Day 4: Continued Hendrick dominance but not for drivers with first names of Jeff or Jimmy: It would even
be nice to see Casey Mears up front more. But the real issue is facing Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans. If he goes over to the
“other side” and doesn’t win consistently and contend for a championship, Junior fans will no doubt wonder
if the move was worth it.
Day 5: Driver, Crew Chief and Team input into the Car of Tomorrow (COT): The car is better but also
worse than the car of yesterday. It would appear though, that a modest level of input from the teams could go along way toward
making the car more fun to race and watch.
Day 6: Make the COT look and drive more like a car and less like a truck: If we can’t get input
from the teams, let’s at least try for increased style and handling improvements. A car known as a “flying brick”
is reason enough to consider some other options. If it looks like a tank and drives like a tank, it might be tank. I’m
all for change, so why not change the change. Santa, can we get a little more style in the COT and maybe help it turn a little
better.
Day 7: Bring back beatin’ and bangin’ to Bristol: When fans leave the Bristol Motor Speedway
and use the word boring to describe a race, you know there should be concern.
Day 8: Rain on Mondays instead of Saturdays and Sundays: With everything facing race fans from higher costs
to less exciting races, many weekends were made worse by rain. Not only did they get races and practices delayed, but everything
they owned was either wet or muddy or both. Let’s hope Santa can cut a better deal with Mother Nature next year.
Day 9: Hoping Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the same cars as Jimmy Johnson: Enough said.
2006 StockCar Review.
