Subject: raining in my head

Mood: crappy
Music: Staind's "Epiphany"

Mikey was running sixth today in the last race of the year when, toward the beginning of the race, he got loose and hit the wall, backside of the car first. He was so disappointed. You could see the frustration when he was talking to the NBC reporter in his garage, tears in his eyes, voice wavering. You could see the muscles flexing in his neck as he clenched his jaw at intervals, and turned his head away. He had wanted to finish out the 2002 season strong, just like he'd become all through the second half of this year. But it just didn't happen. He came back out on the track halfway through the race, 55 laps down. He finished another lap down, in 41st place, only gaining one spot due to Jimmy Spencer's horrible crash where his whole car burst into flames. Jimmy's okay, by the way. He got out of that car quick and rushed several feet away from it, then sat down against the outside wall and curled up so he was as far away from the track traffic as possible.

This is what Mikey had to say just a couple hours ago. He posted this message on his official web site:

"The final race of the 2002 season ended in disappointing fashion for the NAPA team. We got wrecked. Maybe it was a little contact from another driver or maybe I just pushed up a little higher than it needed to be. Either way, the result was contact with the outside wall.

"We started 11th and raced our way up to 5th or 6th and had a really good car. We were having a fun day. It just got away from me for some inconclusive reason. The damage was repairable but it cost us a lot of time and we wound up finishing 41st.

"We're looking forward to 2003, in fact, we're testing for two days, Monday and Tuesday, here in Miami. We'll be testing the new 2003 Chevrolet so we're looking forward to that."

During the interview just after the wreck, he'd said that it wasn't Jamie McMurray's fault at all. I'm thinking he reconsidered that stance after he saw the tape. I was so pissed at Jamie, and chewed him out a bit before I just conked out. There was really no reason to watch the race without Mikey, after such disappointment. Ma woke me up when Mikey came back out on the track.

Stewy got his first Winston Cup championship. I thought I'd be happier for him than I am, but after I really got to thinking about poor Mark Martin, I don't think about it the same anymore.

I just don't like how the weekend finished up. I have to go back to work tomorrow, and have a full week ahead of me. I soo don't feel like it. I didn't feel like sitting through church either, after I couldn't find a seat, so I just left. I'm tired.

- dearjoan's shadow


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