Fan's Voice Awards

12/3/05…I'm sure most of us who have Internet access have voted in Nextel's Fan's Voice Awards. They claim that this is the fourth year that it's been around; time flies right by. Have you heard that old saying,"Time flies like wind – fruit flies like bananas?"

At any rate, I think the voice of the majority of voting fans is worth commenting on, and is something that should not be taken lightly. The Most Dramatic Moment category was won by Tony Stewart's long awaited Indy win when he held off Kasey Kahne to win his first major event at the hallmark of racing in his home state of Indiana. This I can agree with, although I think Carl Edwards' nose to nose victory over Jimmie Johnson for his first Cup Series win deserved at least honorable mention.

Best Quote award went to Tony Stewart for complaining about being too old and fat to climb fences. He used a curse word in the statement, which was in the same vein that others drivers have been fined for. How come Stewart wasn't fined for using the word "damn" when other drivers have been fined for using the word "shit?" Is there that much of a difference?

Other winners included Chevrolet for Manufacturer Rules NASCAR, and more points for winning races took the "Rules Implementation" category. Best Commercial was Dale Jr.'s number change to 6.7, which I thought was kind of lame. Dale Jr. has better commercials than that. Carl Edwards took the Driver You'd Like Your Daughter to Marry. Why not Tony Stewart? He's better looking, a lot richer, and more used to fame and fortune. Carl Edwards, although a dynamite driver, may be challenged in all of those areas.

The fans want to see a Foreign Event in Toronto, Canada and think Kenny Wallace is the Best On-air Personality. They don't want to see Robby Gordon in Their Rear View Mirror and think the Best Owner to Drive For would be Teresa Earnhardt. I like Kenny Wallace, and that's about all that's worth commenting on.

Tony Stewart won again for the Most Creative Display of Emotion by climbing the fence and mounting the flag stand after winning the Pepsi 400. Could be, I won't argue about that. Hanging Out with Driver Jamie McMurray wouldn't float my boat, and the Biggest News Story of the Year certainly wasn't Dale Jr. and Gordon not making the Chase. The Grudge Match between Stewart and Biffle doesn't make much sense, but the husband of Krissie Newman being the Luckiest Driver sure does! They want Bristol In the Chase, but why? They already have a short track event; they need a road course in the Chase, to give road racing some respectability.

Season to Forget and Most Popular Driver went to Dale Jr. That wasn't any surprise on either count, and Edward's winning of Breakthrough Season wasn't much of a surprise either. Kurt Busch could have won the prize for Breakup Season or Self Destruct Season. whichever…