Are Jeff and Jimmie still friends?

As the NASCAR season comes to an end, all the stories have been about those Hendrick gentlemen, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Oh, are they still friends? (Yes.) Will Jeff Gordon dump Jimmie Johnson if it comes down to the wire? (Highly unlikely. In even the worst scenarios, Johnson could finish as low as 21st and still win. Plus, Gordon stands to make quite a tidy windfall as co-owner of the champion’s car and finishing second in the Chase.)

Yesterday I saw an article on NASCAR.com comparing the original Wonderboy with the new upstart. The article asked if Johnson had outstripped and outshone Gordon in the years since Johnson’s debut. Two writers made interesting comparisons, and while it is true that Johnson’s stats have been better than Gordon’s in recent years, I think you’re comparing two different things.

As much as I hate to be fair where Johnson is concerned, I think they are almost equal in their level of ability. Gordon’s NASCAR and four Winston Cup championships were won in a different time. The level of competition was not as fierce as it is now. I think most of the disparity in Gordon’s time resulted in fewer teams having quality equipment. If one looks at the driver names during Gordon’s golden age there is no shortage of competitive, successful men. To me, it is the same thing as trying to compare Richard Petty’s and Dale Earnhardt’s seven championships. They weren’t won in the same equipment, the same time, the same type of competition.

Jeff Gordon has made a huge comeback from recent disappointing seasons, and while he will not win the championship, he and his team know that this year was their year. For the first time in many years they have seen their driver truly happy and relaxed, and it has spelled success for the Rainbow Warriors. Steve Letarte, who is as much of a Wonderboy as Gordon was, deserves much credit and unfortunately falls under the large shadow cast by Chad Knaus.

While Johnson will win this year’s race, I don’t know if he will be so lucky next year. Gordon’s team has had another taste of the championship, and they will be slavering and fierce out of the gate.

With that out of the way, I thought I would focus on the offseason and what it holds for some drivers. Some drivers have just a few weeks of vacation before they have to begin photo shoots, commercials and even some personal appearances over the holiday season. In fact, Jeff Gordon was quoted as saying that he had only two weeks of actual, no obligation vacation before he had to begin the publicity and commercial grind.

Some of you are saying, boo hoo, Jeff Gordon. You have nothing to complain about. I’m here to tell you that he and the other drivers have legitimate reasons to be a bit disgruntled over their scant “vacation.” Depending on popularity and finish in the points, some drivers obviously have more obligations than others. Drivers who are switching manufacturers or sponsors or even both will have a grueling workload.

In a sport where the official season lasts 38 weeks (which includes the two non-points paying races), the actual season is much longer. In fact, testing begins in mid-January, so the offseason lasts a paltry eight weeks. And those eight weeks are interspersed with job duties, for the most part.

While I am a huge NASCAR fan and I will definitely feel the void of no racing until January (I count testing now. It helps bring me out of withdrawal.), I wish these drivers had more time to recharge and relax.

We see popular drivers like Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin running partial schedules, with Jarrett eventually retiring next year. We see crew chiefs like Michael “Fatback” McSwain looking for opportunities in the Busch or Truck series so he can spend more time at home. This week, Robbie Reiser took the job of Roush-Fenway General Manager. Why? He’s done with the road. He too wants to see his family.

This year, I found myself waning a bit on Sundays, especially long, 500 mile races. I could nap during the races. I would do housework during the races. I wasn’t riveted to the television set, and truth be told, I wish I had been.

Personally, I think that 500 mile races should be reserved for special events or special tracks. Reduce some of the 500 mile races to 400. If we can’t move one of Pocono’s sleep-inducing races to another track, at least cut both races down to 400 miles. The drivers can be plainly heard on the radio talking about “clicking off laps.” You know what that means? It means that they’re riding around, bored out of their minds.

We need less miles and more excitement. We need a somewhat shorter season. We need to let these drivers have a bigger time out and better allotment of vacation weekends during the season. We need…an improved NASCAR.

I have high hopes for next year. I want to see how all teams fare with the COT, I want to see how Joe Gibbs Racing does with Toyota, I want to see how ESPN rectifies their atrocious coverage of the sport. I think 2008 will be filled with surprises.

During the offseason, this column will take a break and Sportsgrumblings.com will have previews of next year’s teams, reports about our favorite tracks and why they are important to the sport, and possibly even the occasional podcast. Thank you for reading, and have a happy holiday season.