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Which is why motocross fans shouldn't freak out to hear that Ricky Carmichael says he might trade two wheels for four when his contract runs out in 2007.

I'd be saying the same thing if my contract was coming up for renewal.

Of course, Carmichael is insane for thinking he's going to jump right into a Cup ride -- or any kind of decent stock car ride. At least this guy had the sense to keep his day job. And we all know how well these folks have done in stock cars, and they have a history in the four-wheel kind of racing.

The only thing the blogging posse over at ThatsRacin seems to hate more than Brian France is New York City - or specifically the prospect of putting a Cup race there.

Carol at The Infield, in her report on the Cup guys' trip to NYC this week, moves from evidence (No one watched the Cup cars parade through NYC) to conclusion (NASCAR shouldn't build a track there.)

Sigh.

A few points from someone who lived long ago in the City:

1. It takes an act of God - or a Presidential motorcade or the Columbus Day parade - to get a midtown street closed during a week day. The city isn't going to shut down for a publicity stunt, no matter how much The Today Show begs.

2. At 9:30 a.m., Midtown workers are trying to get to the office on time. (Media and retail get started later than Wall Street.) Those rolling billboards are just in the way.

3. The fact that NASCAR is on "The Today Show," no matter how badly the segment was done, is a good thing. As my wife, who used to work in product PR, says, everyone wants to be on The Today Show, which means they turn away plenty of folks. Worry only if NASCAR gets relegated to the instantly forgettable "Fox and Friends."

4. Just because New Yorkers don't stop and drool like cross-eyed yokels doesn't mean they're not interested in NASCAR. New Yorkers see celebrities pretty darn often, and it's not cool to stare. All New Yorkers have a I'm-pretending-not-to-look-but-I-really-am look.

5. NASCAR's NY fan base is in the Jersey-Long Island-Upstate suburbs, not midtown Manhattan.

I'm not saying a NYC track is a good idea or a bad idea. All I'm saying is that New Yorkers know the difference between a side show and a real show. They'll support the real thing.

Dustin Long wants to hear from you for a story he's working on.

His pitch:

"I'm looking for passionate Dale Earnhardt fans. February marks the fifth anniversary of his death at Daytona. I'd like to find out what life is like five years later for these people. Have they forsaken the sport since? Do they still buy his stuff? Do they treat him as if he's still alive? Please send me a note on anybody that comes to mind or how I can contact them. Or pass along my note to them and they can contact me at dustin_long@news-record.com."

In case you're wondering, Dustin's working on a story for early 2006 pegged to the fifth anniversary of Dale Sr.'s death at Daytona. Maybe I've been blessed, but Feb. 18, 2001 still ranks up there as one of the saddest days of my life.

Come to think about it, 2001 was a pretty crummy year all around.

A couple of weeks ago, we all learned what would happen if NASCAR held a chase and its two biggest stars weren't included. And that was:

People would still watch.
And Tony Stewart would win.

So what would happen if NASCAR held a party and its two biggest stars blew it off?

NASCAR would get steamed, that's what.

I chuckled at Jim Hunter's comment: "It was very disappointing to NASCAR and the entire industry that drivers did not show up for various awards. It shows a lack of respect for the history and tradition of the sport."

North Carolina has lost plenty of races to tracks in other states.

Now Indiana is coming after our race teams.

Where's Governor Trouble in Turn 2 when you need him?

The Scotsman, aka Bram Hume, aka the first Greensboro racin' blogger, is tinkering with a new site: Backstretch Motorsports.

Bram says his new site will be like his old site -- that is, with the usual commentary and regular reports from the field. He'll be getting contributions from a couple people familiar to regular Spotter readers.

Btw, those "couple people" mentioned above ... the Dude has a book out, and CJ has moved to a new site.

There aren't any changes planned for this place, thanks for asking. But feel free to suggest a couple or 10. That's what the comments are for.

A year ago, Tony Stewart won a USAC midget race in a junker he bought the night before in a poker game.

Stewart will be back in Ft. Wayne at the end of the month. This time, he'll race under his own name.

I'm not sure if this is the exact car Stewart won in. If not, it's close.

A few months ago, I stumbled on a group of people who were trying to save North Wilkesboro Speedway. I blogged about it in April, but there wasn't much to say because, well, it didn't look like this effort was going anywhere fast.

I'll admit it: I misjudged the whole thing.

What Lee Spencer says.

What's wrong with getting to see your favorite drivers twice in one weekend?

Talladega (on TV, at least) looks like one of those old Southern highways with sealant everywhere to cover up the cracks.

Catch a good look at the track in April. When the Cup Series returns there for second race, Dega will have a whole new look -- namely, new aphalt.

Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, well ...

On one hand, the last time a Chase track got similar attention, it didn't work out so well.

On the other hand, Dega hasn't been repaved since 1979 -- when Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a rookie.

Full release after the jump.

And there sure was a lot of wreckin' in 2005, according to this USA Today story and this other story.

Scroll down to the charts at the end.

A couple of things that jumped out at me:

* Michael Waltrip wrecked in only 53 percent of the races. I would have guessed "all but two."

* Reckless Robby Gordon once again earned his nickname: He led the Cup with a 59 percent wreckin' rate. But he doesn't show up in the charts, which listed only the drivers who raced at least 30 times. (RG made only 29 races.)

One more thing: If you took out most of the Lowe's and first Pocono wrecks, which were caused by a combination of tire and track problems, how would 2005 stack up against more recent years? Anyone got a calculator handy?

In Dustin Long's case, he catches a Charlotte Bobcats game. (Dustin lives near Charlotte, not in Greensboro.)

Kurt Busch turned up at the Cats' Saturday night game against the Pistons. Dustin filed this dispatch:

"I was at the Detroit at Charlotte NBA game on Saturday night. Kurt Busch was there with his fiance - they had courtside seats. "They showed Busch on the video screen at one point and you heard more boos than cheers. "Later, there was a fan contest for free tickets to next year's Coca-Cola 600. As the one fan won the contest, he pointed toward Busch and they briefly celebrated together."

Two observations:

1. The fact that Kurt Busch got any cheers at all is remarkable, considering his 2005 season.

2. Busch probably got more applause than the Bobcats. The 'Cats stunk on Saturday night.

The driver who lives down the road in High Point has a new job.

It's not a great job as far as Nextel Cup rides go. But it's better than unemployment.

In unrelated news, ESPN is geeked to be getting back into the NASCAR game. Having NASCAR on ESPN is by far the best thing to have come out of the new TV deal.

And why does PPI have to be so dishonest about it?

BOBBY HAMILTON JR.’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PPI MOTORSPORTS ENDS For Immediate Release

HICKORY, N.C. (December 22, 2005) PPI Motorsports (PPIM) announced today that Bobby Hamilton Jr. will no longer be the driver of the No. 32 Tide/Downy Chevrolet.

"I want to thank Bobby for his efforts over the past year and a half," said Cal Wells III, owner of PPI Motorsports. In 44 starts for PPIM, Hamilton Jr. has produced three top-15 and 13 top-25 finishes. "I wish Bobby nothing but the best as he pursues his options for next season," stated Wells.

PPI Motorsports, based in Hickory, N.C., fields the No. 32 Tide/Downy Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Since joining the series in 2000, the team has earned two wins, three pole positions, ten top fives and 26 top tens. The team also owns multiple titles and victories in off-road and open-wheel racing and celebrates its 25th year in racing this season.

Three points:

1. Hamilton was the worst full-time driver in the Cup series this year. And Wells waited until three days before Christmas to announce the obvioius? Cold, man, cold.

2. Next time, just say "fired." I doubt Hamilton Jr. willingly walked away from a paycheck.

3. Wonder if this means Travis Kvapil will now have a job in 2006?

Update, 12:15 p.m.: The answer to Question No. 3 is yes.

David Poole has the ridiculous story of a guy who's e-baying a potato chip with an 8 in it. (It's a po-8-o chip. Get it? Eight? Dale Jr.?)

Har har.

Guys like this are why otherwise reasonable people make fun of NASCAR fans.

I'm crying because the NASCAR writer in Charlotte was so bored he wrote not once but twice on a guy trying to eBay a pot8to chip.

I'm also crying because I spent five minutes of my life looking for the listing. (The winning search string: "potato chip 8")

I'm laughing at one of the Christmas presents I got from my wife.

I'll leave it to y'all to decide if there's any sort of correlation between the first two links and the last one.