Welcome to the first weeks installment of Virtual1.net’s Racing review. In the coming weeks this editorial will feature many segments I hope you, as a race fan, will find interesting and informative. The main objective of this column is to be an interactive feature of the Virtual1 race fan community. I am not here to re-cap races or focus on the latest rumors associated with the racing community. In my opinion there are too many outlets for that type of information on the web already. Instead, the main purpose of this column will be to high light a diverse range of subjects, venues and driving disciplines as seen through my eyes.

In the coming weeks it is my intention to comment on events and people that make auto racing the number one spectator sport in America. This may involve looking into already established sanctions such as NASCAR, Indy Racing League, CART, etc. as well as delving into the Saturday night bullrings that are scattered throughout the US.

The topics will be as diverse as the people who make up the racing community. From the stories of racing pioneer Tim Flock and his pet monkey “Jocko”, to the Earnhardt -Gordon rivalry of today, I will try to bring you closer to the sport we all love. Some of the stories will be strictly factual, while others will be merely based on my interpretation, I will try to relay them with as little bias on my part as possible.

While some of the subjects I will cover may be of a controversial nature, I will try to remain as impartial as the subject will allow. With this being said, some of the subjects that will not be featured in this editorial need to be addressed as well. First and foremost rule that will be applied here is NO driver bashing. It is my opinion that anyone willing to risk life and livelihood for love of their sport and our entertainment should be treated with the utmost respect. If you don’t think this way, take 2 minutes and imagine how you would feel I were writing about you. How would you want your name portrayed on this site? This is not to say, however that I won’t take one side over another in some incidents, I will not purposely drag a driver's name through the mud.

Another subject that will not be discussed here are the rumors that float from track to track or sanction to sanction. I do not care about who supposedly did what where. Instead the main focus here will revolve around known subject matter, rather than speculation. While it is fun to hear and trade rumors, it does a great disservice to the parties involved. Now that the parameters are set, and we head into a new racing year I look forward to writing this column weekly. But there is a catch…

As I stated earlier, it is my hope that this column will be of an interactive nature as well. For that to happen, I need input from the entire racing community. I want views and opinions from others as well. So, if I happen to write an article pertaining to something that you saw differently, please do not hesitate to drop me a line. I need your views to help keep me in line. Also if you have a story idea, question or comment, feel free to e-mail me with them. It will be through the ideas and views of all that will help make this site more informative as well as entertaining.

In closing, I want to personally welcome you to what I hope will become “our” article. Together we can learn about the past in all its glory, and look to the future and what it holds for this great sport we both love. The stories are there to be explored…. Be it the legends and the larger than life characters of NASCAR such as Turner, Petty and Pearson... or the exploits of local heroes such as Brownell, Causey, or Dunaway, we will explore them all. And hopefully revive a few good memories along the way