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Since it’s almost the start of a new year and a new NASCAR racing season, the MotorSportsNews.Net staff thought we’d put together our wishes for the new year of stock car racing…

Weekly columnist Capt. Herb Emory, of WSBRadio AM 750 in Atlanta, GA, wishes:

1. That David Ragan wins his first race.
2. That NASCAR quits blowing rubber off tracks during races. (knowing where to drive and not to drive should be part of the contest)
3. That the other teams catch up with the money advantage that Hendrick has.
4. That no special rules are made just to help Mikey Waldrip and his operation.
5. That a National Commissioner of Racing be appointed, just like baseball and football, to make sure that NASCAR and ISC treat all teams and drivers the same.

Occasional columnist Sadie Dwyer wishes:

1. that Darrell Waltrip received a thesaurus for Christmas and found a synonym for “boogity.”
2. that a new name for the “Car of Tomorrow” finally sticks.
3. that the rain goes and finds something else to do on Sundays.
4. that the 2008 Daytona 500 is even more exciting than last year’s… although I think that would involve Richard Petty’s un-retirement and a spaceship of some sort.
5. for a safe 2008 for all of the drivers, crews, and fans.

Weekly columnist Racing Maniac wishes:

1. Mr.Pigtail should finally wake up from his 15 year slumber and remember that he’s the President of a racing organization, and not a competitive driver. He should ask himself how many W’s he’s racked up since he began driving, and when the last one occurred. Evading reality is like trying to grow hair on a bald head (no correlation here, but you get the point).
2. ISC and SMI should lower their ticket prices, thereby allowing ordinary people to once again enjoy this sport. We don’t need no stinkin’ high priced corporate junkets filling up the stands.
3. ‘Scripts’ should not be allowed at any more Cup/BuschLeague/Truck banquets. For the most part, the drivers are not charismatic speakers and make us wince with pain when they read their prepared speeches. This is why they invented remote channel changers.
4. Rustoleum should quietly exit the announcing booth. The ‘mute’ button was invented expressly for him.

Weekend Stock Car Gazette editor Heather Meyer wishes:

1. that nascar makes qualifying even
2. that it’s not the 4 Hendricks drivers rated 1-4 in the final chase
3. That Furniture Row Racing breaks the top 35
4. That Toyota with Gibbs on board does better this year.
5. That we don’t have many green/yellow finishes
6. That the COT is now the Car of Today, and has a good showing this year, and makes for interesting racing at the bigger tracks.

Occasional columnist Chuck Abrams checks in with these:

Wow, a Top Five Wish List For 2008.

That opens the door for a lot of discussion and I am sure many of us will have similar wishes. I went for some very specific things I would like to see this year vs. the easy all encompassing hopes such as NASCAR getting its collective head out from its behind.

Plus I also did not include any voodoo wishes like Jimmie Johnson gets flat tires at every race.

1. This has nothing to do with any driver or team. This Top Want is for continued good health for Bob Margolis, a NASCAR writer that you read find nationally and also on Yahoo Sports. Bob fought off cancer twice in the past year including neck and throat cancer. Bob is recovering and ready to go back to work starting in Daytona this season. His struggle to survive and keep on keeping on is inspiring. (editor’s note: CLICK HERE to read Bob’s story of survival)
2. A much closer battle for the title in 2008. And not just in the Chase. I want to see more drivers win in 2008 and end the Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson Show for at least one year. It would be nice to see drivers outside of Hendrick, Roush and Gibbs win. How about some wins by Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte? And it sure would be nice to see several drivers in the hunt during the Chase right down to the wire.
3. Drop the Top 35 Rule all together. Don’t even tweak it to be the Top 25. The Top 35 Rule is akin to a Lucky Dog pass for slow teams on any given Sunday. And if I can add this as an amendment, let’s drop the Lucky Dog rule while we are at it.
4. That the new car will be competitive right out of the chute. And that it will NOT be aero dependant and that it WILL level the playing field as promised.
5. Egads, my last wish for 2008!!!! This is a toughie. The contestants are aplenty. Let’s run them down.
   • Dale Jr will win not only several races but finally get a title.
   • That the Chase will magically disappear.
   • The trend towards open wheelers over young homegrown NASCAR talent will quickly end.
   • My friend Michelle Theriault will get her ARCA ride and be named Rookie of the Year.
   • That the Craftsman Truck Series drivers starts to get see some money to go along with their awesome racing.
   • That the Buschwhackers be allowed to race in the new Nationwide Series, but that they do not get points unless they run the entire season.

OK, I guess that is enough. I could go on and on believe me. But now I get to be a complete homer and say my Final Top Five (editor’s note: uh, Chuck, this is 11 wishes so far…) Wish For 2008 is (drum roll please) Dale Jr. winning a few races on his way to a title in 2008.

Now before you blast me for this, my second choice is another homer vote for Michelle Theriault getting an ARCA ride and going on to be named Rookie of the Year in ARCA. Michelle and her family have gone through a lot and put up with a lot in her young racing career. She deserves a break and did not get it last year even though she brought a sponsor into the sport and had a decent year. Hang in there kiddo.

OK, now you can blast me for wanting another Hendrick driver to win a title. But hear me out on this. I have been a race fan all my life. I followed NASCAR and Indy racing whenever I could since it was not on TV on a regular basis back in the day. And while I am a Dale Jr. fan, I am also a fan of many drivers. I just want the best for a driver I consider to be one of the most real, honest people in the sport. You may hate him since he is an Earnhardt, but you have to give him credit for what he has accomplished. At least I do.

Let me know your thoughts.

Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up. Have a happy and prosperous 2008.

Feel free to send Chuck your thoughts on this and other race topics at chucka@turnleftracing.com. The blog at www.turnleftracing.com is down now due to spammers. We will have that back up as soon as we can.

New for 2008 fantasy racing columnist Lonnie L. Bernarde offers up this list:

1. My first wish for 2008 would be for Nascar to throw cautions only when a real caution comes out. Then I would like to have the broadcast stations show the reason for the caution. Concrete evidence goes a long ways and keeps legitimacy in the sport. Kinda like instant replay in those other sports we don’t watch.
2. That Nascar would consider starting the season early in January and finish early in October. But then again what else do we have to watch in the fall anyway????
3. As a matter of fact who even cares about that other sport’s games in January? Actually I need that fantasy fix as that other sport’s regular season is over and I need some racin’ to get my rotisserie blood pumping again. (Is this one even a wish or is it an addendum to wish number 2?)
4. Bobby wins one (or 2) in 2008.
5. That I get the last pick in my 2009 fantasy Nascar league draft. While I’m at it, that Craig gets the first pick in the draft next year. (You don’t know Craig yet, but you will once I start writing about my fantasy Nascar league in the near future).

Senior staff writer/columnist Robyn Snell has this list:

1. I wish that… NASCAR would look within its own lower series of racing prior to going to F-1 and beyond the pond to fill empty seats with Truck, Busch and Truck!
2. I wish that… NASCAR would widen a few of the narrow pit roads before a pit crew member or Official gets killed.
3. I wish that…NASCAR would bring back the “Rock!” Race
4. I wish that….NASCAR would televise the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series…Even just select races would be fine….
5. And my number one wish for NASCAR is…To keep on improving and testing the safety features to keep all drivers as safe as possible!

Finally, website owner and Stock Car Gazette editor Mike Irwin gives his list:

1. I too want to wish Bob Margolis all the best. Those of us on the web who cover motorsports read other motorsports writers’ articles, and Bob is one of the good ones, fighting a hard battle against cancer. You’re on my prayer list, Bob.
2. I have to admit I’m kind of leaning toward Chuck’s easy all encompassing hope that NASCAR would get its collective head out of … er… well… um… the sand… yeah, that’s it. See, I’m going to be nice. It appears to me that NASCAR is forgetting where it came from and who got it there… the fans, like you and me. If things continue as they have been, I foresee a switch in 2008 in the Irwin household to watching more Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA RE/MAX, Aussie V8 supercars, touring car, and pro rally via the DVR instead of wasting time on most of the Cup races. If 2007 is any indication, they’re boring, and they’re predictable.
3. I’d really like to see Dale Jarrett go out on a high note … with at least one win out of his five starts in ‘08. Given recent past performance, I’m realistic enough to know it’s probably not going to happen, but it would be nice to see this gentleman driver who’s been a classy representative of the sport of stock car racing go out in style.
4. I’d really like to be able to hear about some of the other cars and drivers on the track during a Cup race, and not just the first 12. Positions 13 through 43 are racing, too.
5. Selfishly, I’d like for this website to be able to grow more toward its potential with more Stock Car Gazette subscribers, more traffic, and being able to provide good solid coverage of the sport of stock car racing, and eventually, all motorsports.

And there you have it. What about you? Do you have some racing wishes for 2008? Leave ‘em below in the comments section, but remember this is a family website and inappropriate comments will be moderated and/or deleted.