auto racing

I guess most NASCAR fans didn't realize it at the time, but we have been living in the sport's halcyon days over the last 10 years. You've likely walked around the track on a race weekend, so you know what I mean: Trinkets, knick-knacks and giveaways galore. And it was never any better than the 1990s and the early part of this decade.

Since this column originates in sunny South Florida, I can only assume many readers will be sitting in the Homestead grandstands this weekend, watching all three major NASCAR series wrap up the 2008 season.Mark Martin won't be there, though. He has other plans.

What wins on Sunday sells on Monday.That's the way it was.Back in the good ol' days of stock-car racing.Back before NASCAR raced away from its Southeastern, blue-collar roots and chased the big-money marketing of Madison Avenue.

The moves by big NASCAR team owners Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs in the past few days to start paring their giant rosters of crewmen set off a wave of frantic job searching by a large number of crewmen over the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.The fear is that next week, after the Homestead finale to the 10-month season, even more NASCAR job cuts will be made.

I must say this right up front: I like David Gilliland. I like him as a second-generation NASCAR driver and enjoy watching him race for Yates Racing. His improbable path to the Cup level, complete with an underdog win in 2006, is a story line that comes along very rarely.

So did Carl Edwards finally rattle Jimmie Johnson's cage?"Sometimes you can have a little fun playing catch-up," Edwards said happily, after his eighth NASCAR win of the season, chopping Johnson's Sprint Cup tour lead almost in half with two races to go.

By this time next week, when I get another chance to figure out NASCAR's unspectacular Chase for the Cup and avoid writing about how much of a Jimmie Johnson runaway it's been, we will have a new president-elect of this great nation. So I want to take the time to talk about an important issue -- change.

Whatever Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson have figured out with NASCAR's winged car, they're certainly not sharing any secrets.

Remember that engraver who's always doing his work as the British Open golf tournament starts winding down? He's an older, grizzled gent likely called Pappy or Mac, and is best known for prematurely chiseling Jean Van de Velde's name on the Claret Jug at Carnoustie in 1999 while the Frenchman was authoring one of the greatest collapses ever in sports.