Farwell to two of the sports biggest stars

Like so many recent seasons once again we are loosing two of the veterans and sports big stars in Matt Kenseth and Dale Jr. This is an interesting time for me because it is weird to see drivers like Carl, Matt, Tony, Dale, Jeff leaving because they were the stars off the sport when I came in. I have watched most of those drivers for 10 years or so. To see them leave is a bit sad because they are such legends and I have got to know their personalities. However I am excited for the young guns because they are my peers and I feel connected to them in ways I never had most of the older drivers. Drivers like Joey, Erik, Chase, Ryan Blaney, Austin, Ty, Bubba, William, Alex, Christopher, Ryan Truex, Ryan Reed, Daniel Hemric, are all my peers and drivers I am excited to watch in the sport for years to come. I will be interested to see if this trend continues because from 2007-2012 there were very few high profile rookies and Joey Logano is the only rookie of the year who is still in a competitive cup ride. However the past few years have brought a lot of talent and changing of the guard. From 1999-2006 brought us most of the drivers that have retired or are starting to retire. So I wonder if we will get this batch and then slow down for a while or what. For me I will miss Matt and Dale.
From the beginning since Matt announced he had been let go from gibbs I felt conflicted. I am a huge Erik Jones fan so I was happy for Erik to go be teammates with two of my other favorites Kyle and Denny. However I have enjoyed Matt and his dry sense of his humor really since he joined Joe Gibbs racing. I loved the 3 gibbs had a year ago with Matt, Carl, Denny and Kyle that was my favorite gibbs lineup since it was Joey, Denny and Kyle at gibbs. So I am excited for Erik but I wish it was Erik, Denny, Kyle and Matt (which I believe it would have been had Carl retired at the end of this season instead of before the season because I bet Erik was supposed to get the 19 after his 1 year at furniture row (while carl ran his last season). Watching Matt at Phoenix tugged at my heart strings. The emotion and fact that may have been his last win was special yet sad to watch. He deserves a ride for next year. I would hate for one of my favorites to be forced out before they were ready so I can sympathize with Matt's fans on that. I am grateful he at least got to go out a winner. Matt mentioned the Martinsville incent recently as a joey fan stuff happens on the racetrack and at first I was ticked but I have liked Matt for a while so I was able just to let it go and move on and not hold a grudge.
Matt I wish you all the best with your kids you mentioned God took you out for a reason and he seems content at least a little with the way his situation has happened. I am excited for him to get a chance to spend more time with his kids. Dale I was never as much a fan of I respected him for continuing on in the sport that claimed his father's life when he could have walked away and most people would have understood. He had so many fans turn to him and add pressure and handled himself well. After his concussion issues I was glad to see that he was able to come back and end his career on his terms. However I do believe it was the best thing to hang up his helmet at this years end especially when he announced he was going to become a father. Dale was one of the sports biggest stars and I am thankful he will be remaining in the sport as a owner and on TV. Dale like Matt was a very classy guy and it was nice to see him get a nice farewell tour although I feel for Matt, Carl and the others who did not really get their farewell tours. I wish both matt and Dale all the best in their respective futures you both changed the sport and it will be weird to not see you out there next year. PS sorry this is so late I had a draft started and honestly just forgot to post it so if there are errors that is why.

2017 Champions

Well guys I am once again sorry not to have kept up my promise to blog more during the playoffs. I have really struggled to have motivation to write recently in general but especially on here. I know that a few of you are reading my posts but it is hard to write when I feel like no one is listening. I also started this blog when I was talking about NASCAR with my mom 2. Now that is has been nearly 3 years and I have not really found that person to talk NASCAR with I guess I am just more used to just knowing news telling my dad but not really talking about it. I also feel like a lot of my posts are similar. With that said though I felt the need to at least do these posts. I have been wanting to write it so here it goes.
Congrats Christopher Bell on the truck championship I have enjoyed watching you this year and cheering you on as one of Kyle's Busch's drivers. You have quickly become one of my favorite young drivers. All season you have been the best so it was only appropriate that you won the truck title.
Congrats William Byron on the xfinity championship you continued on the Kyle Busch Champions weekend. Every since you lost the truck championship in such heartbreaking fashion I have been praying you got the win this year. For a while it did not look like that was going to happen so to see you get past Elliott Sadler and win was so exciting. It didn't make up for loosing the truck championship but I was happy to see you get this title anyhow.
Congrats Martin Truex Jr on the cup championship. I won't lie I was cheering for Kyle to get past you so it could really be a Kyle Busch championship weekend. However in almost any other format you would have locked up the championship way before this weekend. So it is only fitting that you and your team won it. After all the adversity that your team had to battle you still found a way to end the season on top. So although I was cheering Kyle on if he was going to loose to any driver it was you.
Congrats Erik Jones on winning rookie of the year all year I was cheering you on to beat Daniel and I am excited that you were able to beat him. It just fit with the ending of the season for Furniture Row racing to get the championship, race win and rookie of the year.
Overall it was once again a year of a lot of twists, turns and excitement. I am excited for next season 91 days feels all to long. Although I have lost a bit of interest in writing this blog I am still very excited for the next season and NASCAR in general.

Darlington Throwback weekend

First off I am so sorry that once again it has been so long since I posted. I was writing a blog for my sister while she was gone with summer and it zapped most of my energy for blogging. With the playoffs coming up I will try to update throughout that better. I wanted to post about the throwback weekend. Every since they started it I have loved that tradition. Growing up I watched NASCAR with my dad as I have said before but I don't remember the drivers who raced during that time or who won races. By the time I started watching in 2007 it was pretty much the group of drivers racing now or who just retired. Even drivers like Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace I don't remember. So for me the throwback race is cool to see the past pain schemes and hear some of the stories behind them. Growing up in school history was always my favorite subject and this allows me to look back at the history of NASCAR. I love how not only the paint schemes are historic but the members of NASCAR get in throwback outfits. It brings a spark that we don't always have to NASCAR weekends. I thought it was really awesome that Richard Petty got to lead some pace laps. I found it hilarious that he then refused to get off the track and Rick Allen and them talking about how they weren't going to tell him to get off. I have to wonder how long he would have continued had NASCAR not given him the black flag. I also love when Ken Squire and the Jarretts take over a portion of the coverage. As a Erik Jones fan I found it hilarious that he kept calling Erik that Jones boy. It was so funny to hear. However it is also fun because they bring in a different view to the race and call it in a different way being from different times of NASCAR. I always look forward to the race and the coverage. One of my favorite schemes this week was William Byron's xfinity for the story that it brought. I was watching NASCAR with my dad when Ricky died but I do not remember him. However since his death I found Emily and little Ricki's story and as I have posted on here before( https://nascarjgrfan.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-tribute-to-ten.html ) I came to know the story of the plane crash. Ricky was always the one that I connected because he was one of the youngest. I have continued to follow Emily and see the posts she has of Ricki. For William to honor Ricky was cool I had not realized until then just how much William does look like Ricky so that is sort of eerie and has to bring back the memories for Emily and all the Hendricks. William was so polite saying he hoped he did Ricky justice this past weekend which I am sure he did.  I also want to say that I think it is cool to see how many drivers are running the gold and teal wheels for Martin and Sherry to raise awareness. Great job by all those drivers. I hope I have not lost all my viewers of my blog but if I have I understand if you are still here feel free to leave a comment on what you think or if there is something I have done in the past you wish I would do more of or a topic I have not wrote about yet. Good luck to all the drivers this weekend and prayers to all of you who are in the path of Irma or recovering from the devastation of Harvey.

All that has happened since i last posted

So first off sorry for it being over a month later my sister has been gone and I have been doing a blog about her cat for her so that has taken more time then I thought it would. So this blog is going to skip to many different topics instead of me making a bunch of short posts I put it all in 1 post for you to read.

So first off I have to say amazing job recently by William Byron he took the truck series by storm and the beginning of the xfinity season I was like okay he is going to have a bit tougher time like I thought he would. However since Michigan he has been remarkable nearly beating Denny and then continuing on to get his first two wins back to back and then hold off Paul Menard for the indy win. He is a raw talent and to think he has not been driving that long a lot of people think Kyle Larson is the next Jimmie Johnson but I have to say I think it is William Byron he has been dominate in every level he has been in so far. Coming from Kyle's truck team I am excited to see what the future holds for him.

I know there are a lot of people who are pissed at coach gibbs for letting Matt go in favor of Erik but I honestly think they have Carl to blame for that. I have said since the beginning that I believe that Erik was meant for the 19 since this was supposed to be Carl's last year. Erik was in 77 then would move to the 19 and if the 77 could continue Daniel would get that ride until Matt was ready to hang it up. It ended up being a bad situation and I don't blame Gibbs for wanting Erik especially if he brings sponsorship like it has been said by Kyle he does. If he could get rid of the bad luck at the end of races and the mistakes he and the team have made he would have a lot more top tens and even top fives. So he is clearly a future star of NASCAR. I feel bad for Matt and I understand the reason for the 4 team cap but it does stink that veterans like him if Kasey Kahne looses his ride Kasey are getting kicked out of their rides for the young guns. However the young guns are proving they are ready and there are more of them then there are seats.

Speaking of young guns I am thrilled for Alex Bowman that he got the 88 ride. He more then proved himself last year that he was capable of winning in a cup car if given good equipment. I am excited to see what he is able to accomplish next year. Rick has kept saying that Alex was really the only choice and I have to agree he was the one I wanted to see. Now I am partial to the young guns but he not only proved himself but took a chance in staying with Hendrick as a sim driver and they rewarded his loyalty. I am excited to see how he and Chase work together because I think having another young gun will be good for Chase as well.

Now that brings me to my last part. I belong to some lascar facebook groups for my four favorite drivers. The negativity I have seen on those groups is pretty upsetting. It seems these days even the fans of NASCAR want to complain about every little thing (I know not everyone does but those who do post about it so I see those posts). From people in my group complaining because people like more than 1 driver, to the delay of the caution flag yesterday until they crossed the line despite the fact they were almost out of light and it was probably kasey's win either way, to the rule changes and packages they are trying. I have seen multiple people say they are going to give NASCAR up because of that sort of thing. I am sorry maybe it is just me but I do not understand how you can just walk away from the sport.

Yes I like more than 1 driver I have 4 favorites who are my first choices to hope they win. Yes it can get complex if they fight with each other or like at Indy Kyle was going for a record but I know Joey and Denny want a Indy win to their name so who do I cheer on there. Overall despite issues like that I would rather have that because the way I see it if you like 1 driver and they are out early like Chase at Indy then what do you have to watch for. With me I have 3 other drivers if 1 of mine is having a bad season 3 others who may be having better seasons that I can celebrate. After my 4 drivers I am a fan of most of the young guns because they are close to my age and I relate and so I am willing to cheer for them if none of my 4 can win. It keeps me from being totally upset by the outcome of the race. So I can respect that other people only want to be a fan of 1 driver but I thought it was a much better choice to have multiple drivers.

Onto the complaints I feel like no matter what NASCAR does there will always be fans who are pissed. Do I agree with every change NASCAR makes no I think they are making a huge mistake in limiting the cup drivers in the other series. If the full time drivers in those series were complaining then that would be reason to change it but they want to beat the best of the best. It was probably way more gratifying for William Byron to hold off Paul Menard then to hold of Elliott Sadler or someone else who is a xfinity regular and I am sure the lessons Denny taught him at Michigan have helped him win some of these others races. William has proved that the xfinity drivers can beat the cup drivers. I really don't like the overtime line or the later 3 PM start for the east cost races. Despite not agreeing still watch those races because it does the sport I love no good to boycott it because it just hurts everyone in the sport. I really think far to many people are complaining about rules, packages and stuff like that. Face it there are thousands of fans NASCAR can never please everyone but you just roll with it learn the new rules and move on. I think that it is stupid to say your never watching NASCAR again because you don't agree with the changes. I don't think there is anything NASCAR could choose to do that would keep me from watching.

Congrats to Kasey on his brickyard win I saw so many complaining saying they waited to throw the checkered. What they don't get is it didn't matter KASEY was the winner wither they threw the yellow right when the wreck happened and then couldn't get the oil and car cleaned up and couldn't start the race again or they hesitated maybe longer then they usually would have waited for them to cross the overtime line since they were right there and then threw the yellow. Being in Ohio I knew how dark it really was outside and I think had TV shown how dark it really was for a brief moment people might have got it. I hated that Kasey was forced to go through all the photos and interviews while cramping because they were loosing lights. I didn't feel he should have been forced to do all that without first getting medical attention but I know NASCAR was in a tough position after the rain and because of the later start to begin with.

Thanks for waiting out for this blog post I encourage all my readers if you don't agree with a change to let NASCAR know but don't boycott it just because you don't agree that helps no one. I encourage all of you to spread positivity not all this negativity I have seen recently. Thanks for reading and enjoy the race this weekend.

Young Guns

I was texting my dad yesterday and after I told him Ryan Blaney won he commented the tides are changing. It is so true the young guns are finally setting the world on fire. For me it's really cool I have my favorites and two of those age wise fit the young gun mold. However I feel a connection to most of the young guns. There all close in age either a couple years older or younger or were the same age. Having that common ground makes me cheer for them a little bit more then I did the older generation of drivers. I still want my 4 to win but if they don't it makes it a lot easier for me to handle because chances are if it's a young gun winning then I don't mind them and I don't mind seeing them win. It has been surreal to think that the drivers that were the young guns or big names when I started out are now all leaving the sport. It's weird how you just sort of adjust and move forward. I will be really interested to see what happens this year because I wouldn't be surprised if Chase Elliott and Erik Jones win before the year is up so playoff spots could get real tricky. Sorry I planned for this to be a longer post but it just kind of ended here so i'm just going to end this here.

Bubba Wallace

I thought it was super special that Bubba Wallace got the opportunity he did in the cup series driving such a famed ride. I am glad that he was able to have that opportunity and to raise the diversity banner even more.  I understand that he doesn't seem to mind having that conversation and carrying the flag for African Americans. At the same point though i think it's pretty stupid that we still in 2017 need to be having so much emphasis put on his skin color. Even Daniel Suarez, Danica Patrick and Kyle Larson haven't had as much focus on being a different nationality or gender. It's been mentioned but i feel like for me at least from the outside it feels different. To me it's almost mentioned as a side note to their story. With Bubba his skin color has been the story. I hate that he has had to deal with the racism thrown at him on his way up because quite frankly it shouldn't be that way. For me growing up in the same generation as Bubba I feel that like him I've been raised to treat all others the same it doesn't matter their skin color or anything like that. I hope for the sake of diversity in NASCAR someone gives bubba a full time cup ride next season. He has earned it despite not having a win in the xfinity series. If his team hadn't shut down over there I feel this year would have been the year. He had so many top 10 finishes and was having the best season ever it was only a mater of time. I understand it's a part of the sport but I hate to see guys like Bubba and even Alex Bowman and countless others not have rides due to sponsorship. I have always enjoyed watching Bubba his personality makes him at least to me very likable. Then again I feel a connection with the crop of young guns and guys who are my age or right around my age. More on that later I plan to do another post after this one about that topic. Bubba is a great guy and I have to agree with the stories I have seen I think NASCAR needs bubba even more then he needs NASCAR. He has so much going for him and I would love to see him get that full time cup ride. He and Ryan Blaney's friendship is so special and I would love to see both of them get to race each other every Sunday. I thought Bubba did a great job yesterday and I can't wait to see how he continues to improve in his next starts. I wish him all the best.

All driver broad cast

From the time I heard that they were doing this all driver broad cast I was excited especially since 3 out of my 4 favorites were in it. Let me tell you it did not disappoint. They kept saying hand it back to the professionals but they all sounded like professionals. They brought a light hearted engaging side that had me really drawn in. I am not a fan of Kevin Harvick's but he did a remarkable job as the lead announcer. I thought Joey and Clint brought just enough comedy to the broad cast as well. You could tell that all three were feeding off each other and adding in their own wisdom. Denny Hamlin probably had one of the hardest jobs because Larry McReynolds is a past crew chief so when he's talking about strategy he knows it because he's lived that situations or similar one when he was up on the pit box. However Denny did an incredible job of predicting strategy and I'm sure he had help from Larry but he made it come of effortless and smooth. Danica was so funny because she threw it up to the booth with Boom Goes the Dynamite which earlier in the week she said was bad news if she said it. Erik, Ryan Blaney and Ricky were excellent pit reporters. There was teasing about Erik and Ryan never talking and I admit there both pretty quiet so I was interested to see how it went over. They did great Chris Gabehart told Erik he sounded like a natural and I have to agree. He went into pit reporter mode and did a great job of being professional. I loved watching Blaney interview Keselowski because he clearly was excited as a fan and driver of that 22 car but despite the first moments in victory lane showing that he isn't a full time pit reporter I thought he brought it back and continued to give a great interview. Ricky did a great job as well with all the interviews with crew chiefs and handling the caution coming out in the middle of his interview. NASCAR keeps bringing in new and different ideas and I know a lot of fans don't like them and I don't always love them although I do like stage racing and think especially in today it added a lot of strategy that we wouldn't have seen without the stages that lead to a great finish. However the all driver broad cast was something that was so much fun. I would love to see them do it again I understand they can't do it to regularly because the professionals as the drivers kept calling them need their jobs and it was a quick turn around for the drivers from practice to the booth. However it was a blast and I would love to see it again. Great job all around to all the drivers. It was great to see them take on different roles and other parts of their personality shine and come out. Hope to see it again and job well done like Waltrip and Adam Alexander said I give all of you an A+

Aric Almirola Injury

So I made the decision to wait until I knew more after the accident last Saturday before I made this post. Instantly I was horrified by the wreck because all three drivers in the accident took huge hits and I knew it was bad. As soon as Aric wasn't getting out of his car I knew he wasn't okay. When they said they were going to cut him out of the car I was more convinced that he was injured. I was pretty convinced he had probably broken his back. I've seen enough NASCAR to put everything together to make my own diagnosis. As a Joey fan I was relieved that he was okay and then so proud of him for the interview he gave. You could tell he was shaken and worried but to be focused on Aric and praying for him was so impressive to see. I was very shocked that Danica wasn't more focused on Aric and his condition. However unlike many others I wasn't going to judge her for not caring I know that she was in a huge wreck and took big impacts. No one can judge what she was feeling and with the fire she may not have realized the impact or shots Aric took. I hated going to bed that night not knowing how Aric was especially after seeing the pictures fox put up. It was terrifying I don't blame Aric for being pissed that those pictures were taken because as a fan it was scary to see the pictures and the pain on Aric's face. I agree that they had no idea what his condition was or what they would see. He was right on his family having to see that for his wife and young children I can't imagine what that must be like for his family. Having a sister in photo journalism with a interest in sports photography I hope this can be a lesson to her it's never worth the money because the money they made on those pics they could honestly loose if Aric had wanted to sue them for taking those pictures. In that situation you don't need to be taking pictures. With all that said I am so thankful that Aric is okay for the most part. I know a broken back is serious but he should recover. I am so thankful because I know that years ago that would not have been the case. Every time I see a accident like the one at Kansas I know that although it was sad for the sport to loose Dale Sr, Adam Petty, Tony Roper and Kenny Irwin those 4 men have saved countless lives. Every time I see a accident like that I do expect the drivers to get out because that has become the norm so when you see a accident like this it does remind you of the danger. I had never seen a driver cut from a race car so it worried me that he was so badly hurt to have to be cut out. Drivers put the danger in the back of their head and as a fan I have to say I do as well. Last year at Daytona when Austin Dillon crashed I was very concerned that I had seen my first fatality in the sport. Thankfully I didn't but it has made me a lot more nervous for the plate tracks but that's really the only thought I give of it. I quickly  put it behind me and it didn't consume my thoughts moving forward. For the first couple weeks after a wreck like this the danger is more on my mind, but it quickly fades and i'm more focused on the race and how my drivers are doing and cheering them on for the win or at least a good finish not the danger of the sport or the risks they are taking. It does concern me that in the last 4 years Aric has become the 3rd driver to break his back (Denny Hamlin and Austin Theriault being the other two. I'm really not sure that there is anything else NASCAR can do because I know the drivers are tucked in the seat already and I know that after each wreck NASCAR looks at it to see what they can improve so if there is something to be fixed they will make the change needed and i'm thankful they do because it has saved so many lives since 2001. I am glad that Aric is not going to rush it to get back because his kids and the rest of his life is way more important than any race he could make it back for. I wish him all the best in the recovery. I'm thankful the wreck was not a career or life ender for any of the three drivers involved and for all NASCAR has done to make the sport the safest it can be. Times like this serve as a reminder but life goes on. On another note i'm super excited to see how the all driver broad cast goes over for the Pocono xfinity race I am excited to watch especially since 3 of my 4 drivers are in the broad cast. I am sure they will do great and it should be a fun experience for everyone. I pray for a safe and exciting all star race tomorrow. Thanks again for reading my blog it means a lot.

Dale Jr's Retirement

First off I want to apologize for not updating in about a month but honestly I thought it had been longer. I have been busy student teaching. However I couldn't not post about the huge news out of the NASCAR world. I know a lot of people are shocked i'm not however I fully expected this. It is so weird to think that the drivers who were the stars off the sport when I started watching are now retiring. I honestly think this may be for the best. I know as a Dale fan it won't feel that way if one of my favs was retiring I would be so upset. However I was nervous about him coming back this year since he took so long to recover from the concussion and just got married and has spoke on wanting kids. I may not be a JR fan but it is still weird to think of him leaving the sport. However I couldn't imagine Tony leaving and I have adjusted to him not being in the sport. I will be interested to see who gets his ride on one hand this is the exact reason they got William Byron is that he could fill in the seats however he hasn't set the world on fire in the xfinity the way he did in trucks. I wonder if he needs a little more time because Erik Jones has figured out how to win in the xfinity consistently but hasn't always been able to finish where he should. Daniel also has yet to really set the world on fire. I worry if they bring William up it could be to soon and hurt his career. Alex Bowman nearly won in his start in the 88 at Phoenix last year and Dale picked him for that seat. I would say Alex is the better choice although I do like both drivers I think Alex having run cup in a lower funded team is more prepared to move back to cup full time and be able to win. I saw last year that Kasey Kahne said if he didn't improve then he should find something different to do. So if that is true then William could have his ride. Either way I will be interested to see what happens. Dale I wish you all the best with Amy in your future. It has been fun to watch you race for many years and I know you will forever play a big role in the sport. You are the sports most popular driver and I think in the eyes of many you forever will be. I hope you can become a father like you dreamed and you and Amy have an amazing life together.

NASCAR new rules-My thoughts

Hey guys sorry it has been so long. I started student teaching and that has been taking up all my time. If I'm not in school I'm working on something for that. Now onto the reason for this post the new rules they have for this season. I can understand where some people are frustrated and feel Brian France is killing the sport. However I applaud the sport for trying to improve and people complained a lot because the JGR cars could sit back the whole race at Talladega and still advance to the next round. I understood why they did that but I didn’t enjoy watching my driver ride around not giving himself a chance to win. Now NASCAR implemented the stages and people are freaking out because of the amount of wrecks at Daytona. Saying that someone is going to get killed racing that way. On the cup side though almost all the wrecks were after the first two stages, after the crazy pit strategy. I feel like the stage racing didn’t cause the crashes in the cup race. For the other two races I think they did play a part. I also think it’s silly to judge rules after one race. I like the idea of stages and getting bonus points if you were running well early on. I think it will be better this weekend at Atlanta. The pit stops caused some craziness and I'm not sure if I liked that part of the stage racing but I'll be interested to see if that still happens this weekend or not. So overall for me I like the stage racing but I am not going to say if I think there are improvements that need made to it until I've watched it for a while. Onto the other rule the crash damage rules. I understand again why NASCAR is doing what they did. However there will still be pieces that fly off. I disagree that drivers didn’t finish higher then 35 with a damage car. At a lot of tracks that may be the case but at restrictor plate racing with as many cars as usually crash out I think they can get higher if they were able to fix it. I also have seen some cars with not bad issues that they couldn’t drive to the garage but might have been able to be fixed. I also think it is incredible how fast the crews were able to make repairs. However I do worry that they are making repairs that might not be the safest just to get their driver out before the 5 minute clock expires. So I'm not a huge fan of those rules. However with that said I know part of it is my personality but I think it is silly to just decide to quit watching NASCAR because you don’t like a rule change. Even if I  decide that I don’t like either rule change I will continue to watch NASCAR because I love the sport. I am excited to see how it plays out tomorrow. What are your opinions on the new rules and sorry again for the lack of posts but my big project for student teaching ends soon so maybe i will have a bit more time to post then.

 

Carl's Announcment

 Okay so first off I want to apologize for not posting since November. Obviously with it being the off season it is to be expected. Whenever I post I always tell myself I'm going to do better I'm going to post more and I'm really going to try and do that. I make no promises but I want to try and make it better. It's always easier to write posts on big announcements and so here I am.

            The news coming out yesterday truly shocked me. Carl Edwards in the hottest team in NASCAR nearly won the championship is not running this season. Instantly my first thoughts were it's got to be something with health and I was concerned. To learn that wasn't the case lead to some confusion. I thought there must be more then just personal interests and wanting to do something else. If that was the case why wouldn't he give his fans 1 more year. Watching the press conference today it's obvious this sport still means a ton to Carl. Watching him get emotional made me emotional because I am a fan of the sport and he was an incredible driver in the sport. He gave so much and is such a great guy and I'm going to miss that. When I first started in the sport for a short time I was a fan of Carl. I was impressed by his backflips off the car after the win and that attracted me to him. As time went by my feelings for other drivers were stronger and drew me more to support them. When he was wrecking Brad it made me question him and was he the driver I thought he was. However since that point I've come back around full circle to a point where Carl wasn't my favorite driver but I didn't hate him. He was just another one of the drivers and one that I didn't mind seeing win if none of my favorites could. I had grown to love the four drivers together at JGR and watching their carpool karaoke was proof of that bond and made me like the four even more.

            Carl you will be missed in this sport. I can't even begin to imagine what it is like for your fans to get the news so suddenly that your not returning and that they never got the chance to say goodbye. I pray I never have to go through this with Denny, Kyle, Joey or Erik. I will be sad enough when they leave but if I don't get the chance to see them off that would be a tough pill to swallow. Watching Carl at the press conference although emotional at points he seems very at peace with his decision. I respect that ability of his to make such a decision and truly be at peace. That proves he did the right thing for him and his family. It's understandable that he wants time to spend with family and do other things. Denny made the comment that upset people you don't get to count down unless your in the sport. It is a grueling schedule that we as fans can never fully understand. Even if we traveled to every race it wouldn't be the same as it is for them. So I can understand the desire to slow down and spend time with family. His kids are getting older and I'm sure developing interests of their own. The part about stepping away healthy is such a big piece. I want my drivers to live healthy lives after NASCAR and so I can see with Dale's concussion and some big hits taken recently why Carl wants to step away while he is still healthy.

            I am surprised and shocked by this news but as many have said and will continue to say Carl is an incredible person. He showed so much grace and poise today although he was vaguer in his answers at points it just continued to show his private nature. It's weird to know that Carl isn't going to be in the series as well as Tony Stewart. It's a turning point in my the sport the guys I grew up watching when I first started are leaving and the young guns are starting to break into the sport. Carl impressed me so much in the press conference and made me sad to see him go. I will miss him but I wish him all the best in his life and all he continues to do. I have to agree that I think we will see him around the sport. Even with this news I am excited for Daytona I respect that the drivers and all involved needed their time off but I am so ready for Daytona. I'm excited to see how Erik does this season and I will try to continue post a little bit more.

            Carl I doubt you will ever see this but Carl you will be missed your an incredible class act type of guy. Watching you get emotional made me cry you are not my favorite driver but i have the utmost respect for you. I love the sport of NASCAR and you represented our sport so well during your 20 years in the sport. You had some rough moments but hearing you say you know that you were a jerk at times and you wish you could change things shows the person you are. I admit i was surprised by the announcement and thought ...there must be more and was worried about your health. This press conference helped to show me why you are leaving and it was clearly thought out and what is best for you and your family. When i started in the sport you were one of the first guys i noticed because of your backflip after a win. There will never be another celebration like that and that makes you one of a kind. You will be missed but i am glad that you get time to pursue other passions and spend time with those you love and that you can leave happy and healthy. I wish you all the best in your life and i would love to see you eventually back in the sport in television or in some way. You're a class act and you deserve to be celebrated for all you did for this sport. We will miss you best of luck in the rest of your life.