Happy New Year!!!

As I counted down to 2010, I sat with people I love, who I've cried with, laughed with and just been flat out insane with....and started to ponder what 2009 really was all about.  And it hit me, this world has sure changed since I was a little girl and not all of it for the better.

One of my must-sees every time I surf the web is FoxNews.com and as I was browsing headlines this morning, I read of affairs, bombings, people being attacked at home with axes, sports locker rooms turning into side shows with players pulling guns on each other, and people that I watched in movies that I still can't get enough of dying way too young. 

We idolize Michael Jackson, who was the epitomy of odd and scary, and condemn people who are trying to show the world some hope through God and His life-changing grace. We put filandering cheaters like Tiger Woods, who had seemingly fooled us all, up on pedistals and thumb our noses at men and women who are simply trying to live pure lives by not airing their dirty laundry on TV and in the tabloids and remaining virgins until their wedding nights.

In the sport of NASCAR, that I live and breathe for, we think that winning 5 Championships is a big deal, when the team that's done it has been caught cheating so many times even their  fans and some fellow competitors joke about it and give the driver and crew chief nicknames pertaining to their crafty endeavors.  Quite frankly, I'm tired of the same old boring finish week in and week out. I feel like it's a racing version of 50 First Dates or Groundhog Day on Sunday afternoons.

On the rare occasion that someone other than an HMS driver or the elite from Roush Racing visit Victory Lane, we try to offer some excuse for how it could've possibly happened and diminish the hard work and perfect timing that helped that deserving driver finally get a break and a trip to victory lane.

Imagine spending every day since you were old enough to know what a car is fighting to get a victory in Sprint cup racing and then when you do....everyone brushes it off. What in the world is wrong with this picture?  Every single one of those 43 guys that make those races every week are hungry to have success and they all have someone who is rooting for them. It may only be his mother and his own family, but they all deserve their moment to shine, to have their name mentioned for something other than a crash or when the list of the guys in the garage is read.

In 2010, I vow to not only blog about Denny Hamlin, but to find one driver from every race who did something note worthy and give him his moment in the spotlight.  I may be the only one to read it, but atleast someone noticed. And all great things start from simple beginnings, no matter how humble they are.

When the clock struck midnight and the calendar officially changed to a new decade, I realized that the only person who could make my 2010 fabulous was me. The only way it will get messed up and go bad is if I allow that to happen.  Trials and hard times are inevitable, they are what shape our character.  It's how you face them, what you allow them to change within you, and the powerful lessons you learn from them that truly matters.

So to my precious Denny Hamlin....I offer this advice. YOU CAN! YOU WILL! The power to succeed and to have a great season lies solely in your hands.   Make the most of it, fight hard for every moment and when it leads to checkered flags and champagne baths, listen for my voice. It will be the loudest and the longest and tears of joy will stream down my face. Make no mistake...I support you unconditionally and win or finish dead last I am proud of you.

Racing is only a few short days away....by the time I blink my eyes it will be time to roll into Daytona and 36 weeks of nail biting, temper flaring, on the edge of your seat excitement will take over living rooms and dens all over the world. I say bring it on. Winter is harsh and there's nothing like the heat of asphalt in the sun, the roar of the engines and the speed of the 43 fastest men in NASCAR to make you forget about the snow flying just outside your front door.

Happy New Year everyone....may it be the greatest year ever and the year that sees first time winners, rookie success and the end of the boring race and deja`vu finishes. Let's go racing boys!