Okay, So I Lied.

I promised I'd skip a NASCAR post, in exchange for that godawful long work post--well, it ain't gonna happen this week.



Today was the first race since last week's Hendrick Motorsports plane crash. For you non-NASCAR types, Hendrick is a dominant team--they own the cars of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, two of the main contenders for the Nextel Cup this year. Last Sunday, a plane with ten members of the organization went down on the way to a race, and nobody survived. On that plane was Rick Hendrick's son, his brother, and two of his nieces; the team's chief engine builder, a helicopter pilot for one of the drivers, the two pilots of the plane, the team's general manager, and a DuPont executive.



It was a terrible week for racing, probably the worst since Dale Earnhardt Sr. died at Daytona. I wasn't into racing at that point, so this is really my first experience with NASCAR tragedies. I can't imagine what the Hendrick family must be going through. And Brian Vickers, a rookie with Hendrick, lost his best friend and roommate on his 21st birthday; he lived with Ricky Hendrick. What makes that even sadder is this: Brian's best friend in childhood was Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash a few years back. Brian's gone through so much loss at so young of an age...Kasey Kahne may be my favorite driver, but Brian's got my sentimental-favorite standing from this point on.



Anyway: this afternoon, Jimmie Johnson pulled out a win in the last 20 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And the celebration in Victory Lane was something to see. I don't think I'll make too many more "redneck" jokes for a while--I've never seen so many grown men wiping their eyes in my life.



Good job, Jimmie. On to the title!