Championship recap

 This is a few days late but I can't believe any other NASCAR season is finished. It was a crazy season and unfortunate concussion and fire issues. I am hopeful the changes headed will make the necessary changes needed to keep the drivers safe. It will be sad not to see Kurt Busch all next season but I am excited to welcome Jimmie Johnson back to the cup series part time as a racer and as a owner. 

Congrats to Zane Smith on your truck championship. I didn't watch most of the truck series but knew you had been deserving of it the past couple seasons. It was an exciting end in your championship race. 

I was one of the people who was not cheering for Ty Gibbs because I didn't think it was cool how he wrecked a teammate out of the final 4 and because I was a bigger Noah Gragson fan. However with the turn of events that took place I am greatful Ty was the winner and got to have those moments with his dad before his dad Coy passed tragically to soon. My prayers spare with the whole gibbs family but especially Joe and Pat having lost both sons at 49 years old. As well as Ty having gone from the highest of highs a championship after a rough week he was put through the ringer because of his decision at martinsville to the lowest of lows in the loss of his dad that night.

It was so heartbreaking to find out of Coy's death and to get that news right before the race put a damper on the race and the cup championship no longer seemed that important. I felt so bad for Kyle watching him crying during pre race on what was already a tough weekend. You could tell it hit Bubba and Denny hard as well. It was a reminder of how fragile life is and to not take a moment for granted. I can't even imagine what Ty has been feeling since his dad's death.

However the happiest part was Joey Logano winning his 2nd cup championship.  I am so proud of Joey and the person he is. Outside of the car he has such a great personality and does so much for others with his charity work. Inside the car he is so uber competitive and so confident in his skills. He can make some controversial decisions because he is so competitive.  I am blessed to have met Joey and I am so proud of how dominant he was and the way he believed all year it was #the22in22 and he was the first person to win in the same year as his car number. It was awesome to see him and Hudson celebrating the championship and the moments with Brittany when he first got out of the car. It was only a shame that Jamison and Emillia were to little to make the trip and celebrate as the complete family of 5. It was fitting if a JGR car in Christopher couldn't win the next best was a former driver in Joey who clearly had them on his mind as well

There was a lot of change and is sure to be a lot next year however the biggest change for me is Kyle Busch leaving JGR. Like so many others I pictured he would retire there and I was sad that did not work out. It was clear how hard the goodbye was for Kyle and the loss of Coy made it that much worse. I am excited for his new beginning with RCR and I know this was not the year Kyle wanted or hoped I am sure a fire has been lit and I expect great things next year.

Can't wait for the Daytona 500 but excited to spend the Holidays with family, I hope everyone has a great off season congrats Zane, Ty and Joey once again on your titles and continued prayers up for the entire Gibbs family and everyone in the JGR family.

Kurt Busch retirement

 

Me and Kurt Busch in 2008 

The news yesterday of Kurt Busch stepping away from full time racing is extremely emotional for me. Kurt Busch is the driver who got me into NASCAR. I had always watched with my dad as a child but it was more just something I did with my dad I wasn't paying attention I am sure I ran off to play came back. That all changed in 2003-2005 when I got a Kurt Busch trading card in a box of Cherrios. In that moment I chose Kurt as my driver and I now had a driver to cheer for a reason to watch more intently. That changed my life NASCAR is my place to go each weekend to just relax. It takes me away for hours from the stresses, the things I have to do. For those hours I get to just watch NASCAR and just enjoy the race and the competition. I look forward to the races each week it is my thing that gets me through the week knowing I have that to watch and take me out of my real world issues and focus on the race. Kurt started all of that with a trading card.

Front of the Kurt Busch card in cherrio box 

Back of Kurt Busch Card in cherrio box

In addition to getting me started in NASCAR Kurt held a lot of other NASCAR first for me. I got a slate for Kurt Busch when he was in the 97 car and it was one of my first pieces of NASCAR memorabilia that I had collected. Kurt was also the first driver I ever met when he came to my local ball park for the Akron then Areos now Rubber Ducks in August 2008. That meeting is something I still remember today although the line was long and Kurt was being pressured to move the line along. He still took the time to ask how I was, take a picture with me, autograph my things and thank me for coming. He was incredibly sweet and I always treasure that experience. 

The ad in paper that lead me to meeting Kurt Busch

I knew this moment or his retirement was coming with the years Kurt had in the sport and especially once the news of Tyler Reddick going to the team in 2024 was announced but I hate that it ended this way with the concussion. I am glad Kurt seems at peace wtih his decision and that he said the garage is his home and he will still be around and involved in various ways and maybe even if he gets cleared to race is select races or I could see him as a driver they have on stand by if anyone would get injured or need baby watch to have a driver ready to step in. 

I am going to miss watching Kurt race week in and week out. I wish him nothing but the best in his future. It is great to see him putting his health first and I hope he can get back to 100%. Kurt changed my life in so many ways he doesn't even know for getting me started in and really making me fall in love with NASCAR and be a die hard race fan. Over the years I have added other drivers I loved and root for including his brother but Kurt will always be the first driver I loved and the one who got it all started. He is the first driver or mine to retire and it has been even more emotional then I thought it would be. I am glad I might still have a chance to run into him at a race or team shop and I can't wait to see him earn his worthy hall of fame status when the time comes. Kurt thank you for so many great years as a fan and for changing my life. Enjoy your next chapter I wish you nothing but the best!!!

Kurt Busch memorbillia I have collected over the years

NASCAR's Saftey Issue

 I love NASCAR it is my release after a long weeks work I don't typically like to complain or bad mouth the sport I love. In this case I tried to give NASCAR the benefit of the doubt on this car when drivers started complaining these were harder hits they were taking on hits that looked minor. I knew that a new design nothing was going to be perfect until it got on the track. I accepted Kurt Busch's concussion with minimal push back despite the fact Kurt was the first driver to truly pull me into NASCAR and the first driver I personally met. However this how now gotten way out of hand.

I watched crashes in the Gen 6 car that didn't appear like drivers should survive in Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman's crashes at Daytona and yet those drivers walked away that night or days later seeming virtually unharmed. I admit until those crashes I took saftey largely for granted however after seeing those crashes having two of my favorite drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch suffer serious injuries in crashes. Saftey has been brought to my forefront and yet NASCAR to the public eye seems more lacksidasical then ever berfore. Alex Bowman's hit at Talladega looked like barely anything more than a tap and yet Alex now has a concussion and called it the hardest hit he has ever taken in a race this coming from a man who flipped a midget so bad he almost died. You know have 2 of the stars of your sport missing races due to a concussion and possibly both loosing their chance to race for a championship. In my eyes as a fan this is absolutely unaccaptable. 

I am sure NASCAR probabaly has plans to make improvements to the new car over the off season I would be abslutely shocked if they didn't. However that doesn't change the here and now we are headed to a track that usually collects most of the field in some type of wreck. I genuinely fear for the drivers saftey this weekend head injuries are nothing to mess with and the type of wrecks that have caused the concussions seem minor looking at them. However i think that hints at the biggest issue with this car it is simply not crumpling in wrecks. I don't like to see drivers taken out but if Alex Bowman's car would have crumpled last week he might have missed that race rather then driving around we now know concussioned and missing who knows how many races. I don't know how we can say we can truly wait til the off season to fix the issues on this car how many drivers are gonna be hurt in the last 6 races of this season. I am worried that it might be worse then a concussion to a driver this week at Talladega. Yes racing is dangerous and always risky but now it seems risker then ever and more dangerous to drivers and their long term health. 

I pray everyone makes it safely through this weekened at Talladega and the next 5 weeks. I usually don't want the NASCAR season to end when it does but at this point for driver saftey I am ready for it and for the off season so NASCAR can hopefully make improvements to the cars so they can still put on good racing but become more crushable to hopefully the car takes more of the impact off the drivers. It is clear something needs to change and I hope as much as I love watching the racing that if the drivers aren't comftorable they come together as a unit to fight for change and even boycott if necessary to get the changes needed to these cars the drivers know what they are feeling I don't care what NASCAR says about not seeing the impacts as worse they clearly are and something has to change before someone gets seriously injured or killed.