Perplexing Ponderings Yet
Counting Blessings this Holiday
Season
December 20, 2007
Debbi Willis - SCR
As the year ends, undoubtedly
reflections of what’s gone behind us and what lies ahead weigh into our daily lives. The holidays are a time for families
and friends, fellowship and fun and all the little pleasures (and agonies), that go along with those intricate relationships
in our lives that we delicately balance all year long. While Christmas brings along lists of gifts and errands to run, the
New Year also begs us to resolve to new directions and changes for the betterment of ourselves and/or others. All is
well as another year, even if it is the tumultuous 2007, rapidly comes to an end. As I ponder the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season,
I wonder, is all well for everyone? For the most part, the sport seems to have survived but there are many more articles pondering
the “health of the sport,” its future, changes, or whatever might have been or could have been better to improve
it. Before anyone jumps on their mighty keyboards to pound out the obvious notion that after any “good” season,
there’s evaluation and room for improvement for the future, I’ll point out there’s a very human side to
the whole season that I am thinking of.
In the Nextel Cup series, the
Chase ended up with a Champion being crowned who’s often subtitled by the fans as a “two time major cheater.” This
is somewhat harsh but the facts are there to support the ill-feelings and nothing new from this stable. In the meantime, in
what has to be a deep-seated conflict for Jeff Gordon, he continues to chase his fifth championship like Dale Earnhardt chased
the Daytona 500! Every season something seems to take it just out of his reach. So, at season’s end, Jeff Gordon’s
ears might have been ringing with Earnhardt’s familiar words about “Second Place is just the first place loser”
which couldn’t have felt very wonderful – even if you’re part car owner, best friend or in New
York! However, to his credit (or perhaps I should say, Ingrid and Ella’s credit), Jeff Gordon’s
perspective stayed focused on the right priorities in life: family first, then everything else falls in place if it’s
supposed to. Jeff Gordon’s holidays are going to be extra special and very rich because he’s a new father with
a child and wife to share his life. I suspect this really eases the loss of that elusive fifth championship because perspective
is everything and Jeff Gordon has grown into that, which is a blessing he can really count!
Can Richard Childress
catch a break? Perhaps in 2008 but not in 2007, it seems he spent most of it fighting one thing or another including his own
efforts. In the midst of 2007 sat Richard Childress with three strong teams in his stable, only he didn’t fully realize
it until Clint Bowyer made the Chase, too. Richard always hoped to get back to victory lane in the Daytona 500 but who would
have guessed in such a crazy finish like 2007 with one car winning while another slid over the finish line on his roof? Worst
yet, it’s steeped in controversy! Rules are not quite adhered to but NASCAR speaks and it stands (Kevin Harvick not
Mark Martin wins) and Sunoco sees RED over that big Shell on Kevin’s car and chest in victory lane no less! To make
matters worst, when AT&T acquired Cingular, Jeff Burton’s car goes naked around the track for a couple weeks until
a court finally helps them come to a settlement. By the time, Bowyer makes the Chase, he’s the Chaser without a victory
in there, but he settled that right out of the gate yet couldn’t hold on. An engine program that was to be the best
thing since sliced bread for both Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) brought less than stellar results
and rained criticism from all fronts. The Car of Tomorrow (COT) appeared cursed for RCR as nothing would work for them and
most races were just really expensive test sessions. Childress proved he’s got mega-talent and spirit in his stable.
If he gets all three teams running solidly on all eight cylinders, RCR will be a force to be reckoned with, but until then…
it’s anybody’s game of luck. Yet optimistically, Richard Childress is a happy owner and counts his blessings to
be one of the “mega-teams” of the sport.
Are the Harvick’s worn
out yet? One would think so but they just keep smiling! Just surround them with their teams and they are happy! Delana Harvick
admitted to the extreme fatigue that comes from the stress of winning the Truck Championship in Homestead, because it was
such a tight race to the finish. But then she explained that after they reached the banquet location at Hard Rock, “It
completely changed our attitude and refreshed us -- just to see their smiles. I mean, some of those kids have never won races
before or ever been a part of a championship, so they were at a banquet and -- just to see the looks on their faces was pretty
cool.” For Kevin, from winning the Daytona 500 to winning the All –Star race to making the Chase, Harvick
kept his nose to grindstone fighting every race for every point possible. Simultaneously all this season, Harvick with
Delana, also managed a Championship truck team with Ron Hornaday for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) first Craftsman Truck Championship!
In the middle of all that, Kevin also managed his Busch/Nationwide teams and finished 4th in a part time schedule for Richard
Childress. With all this attention and obviously the success of his first Truck Championship, one might think they would take
it for granted. Not so. To his humble credit, in an interview, while traversing the country for the multiple appearances
and awards banquets, Kevin put it this way: "To give that back is almost hard to explain because very few times in life do
you get to give something this cool, and this big, back to somebody who helped to get you where you are today." The perspective
of gratitude that remembers where you came from and who helped you get there is why Kevin remembers Ron Hornaday today. Bottom
line: it feels good to give back and therein lies the blessings! Congratulations to the KHI team!
Advertise on StockCar Review, SCR
has advertising rates starting as low as $12.00 per month. Email us at scr@stockcarreview.com for more
information.
Finally, how about Dale
Earnhardt Jr.? The whole season was about him from Teresa Earnhardt’s gauntlet challenge in the press to his announcement
in June to join Hendrick Motorsports (HMS). Teresa served Dale Jr. notice in the press where he likes to do business
or perhaps thought so until this year. I suspect next time he’s about to make big changes, he’ll get it more ironed
out before he gives it to Junior Nation to help him with it. Thinking about the holidays though, I can’t help but wonder
if some of Junior’s family dynamics are a little fouled up now. I would guess he won’t be spending Christmas-time
with Teresa and Taylor, unless the media’s rabid reports of the deteriorated relationship between them is so mistaken.
I can only hope for that because business is business but family is always family. And like it or not, Teresa is family. Dale
Jr. has been a big brother to Taylor
all her life. To his great credit, Dale Jr. went on record with the media AND his mighty nation of fans to tell them to back
of Teresa. As he said, “People have been really, really rude and really way over the line on some of the things that
have been said… But it still gets back to Taylor. Nobody deserves that.
It ain't fair." This is where the rubber meets the road, because in essence Dale Jr. is telling everyone he still loves
his family, and yes, Teresa and Taylor are his family too! Racing is a sport of such high passion that it’s important
to be able to separate and compartmentalize emotions. How do fathers and sons race each other on the track? By separating
their emotions from the family love until after the race is over. Cold sounding? Maybe so but it’s efficient and safe.
It’s also business. Perhaps in some strange and painful way this was Dale’s opportunity to grow and Teresa gave
him it at her expense. Thus the silence no one understands. Business should never destroy family love. I really think Dale
Jr. understood that the many times he often said Teresa was doing what she thought best or had to do. So, how will his holidays
be? I am hoping that privately behind closed doors for no one but them, Teresa and Dale Jr. have made a peace that surpasses
the business end of life and reinforces the priority of family first. Pollyanna? Perhaps. Possible? Absolutely.
May the holidays find you and
your family counting the blessings of your lives, too!
2006 StockCar Review.
