Maybe Santa can help racing fans this Christmas

To: Santa Claus,

The North Pole

Dear Santa:

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas, so I am writing my annual letter to you so I can get busy doing some volunteer work. I want to help the laggards who still have Halloween jack o’lanterns at their doorsteps remove them from among the Yuletide decorations.

Tacky, tacky, tacky!

But I digress.

Here’s my stock car racing-related wish list. I’m sure some other followers are asking for much the same, so I hope that you have enough to go around.

1. A NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2010 for Mark Martin. Goodness knows, Santa, no driver deserves a title more. Mark has finished second in the point standings five times!

And speaking of goodness, he’s a fine person, NASCAR’s best ambassador since Richard Petty retired following the 1992 season.

2. A second major event for Darlington Raceway. Track president Chris Browning and his staff have filled up the grand old speedway, which dates to 1950, every year since being cut back to a single race.  This despite having an awful date, the eve of Mother’s Day.

3. Along the previous line, Santa, sweet success at North Wilkesboro Speedway, scheduled to reopen next October with USAuto Racing series competition.

Also toss onto your sleigh a large portion of good luck for Rockingham Speedway, which recently came off the inactive list with an ARCA event.

4. Another victory for NASCAR’s so-called “Old Guard,” such drivers as Bill Elliott and Bobby Labonte, former champions who haven’t heard the hurrahs in the winner’s circle in some years now.

5. While you’re wrapping forthcoming victories, Santa, please put a ribbon on one for Marcos Ambrose, the outgoing Tasmanian. Marcos’ personality glitters like the gold he pans for as a pastime in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. I’m sure such a gift would be hugely appreciated his native Land Down Under, where NASCAR has developed an immense following through the miracle of satellite television.

6.  Oh, in regards to followings, Santa, no driver has a bigger fan base than Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Watching his struggle to get back to Victory Lane and his seemingly endless rash of bad luck has been agonizing.

Making him competitive again would be as widely appreciated as a White Christmas.

7. In this same vein, Santa, get the Richard Childress Racing operation rolling once more. It just doesn’t seem the same without RCR cars in the mix at the front of the fields.

8. Please give officials of NASCAR and the International Speedway Corp. the courage and wisdom to resolve their Talladega Superspeedway problem. Cars and their drivers flying into fences mere feet away from the spectators is a horrifying sight, and that’s happening practically every race.

For sanity’s sake, show them how to act before disaster strikes.

9. More filled grandstands like that of last Labor Day for Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark. No promoter is as conscientious, works harder or loves the sport more than Clark. Heck, he even gives up treasured fishing time to race in hobby classes in his own cars at Atlanta and occasionally at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

10. Finally, Santa, please assure that the new NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte has a truly grand opening in May when "Big Bill" France, Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson become the first inductees.

Hall officials Winston Kelly and Buz McKim are working even harder than your elves to make sure the  multimillion-dollar facility wows its visitors.

I know that asking for 10 gifts is a lot, Santa, but if you can come through even with, say, six or seven of them I will make you this promise:

Next year I won’t wear my favorite Christmas sweatshirt. It’s the one with the lettering that reads, “Forget Santa…Be Naughty!”

Sincerely,

Tom