Dear Santa…

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Your kids aren’t the only ones wishing for presents this month! During the busy holiday season, our IZOD IndyCar staff sat down and composed letters to Santa. They decided to ask for what they most want for some of the best drivers in the world and for the series as a whole.

*From Matt…*

Mirror Driving: Champions, Challenges, And NASCAR’s Memorable Moments

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*Brad Keselowski is the 2012 Sprint Cup champion, and is a bit polarizing with his “Bad Brad” moniker. How do you think Keselowski will be remembered as champion…and how many more will he win?*

Phil: Especially since Brad’s only 28, it’s a little early to say how many he’ll win. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he snags a couple of more.
Mike N.: Keselowski is going to be a great spokesperson for the sport. I believe he’ll be able to effect change, unlike some other champs because he is extremely smart and very introspective. I believe he’ll be remembered for changing the social media aspect of the sport, making it mainstream and speaking his mind. That, and drinking out of the biggest Miller Lite glass he could find after winning.

An IndyCar Season to Be Thankful For…

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Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it’s a time when we all think back on our lives, and especially the last year and consider all of the people and things we are thankful for. The Frontstretch IndyCar staff decided to look back at the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season and do the same thing. So, here are the IndyCar things each of our writers are thankful for.

*From Matt…*

* I’m thankful for the fact that IndyCar will finally see the return of the Triple Crown in 2013. Indianapolis, Pocono, and Fontana give IndyCar three major races that will help keep the series in the news throughout the year.

Professor Of Speed: Smitten With The Mitten

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As a Michigander (albeit a 1995 transplant from Pennsylvania by way of Ohio), I watched with great pride as Brad Keselowski won the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship at Homestead. His success – the first Cup title for a Michigan native – saved what has been a lackluster year for professional sports in our state.

The Detroit Lions are having yet another sluggish season. It’s become a holiday tradition to watch our NFL franchise suffer Thanksgiving losses (my students on Monday swapped stories about how watching the Lions tended to ruin otherwise pleasant family gatherings). It’s difficult to celebrate our nation’s abundance when victories are in such short supply.

Michael Annett Driver Diary: End of the Season and Looking Ahead

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Phoenix was actually a pretty good weekend from the start. Practice went good, qualifying was OK. I think we ended up qualifying 17th and within the first 20 laps I think we were up to ninth, so the car was just really good in the beginning. We took two tires on the first stop and that made it too tight. In the spring race, towards the end of the race we were really tight and so we just put on two left sides to free it up, and that’s really what brought the car to life and got us a top-10 finish that time but this time it just made it way way way too free.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Homestead

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Th-th-th-that’s all, folks! For the second year in a row, we are talking about someone not named Jimmie Johnson winning the championship. For the first time since 2005, someone not named Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson finally took the trophy home. But who would have thought that out of all the experienced, talented, and qualified drivers out there, that it would be Brad Keselowski? Not that there could have been a better driver considering his outreach on social media, but still .. he beat Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin when it came to winning their first titles. I get the feeling that this dude is going to be around for a while.