The main culprit behind my lack of posts is that I got a new job and I’ve been busy getting acclimated to my new environment. If you’re curious, it’s going really well.

Anyway, there are a ton of photos from the Nationwide Series Champions Week but I’m posting those tomorrow. For now here’s a great photo of the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series Champion Johnny Benson and his family.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Johnny Benson stands with (left to right) daughter Mikayla, wife Debbie and daughter Katelyn in the Seminole Paradise Courtyard at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. (Photo Credit: Marc Serota/Getty Images for NASCAR)

I know in the weeks leading up to this past Sunday I was hoping for someone else to come along and take the Championship from Jimmie, but that was all for the sake of drama. I just wanted it to be more interesting and less boring. You have to admit that while it is a truly amazing, huge task to win any Championship three times in a row it is sort of boring to watch.

But never mind all that, Jimmie has proved that he is a phenomenal driver and Chad Knaus has proved that he’s a crazy smart crew chief. I just wonder how long they can keep themselves together.

For me the star of the post-race coverage was Jimmie’s dad, Gary. I think his reaction and the emotion on his face was priceless. I loved how he talked about having to learn how to text on his cell phone so that he could stay in contact with his super busy son. It was just a really sweet moment. I like seeing things like that — genuine emotions — instead of people trying to capture a moment in time that can’t possibly described. It was easier to understand what winning this Championship meant to Jimmie and his family from listening to his dad talk about remembering the time they used to watch the Ford 400 back home in Southern California.

In other news…

– Congratulations to Carl Edwards for making a valiant effort in challenging Jimmie for the Sprint Cup. Throughout this whole thing what I loved about Carl was his positive attitude and all of the energy he put towards extinguishing every option available to him during the Chase. His final post-race interview in victory lane at Homestead was, to be completely honest, very inspiring. I mean, let’s be real here, there are worse things than coming in second.

– I’ve never been the biggest Tony Stewart supporter but I was sad that he wasn’t able to come home with one more win for the No. 20 Home Depot team before they parted ways this year. It would have been a super emotional victory lane and it sucks that it wasn’t meant to be.

– Congratulations to Clint Bowyer for holding onto the Nationwide Series Championship this weekend! I’m happy for that guy, even if I couldn’t really tell if he was that happy about it. hehe. I know logically that he was but I haven’t quite gotten that guy figured out just yet.

– Congratulations to Johnny Benson for winning the Craftsman Truck Series Championship! The Nationwide and Craftsman Series should have received top billing this year because of how close the points standings were going into their final races.

– I can’t believe Jeff Gordon finished the year winless. That team has some serious splainin’ to do my friend.

Tony Stewart poses with crew chief Greg Zipadelli, team owners J.D. Gibbs and Joe Gibbs and crew members of his No. 20 Home Depot Toyota before his 356th and final start for Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart finished ninth, his 207th top-10 finish. (Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Tony Stewart greets fans during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2008 in Homestead, Florida. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship after the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2008 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, started 37th and finished fourth during Sundays season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports)

Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Exide Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after racing during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 14, 2008 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Clint Bowyer, driver of the #2 BB&T Chevrolet, poses after winning the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship after the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2008 in Homestead, Florida. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

I was able to catch a portion of the qualifying session coverage on ESPN2 and I watched a segment devoted to Jeff Gordon and his career. I found it kind of odd to be completely honest with you. I was starting to wonder if he had suddenly announced his retirement and I had just missed it in the news somehow. He was talking about how his career and life in racing has changed over the years, about where he is with it all now. It just seemed like they were laying down the groundwork for him to start to make his way out. I know he’s getting there, but it seems a little premature to start humming his swan song.

For the second time, rain has dashed driver Joey Logano’s hopes of starting in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Logano was going to qualify for Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500, but rain cancelled qualifying and the field was set by owner points. (Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Ken Schrader, driver of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota, goes through Tech Inspection before practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday. Schrader will start Sunday’s race in 40th position (Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Johnny Benson and Ron Hornaday Jr. joked with each other at a news conference Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but on the track, the two veteran drivers are battling for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. (Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Think about it like this too, we’ve seen Jimmie’s wife Chandra all decked out for the Championship week in New York. That’s all fine and well and she’s got a great fashion sense but it’s about time another wife had the chance to show off. Kim Burton and Nicole Biffle totally deserve the opportunity.

Back to the racing: What good is having a teammate if you’re not going to use each other? I’m just saying, how hard is it to take a guy out for the sake of a co-worker?? Hmm??? Hehe. Do with that what you will. It’ll be so boring if nothing happens to Jimmie in the next 4 races.

In case you were wondering, the female comic book character on his helmet is saying “Did my boyfriend just punch me in the side of the head?”

Scott Speed improved from 32nd-quickest in the first practice session to 19-quickest in the final practice. Speed will be making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut Sunday in the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kasey Kahne signs autographs for fans following the final practice for the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Was I the only one who thought that Chad was going to pull Jimmie’s head off??

Crew chief Chad Knaus congratulates his driver Jimmie Johnson on winning the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsvile Speedway on Sunday, October 19, 2008 (Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports)

Casey Mears, driver of the No. 5 Pop-Tarts/CARQUEST Chevrolet, started 23rd and finished sixth during Sunday’s 500-mile event at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Here he confers with his crew chief Alan Gustafson (far right). (Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports)

Jeff Gordon (C), driver of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands on the grid with his wife Ingrid Vandebosch (R), and daughter Ella Sophia (L), prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 19, 2008 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Johnny Benson and his crew celebrate winning the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. The win moved Benson into first place in the point standings ahead of Ron Hornaday Jr. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

I had intended to get this online yesterday but I didn’t get home until late Monday night after driving over 300 miles. Plus Tuesday morning I interviewed retired NASCAR driver and current ESPN racing analyst Dale Jarrett. So when you combine trying to come to terms with the fact that I did indeed speak to THE Dale Jarrett yesterday and the amazing birthday weekend I had at the Auto Club Speedway and the fact that I haven’t been feeling well these past couple of days it has led to me being very late with posting all of this stuff. So bear with me!

I know in part one of this interview I’ve already stated that Travis was super nice but I have to say it again and add that he was honest and forthcoming. I like writing about the Yates Racing guys because I feel like they’re in a very good position to do great things in their careers, their stories are just beginning really, and it’s nice to know that in meeting Travis it didn’t cause me to lose my belief that a win for him and his teammate are just around the corner.

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Me: Looking at this year as a whole, do you feel like you guys have a chance to pull out a win this year?

Kvapil: Yeah, I think we do. When the year started we didn’t really know what our expectations were, really what we all had here. This team has really been rebuilt in this last year and [there have been] a lot of changes, new cars, a lot of new people, new driver/crew chief combinations, so you start the year off kind of not really knowing where you’re going to fall in. We’ve had cars, once or twice throughout the year that were capable of winning — both myself and the 38 — and we just haven’t quite got it done. It’s tough, we need to be more consistent, run at the top ten every week before I feel like we can truly be a contender for the win. But we see it a lot in the sport where teams that run kind of in the middle of the pack can get a win here and there. I definitely think we can run better than middle of the pack most of the year but I guess that’s kind of what I’m getting at, we definitely have a shot.

Me: What has it been like to have David [Gilliland] as a teammate? He’s said that you guys like the same things in your cars.

Kvapil: It’s been great. I didn’t know David until this season. Definitely the things we put into our race cars set-up wise it translates to the 28 and the 38, it works for both of us. Another cool thing, off the race track our lives and how we got involved in racing and our families is all very similar. We’re married with kids and we grew up around the race track, worked on cars our whole lives, our parents own shops and things like that. So I think we relate to each other really well on that side too and we feel comfortable working with each other. It’s great that we find similarities in our race cars, so it’s been really good.

Me: Speaking of your family, how much do they mean to your racing and what is like being away from them and having such a crazy schedule? How do you deal with that?

Kvapil: It’s tough. I have two kids in school now and it’s hard to spend as much time as you’d like with them and see them do their activities and sports and things like that. But definitely Monday through Thursday I’m with them as much as I can be, and a lot of the races around the Charlotte area they all come to, especially in the summer time when they’re not in school. They understand, ya know, this is what I do and we definitely try to make it work as well as we can, especially in the summer time we do a lot of activities and things together to have that special time when we can.

Me: So speaking of your fans, I know that you and David both have message boards that are very active and I know they all really support you. What do your fans mean to you and do you ever go online to the message boards?

Kvapil: Yea, I check it out quite a bit, couple times a week, just to see what they’re talking about, see what their interests are. I definitely don’t post as much as I need to, only a couple times a year if that. It means a lot to me, it really does. To be a Cup driver was something that I never dreamed of growing up, to have fans and people that pull for me, I just never envisioned it. So it’s really cool to have our special group that pulls for me and it’s just really neat. You can’t really describe it. I remember when I first started to experience it, you wanted to get to know these people on a more personal basis and the more the sport grows in popularity it’s tough to have that. But it’s nice, they do have a couple gatherings a couple times a year and it’s always nice to stop in and see them and make sure they know I appreciate their support.

Me: And they’ve been very involved in the whole sponsor issue. They’re very aware of that and how much it affects you and the team.

Kvapil: That’s really good. We’ve had several sponsors on the car and it truly does make a difference when they email the sponsor and tell them we bought your product because you’re on this car and we support Travis. It really does make a difference. The sponsors they see that, they get that and they realize there is value in sponsoring Yates Racing. They definitely need to keep that up, that’s a good thing and we really do appreciate it.

Me: Your truck experience, does that help you in Cup? How much does it help?

Kvapil: I think biggest thing is with this new car it has some similarities of what the trucks did have in aerodynamics and things like that. I guess the biggest thing the Truck Series offered me was an opportunity to get on all of these tracks, most of these tracks in a lower-tier division. The Truck Series offers a lot of veteran drivers, ya know, they’ve got [Mike] Skinner, and [Ron] Hornaday, and [Jack] Sprague, and Todd Bodine, ya got [Johnny] Benson and [Ted] Musgrave. All these guys that have been Cup racing in the past, they’re fierce competitors and they race really, really hard and it’s different than the Nationwide Series.

The Nationwide Series seems to have a lot of young guys and the Truck Series has a lot of these veteran drivers that are, I mean, they race really, really hard. It’s great to have to go up against that competition and race those guys week in and week out and race for a Championship. It taught me a lot, how to race competitively, how to race hard, be respectful of each other and not tear up your equipment. The Truck Series was a great stepping stone for my career for sure.

Me: With Silly Season going on, it seems like all year long nowadays, how much do you think about that? Doug Yates says that he wants to keep you and David, but how much do you think about that? How secure can you possibly you feel? Do you feel like this is where you want to be?

Kvapil: I feel pretty secure; this is definitely where I want to be. I really enjoy what Yates Racing has built and our alliance with the Roush Fenway group has been phenomenal with their support. But it still comes down to the bottom line, ya gotta have sponsors and I understand that. They’ve done a great job piecing it together this year for both teams. I just really hope that some of these people that we’ve had on the car we can get them on board for next year and we can keep it going.

I feel pretty optimistic about that, but I try not to worry about it. I mean, the biggest thing is we go out there and perform and run good. That makes us much more sellable. Sponsors are obviously much more interested in teams that are running up front than in the back. So that’s been our focus from day one, is to go out there and perform and let that take care of itself. That’s kind of been our objective all year and for the most part we’ve accomplished that. We fell into a little bit of a slump there for a few weeks and we dropped back in points a little bit, but we’re going to rally hard and hopefully get ourselves back into top twenty in points before the season is over and hopefully in doing so we’ll have some color on the car next year.