER, NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY DENY THIS FACT, WITH 3 WINS AND 13 TOP 1O'S YOU CAN'T ASK FOR TO MUCH MORE. BUT AS LONG AS HIS ATTITUDE IS SUCH AS IT IS I FEEL THAT ALL HE WILL BE FAMOUS FOR OR REMEMBERED FOR IS DESTORING A GIBSON LES PAUL GUITAR AND BEING A CRY BABY. IF THE ATTITUDE DOESN'T CHANGE I FEAR HE WILL BECOME KNOWN AS THE TERRELL OWENS OF NASCAR AND MAY END UP DOING ABOUT AS MUCH PACKING AND MOVING AS T.O.

4. RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS: I DO BELIEVE THAT IF I WAS RICHARD, I WOULD HAVE MY NAME REMOVED FROM THIS COMPANY. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS NO ORGANIZATION IN THIS OUTFIT AND THAT NO ONE KNOWS FROM MINUTE TO MINUTE WHAT IS GOING ON. WHEN YOU HAVE 4 PRETTY GOOD DRIVERS AND YOU END UP WITH ONLY 2 WINS AND ALMOST AS MANY DNF'S AS YOU DO TOP 5'S , YOU HAVE TO ASK WHAT IS GOING ON HERE.

5. ROUSH-FENWAY RACING: THIS RACING TEAM HAS FALLEN FROM SUCH A LOFTY PERCH THAT IT IS REALLY SAD. THIS YEAR THEY HAD LESS WINS FROM 5 DRIVERS THEN THEY HAD IN 2008 WITH ONE DRIVER. THE 2 TOP DRIVERS, KENSETH AND EDWARDS MOSTLY RODE MID-PACK ALL SEASON , WHERE AS LAST SEASON THEY WERE LEADING THE PACK. AND NOW THEY HAVE LET ONE OF ONLY TWO DRIVERS WHO WON FOR THEM THIS YEAR, JAMIE McMURAY SLIP AWAY IN FAVOR OF KEEPING DAVID REGAN, WHO HAD NO WINS, ONLY 2 TOP 10'S AND 4 DNF'S AND HE DOESN'T EVEN MAKE DECENT COMMERICIALS EITHER. IF THERE IS NOT A BIG CHANGE OVER THE WINTER IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG LONG SEASON FOR THE CAT IN THE HAT.

6. THE CHASE RACE TRACKS: THERE IS JUST TO MUCH OF THE SAME THING IN THE TRACKS THEY ARE RUNNING ON RIGHT NOW IN THE CHASE, WORK ON THE 1.5 MILE PROGRAM AND YOU PRETTY MUCH HAVE THE CHASE KNOCKED . WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS : LOUDON, DOVER, SONOMA, BRISTOL, CHARLOTTE, DEGA, WATKINS GLEN, TEXAS, MARTINSVILLE, AND EITHER HOMESTEAD OR DAYTONA, I BELIEVE THAT THESE TRACKS WOULD GIVE A MUCH BETTER VARIETY OF RACING VENUES, 2 HALF MILE TRACKS, 2 MILE TRACKS, 2 LONG ROAD COURSE TRACKS AND STILL HAVE 4 1.5 MILE TRACKS. OF COURSE NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN SO I MIGHT AS WELL THROW IN 1 DIRT TRACK RACE AT EL DORA.

HOT:

1. HENDRICKS MOTORSPORTS: THIS COMPANY REALLY APPEARS TO BE UNSTOPPABLE AT THIS POINT, NEVER WHILE I HAVE BEEN WATCHING HAS ANY TEAM SO RULED THE SPORT. THIS PAST SEASON THEY WON OVER A THIRD OF THE RACES, HAD 75 TOP TENS, AND ONLY HAD 11 DNF'S. THIS MY FRIENDS IS TOTAL DOMINATION.

2. GIBBS MOTORSPORTS: RUNNING A CLOSE SECOND TO HENDRICKS COMES GIBBS, I WAS RATHER SURPRISED BECAUSE THEY DID THEIR STUFF IN SUCH A QUIET MANNER. GIBBS FINISHED THE SEASON WITH 9 WINS, 40 TOP TENS, AND 9 DNF'S, PLUS THEY GRABBED THE "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" AWARD AS THEY WENT BY.
3. STEWART-HASS RACING: FOR A FIRST YEAR TEAM, TONY AND RYAN DID AMAZING THINGS, GIVE THEM ANOTHER SEASON UNDER THEIR BELTS AND I DO BELIEVE THIS SMALL 2 CAR TEAM WILL BYPASS GIBBS AND BE PUSHING HENDRICKS. IT APPEARS THAT TONY HAS CREATED A WORK PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO GO AND WOULD RATHER SHOULDER BLAME FOR PROBLEMS RATHER THEN PUSH IT OFF ON SOMEONE ELSE.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON: PEOPLE WILL ARGUE THAT JIMMIE DOESN'T DESERVE A PLACE BESIDE PETTY, EARNHARDT AND THE OTHER GREATS, BUT COME ON FOLKS, 4 STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS, 7 WINS THIS SEASON, AND 24 TOP 10'S. I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE PEOPLE WANT THE 48 TEAM TO DO UNLESS IT IS SELL HOT DOGS IN THE STANDS AT MARTINSVILLE.

5. DENNY HAMLIN: DENNY HAD AN EXCELLENT SEASON 4 WINS AND 20 TOP 10'S, TAKE AWAY THE 4 DNF'S AND PUT IN FINISHES ALMOST ANYWHERE ABOVE JIMMIE AND WE HAVE A DIFFERENT CHAMP IN 2009. I WOULD SO LOVE TO SEE LESS TIME SPENT ON KYLE BUSCH AND MORE SPENT ON HAMLIN & LOGANO, IT WOULD BE SUCH A DIFFERENCE.

6. MARCUS AMBROSE: THIS NEWBIE IS SUCH A DELIGHT TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO. HE APPEARS TO BE TRULY GRATEFUL THAT NASCAR HAS ALLOWED HIM TO RACE IN THEIR PROGRAM. NEXT SEASON MARCUS IS GOING TO BE A THREAT AT ALL OF THE TRACKS SINCE HE HAS NOW RUN ON ALL OF THEM AND HE AND HIS TEAM HAVE HAD AN ENTIRE YEAR TO WORK TOGETHER.

FOLKS THAT IS HOW I SAW IT AND I HOPE YOU AGREE AND TUNE IN NEXT SEASON TO SEE WHAT I THINK. AGREE OR DISAGREE THIS IS MY OPINION - WHAT'S YOURS.

THIS IS MY OPINION - WHAT'S YOURS
GUNAQUAT