Racing: The Perfect Gift Ideas
D ear Santa, It's that time again. I'm sure you and your garage elves have been fine-tuning the old sleigh so you can circumnavigate the globe in re-cord time. And I'm sure you're well aware which drivers, teams and series bosses have been naughty or nice this year. Still, I wanted to offer a few sug-gestions. Some of these proposed gifts aren't exactly what the recip-ients want, but they are what they and fans really need. Kyle Busch: Yes, Santa, I know he's NASCAR's resident bad boy, but he still should get something more than a lump of coal. I have the per-fect gift for young Mr. Busch. He needs a track mommy. I know he seemed to get his act together as the season progressed, but I'm not convinced. If he had a mom there for every race, she could listen to his whining, dry his tears and straighten him out as only a mother can. Joey Logano: He needs the flipside of the parental coin, a new track daddy. Unfortunately for the quiet and disarming young racer, his real daddy has a temper. I don't be-grudge any parent the right to be protective, but Tom Logano's run-in with Greg Biffle after a Nationwide race was uncalled for. Yes, the Biff put Joey into the wall back in the October California race. But it was just a racing deal, and Joey came back to win. If your child is going to hold a full-time job in a big-league sport, you need to back off and let him handle the on- and off-track in-cidents himself. Kyle Petty: Racing fans would love to see Kyle back in a car, but he's doing a nice job as a TV race commentator. We'd just like you to give him more airtime as a Project Runway guest judge. For real. Kyle told us via Twitter that he likes the show. And during his appearance, the contestants could design motorcy-cle apparel that could be spotlight-ed during Kyle's annual cross-coun-try trek that raises money for his Victory Junction Camp. Richard Childress and Kevin Harvick: Please bring both men a case OK, two cases of aspirin. They'll need the medication to ease the pain of the forced smiles they'll be wearing in 2010 as they soldier through the last year of their con-tracts. Yeah, yeah, both say all is The Perfect Gift Ideas Special presents for both racers and racing fans Powerhouse of a woman? Lesa France Ken-nedy, CEO of International Speed-way Corp., was named by Forbes magazine as the Most Powerful Woman in Sports. Really? Interest-ing. said it focused primarily Forbes on individuals whose decisions affect the largest sports-related rev-enue streams, be they from teams, leagues or corporate sponsors. But Kennedy's sport has been struggling more than most of late because of its dependence on sponsors affected by the sluggish economy. I think the magazine's choice says more about the state of women in sports than it does about Kennedy's ability or power. F1 soap operatics If you don't follow Formula 1 racing, you really should, for the on- and off-track action. The latest example of high drama comes from new-in-2010 Ferrari teammates. Felipe Massa told he believes Fer-Autosport.com nando Alonso, who will join him at Scuderia Ferrari next season, knew about a deliberate plot to cause the crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix that ensured Alonso's championship. The FIA's official investigation cleared Alonso of any involvement. Despite his hunch about the crash, Massa swears it won't affect his future relationship with the Spaniard. Yeah, right. $8 million for 8 races? All us female race fans are aware of the higher-priced hair product that justifies its cost with the tagline because you're worth it. It looks like Danica Pat-rick is appropriating that motto. Reports have surfaced that Danica and her agents are asking for $8 million for eight races in NASCAR Nationwide and possibly ARCA RE/MAX Series events. Hey, if you don't believe in yourself, who will? Happily ever after That's what I wish Erin Crocker and Ray Evernham, who tied the knot in Las Vegas at the end of August. Despite the location, it was a tra-ditional wedding, not a quick event presided over by an Elvis imper-sonator. The couple, who caused a stir when they dated while Ray was Erin's boss, has shifted to a lower-gear life. Erin's driving sprint, not Sprint Cup, cars. Ray sold most of his Cup team and is an ESPN ana-lyst. And now they are newlyweds. Congratulations! LOOSE LUGNUTS 42 TRUCKERS NEWS DECEMBER 2009 VIEWS FROM THE GRANDSTANDS KAY BELL GREGG ELLMAN/ POOL-GETTY IMAGES