Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Thanks To Everyone


What an interesting season of following the NASCAR TV and media trail. The only way TDP works is with an interactive group of fans, media and public relations professionals who contribute time, effort and information.

Thank you to the TV networks, NASCAR and the wide circle of media members nationwide who represent the new media environment in which we now live. Ramsey Poston and his group at NASCAR have consistently helped us with information and challenged us to get the fans talking about a wide variety of topics.

The public relations professionals at ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT and SPEED have been wonderful in supplying timely information and updates. Sometimes, we have not exactly seen eye to eye on NASCAR topics. However, the bottom line is that information from the NASCAR TV partners reached the fans more directly than ever before.

We will begin looking back after this Christmas break at the TV network coverage, studio shows and weekend programs from 2009. Then, it's on to the new TV season in mid-January.

Finally, we have to thank the absolutely wonderful NASCAR fans. The fundamental truth about NASCAR is that the vast amount of knowledge about the sport comes from the fans. Across the nation, the depth of experience and the passion for racing continues to amaze us on a regular basis. We need only to toss up a topic and stand back.

Officials, media personalities and those directly involved in the sport tell us time and time again about your amazing comments on various NASCAR topics. Now, with Twitter added to the media mix the upcoming season should be the most interactive in the history of the sport.

Thanks to everyone who contributed this season. I hope the holidays allow us all to take a deep breath and gain some perspective. We appreciate your help and support for the past three seasons.

Please feel free to post your holiday comments below. Merry Christmas!

39 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas and thanks to TDP for great information and fun discussions. Your column and Twitter have added a lot to race day and to the days between. It is fun to get tweets from so many involved in the sport as well as other fans.

    Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. John, happy holidays to you and your family. Great blog and I try to read all of your twitters. Highlight of TDP in 2009? When you and Michael Waltrip got into a little verbal quarrel. But seriously it was good to have some straight talk on two particular stories, the firing of Weber and the Punch Snoozefest. Great coverage as always. See you next year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Merry Christmas JD. Thanks for the tremendous effort you put into the blog here, your tweets, and your keeping your eyes open and ears to the ground. An even greater thanks for your sense of humor, air of professionalism in blogging and handling comments, and giving me the time of day with RTs and even occasional LOL! Much success to you as we head into 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll just say a very Merry Christmas to you, JD, and all the Planeteers.

    May the 2010 race season be full of fun, excitement, the unexpected, great tv and especially great racing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Season's Greetings to you John, and all the fans wo make this blog so interesting.

    Thank you John for giving us a voice that matters.

    Dan

    ReplyDelete
  6. Merry Christmas to you, JD, and all the Planeteers. Thank you for providing a place where we can have honest discussions without getting nasty, and all the hard work that entails. Thanks to all the Planeteers for lively comments and the sincere love of racing. Have a safe and happy holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jonathan from ChiTownDecember 24, 2009 at 5:58 AM

    Just wanna wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and wanna say thank you JD for this sight. I stumbled upon this sight earlier this year and have loved every minute i've spent here, especially during the races! I remember many times waking up on Sunday giddy like a kid on Christmas, ready for the race and ready to spend my time here w my friends of Nascar. One word Awsome, and 2010 is going to be one to remember I can feel it. Hope everyone has a safe fun and exciting Christmas!!! 2010 here we come baby

    ReplyDelete
  8. So many thanks to you JD for keeping the blog going! What a fun place to hang out on race day. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year & blessed Holidays to all the Planeteers!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Merry Christmas everyone and thanks JD for the opportunity to comment on racing media here. For me at least, 2010 is gonna be a great season!

    ReplyDelete
  10. John Merry Christmas to you and your family. Your present to us was continuing your blog. I know that it takes alot of time and effort but I do feel that things are changing and your blog is one of the reasons. Thank you for all that you do.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 'Tis the night before Christmas,
    and all through the land,
    We Planeteers are saying
    would not it be grand?

    If NASCAR and ES-PEN
    would just come around
    and tree us like smart folk, and just hear the sound

    of our voices together
    saying "stop all the greed"
    and for crissake there ES-PEN
    Give us Bestwick-Not Reid!

    The France's are nestled
    all snug on their yachts,
    all the while we sit shiv'ring
    the fans they forgot

    But we still will exclaim,
    as ratings drop out of sight,
    Merry Christmas to all, and next year-GET IT RIGHT!

    Happy Christmas

    Bray Kroter

    ReplyDelete
  12. Merry Christmas John, from eastern Iowa on the Great Mississippi!! Should be a very interesting 2010 in the Nascar nation.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mr. Daly, I wish you the best and most joyous Merry Christmas that anybody could ever have. You give so much of yourself to us and I hope it is returned to you many times over.

    I wish the very same to all of my fellow Planeteers, even those with which I have disagreed over this past year. Even if we do not always see eye-to-eye, we all care about the same things and we all love racing. Thus, we have much more in common than any differences of opinion that we might have. I always look forward to seeing everybody's comments and you all add so much to this site. I am grateful for the presence of every single one of you.

    Now, let us all gather around the virtual TDP dinner table for this year's Christmas supper. On the menu this year...

    ...roasted gopher and some flat punch. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. KoHo and Bray, LOL! Roasted gopher, indeed.

    Merry Christmas to all, and may your new year be filled with blessings and great racing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. TDP, I love reading your twitter and your blog. You make my passion, which is NASCAR, even more fun for me! Thanks for all of your insight and humor!! MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours!! Cant wait to see what the New Year brings!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks, JD, for this great blog and for giving the fans a place to talk about racing that is fun, informative, interesting and civil. What a concept! I know this is hard work for you but I don't know what I'd do without it.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, JD and to all the Planeteers. I'm looking forward to talking with you all again in 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bray - that is an awesome couplet!

    ReplyDelete
  18. @ Bray, take a bow.

    @ KoHoSo, pass the gravy.

    To JD & the Planeteers. Merry Christmas.

    JD, I just love you and TDP. I have met some great people here. Now some of us are Twitter friends too. This site has made my racing viewing so much more fun. I am so glad that you decided to unretire.

    XOXO to all,
    Dot

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great poem, Bray! We loved it. And all my friends out in Daly Planet land have a Merry Christmas. Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  20. what a 2009 it's been for nascar fans, eh? early on, jd strikes fear into our hearts by threatening to shutter TDP and we all wonder how we'll get thru a year of nascar without our planeteer buddies. and now, lookeee here: ole' jd's an official citizen blogger (altho' without credentials or badge or t-shirt or anything.)

    then we discover the joy -- and power! -- of twitter as it connects us to each other, to tnt's broadcasts in realtime and to spotters, drivers, their spouses, their kids, producers and media partners before, during and after races. "tweet-up" enters our lexicon and even brings brian france to meet fans at a track!

    (hey gluck? i'm sending you my list of "nascar people i'd like to meet at the next 2 dover tweet-ups" by the first of the year, ok? i think that'll give you enough time to get things firmed up, right?!?)

    together, we verbally battled with the networks, some writers and some drivers who stated that we can't think for ourselves -- and we continue the battle even now, in the off-season!

    and we supported each other through a whole bunch of life "stuff" that served to remind us that, as much as we love our sport, it's still just a sport. we mourned the deaths of many connected with our sport, we celebrated those who got better and we continue our prayers for those still battling health issues into the new year.

    now, we look forward to 2010 together, hoping we'll see both some of our old planeteers come back (stricklinfan, you out there somewhere?) and new names and opinions join us on the blog.

    i think i may just have to spend the off-season designing an "I'm a proud planeteer" t-shirt that i can wear to the track!

    my wish for all my planeteer buddies is for a wonderful holiday season, filled with great food, fun friends, and peaceful family time.

    and to you, jd? not enough words or ways to thank you! what you've created here has no match anywhere -- online, print, radio and television -- and you offer us the gift of your time, talent and insight every time we click into TDP, not just at the holiday. wishing you a terrific christmas and i hope the temperature stays at 70 or better so you don't have to break out the parka and mittens!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Merry Christmas TDP Family!

    Thanks JD for continuing the blog this season would have been even more frustrating without the blog to vent on.

    Great Twitter Updates and great friends to meet and know better :)

    Here's to a safe and happy Christmas to all <3

    Gymmie :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Merry Xmas, JD, and all the passionate planeteers who help remind NASCAR that it's fans like us that support the sport--and deserve to be heard. Wishing everyone a blessed holiday and a wonderful new year--and triumphs for their driver, whomever s/he may be! And Louboutins for those of us who appreciate them!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy Holidays to everyone!

    As always, thanks to JD.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you JD for starting the blog back up again. The community you have built is easily the best one in racing.

    Thank you to all who post for the most insightful, touching and humorous notes week in and week out.

    As the great Robert Earl Keen sings :

    Carve the turkey turn the ball game on
    It's Bloody Mary's
    Cause We All Want One!
    Send somebody to the Stop 'N Go
    We need some celery and a can of fake snow
    A bag of lemons and some Diet Sprites
    A box of Midols, some Salem Lights
    Halelluja, everybody say cheese
    Merry Christmas from the Family

    ReplyDelete
  25. Just a short note to say hi to all and wish a happy and safe holiday season.

    oh yea, you too JD, a thanks to you for all you do to make this a must read before jayski.

    merry christmas to all
    lou

    ReplyDelete
  26. J.D.,

    Chappy Chanukah and Merry Christmas.

    I'm looking forward to spending a few Sundays with my fellow Planeteers.

    Keep the shiny side up in 2010.

    West Coast Kenny
    Alameda, California

    ReplyDelete
  27. Merry Christmas J.D. to you and yor Family and may your New Year be a Joyous one.

    MAny thanks for all that you have provided here on your Blog for so amny to express thier views and opinions.

    Behind the scenes, I think that the Media took notice of what was happening on here.

    And finally to all the Planeteers that contributed and read this blog, Merry Chritmas and Happy New Year to you and yours !

    "J.T." in Los Angeles

    ReplyDelete
  28. Merry Christmas everybody.

    Thanks JD

    ReplyDelete
  29. Merry Christmas to you JD and all the folks at TDP. Special thanks to you JD for keeping this site a family friendly place where you don't tolerate the bad language and people bashing.

    I've enjoyed the last three seasons where we've seen quite a few changes, which I feel we had a direct link to, and am looking forward to the next how ever many years for the networks to finally get it right. We're not done yet.

    Happy New Year to all as well! See you in 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to add your comments. Just another reminder of the diversity of NASCAR fans.

    Low-key Christmas in South Florida, 80 degrees and humid.

    Still working on the John Daly golf pants, let you know how it goes.

    JD

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Merry Christmas)to all.

    Makiki
    Honolulu

    ReplyDelete
  32. Merry Christmas all

    ReplyDelete
  33. Boy, it's been a year to both remember and forget. I know I haven't been on the race blogs from the late part of the season (blame EvilSPN and their Chaseism), but when I did participate, it was fun. Think I'll make being on here for race days one of my resolutions!

    Have a good (insert holiday you celebrate).

    -from the DP's resident crazy David Ragan girl! :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. JD and my fellow Planteers I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Well, a merry belated Christmas to those who celebrate the non-commercialized form of the holiday...

    ...and a bah-humbug to the commercialists who only care about $$ and not a vital thing called CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

    That includes BSPN and FAUX.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I hope all my fellow Planeteers had a very Merry Christmas.

    JD, I can't even begin to say what the Planet has meant to me over the last 3 years. All I can say is "Thank you."

    To my fellow posters, thank you for your insightful comments --- even if we disagreed with each other.

    To the "powers that be", continue to listen to the fans --- we're telling you what's important to us. Thank you for making some changes -- don't be afraid to make more, if necessary.

    Again, JD, my deep appreciation for working your fingers to the bone for us.

    Fran
    Palestine, TX

    ReplyDelete
  37. JD, hope you had a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for providing this forum to voice our opinions and suggestions on the media coverage of NASCAR. Changes are made at glacial speed but they do happen.

    Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy 2010. I'm looking forward to the racing season starting and I hope every Planeteer's driver wins a race next year to keep the sport interesting for the fans.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Well, another merry belated Christmas, happy Kwanzaa (I don't think anyone here celebrates that), and whatever other holidays are around after Christmas.

    I would like to see if anyone else caught the Digger cameo in the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie.

    ReplyDelete