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Straight from the 2008 RFR Fan of the Year: Jon's Homestead-Miami Preview

Hey there RFR fans, and Happy Thanksgiving early!

Well, this is it.  The final race weekend of the 2009 season in NASCAR.  It sure was an interesting year to say the least.  We started off really hot with Matt Kenseth winning the Daytona 500 and then California the very next week.  What a beginning!  But then, we totally cooled off as an organization.  Man, that was tough!  We were so close in many of the races, but couldn't seal the deal.  Not until Jamie McMurray won at Talladega back on November 1st.  What a weird season it was for Roush Fenway Racing.  All in all, it wasn't a total loss.  Our teams and drivers worked really hard week in and week out, but we just got beat by the other competition, plain and simple.  I think our teams learned a lot this year.  I think they learned a lot about the cars, setups, tires, and even a lot about themselves as team members.  It's like Roush Fenway went through some goofy growing pains this season at the Cup level.  Hey, that's NASCAR racing these days, very tough to get a win with the competition in the series.  But I will say this much, and that is RFR will be back next year, and be back with a vengeance!  We will compete for that Cup championship from day one in Daytona, and I know we won't sit back idle and watch the competition tear it up on us like this season.  We will be a force to reckon with starting in February!  I know it!  And you know what? Why not get the ball rolling this weekend at Miami-Homestead Speedway, a place where Roush Fenway Racing has truly dominated everyone else in recent years.  What a way to end the season, and get rolling into the off season with momentum built for next year!  I think we can do it this weekend! 

The Championships are pretty much decided at this point in all three series, so I say no holds barred, and put the pedal to the metal and go all out!  There is nothing to lose, in my opinion.  I say all of our teams get super aggressive and hold nothing back during the races on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  This is the track to do it at, too.  We have had a ton of success here.  Carl won last year, and the Biff won two years in a row!  How awesome is that?  Greg has half of RFR's Cup win totals here by himself, an honor that is noteworthy.  With 2009 all but in the mirror, I say cut 'em loose and may the best RFR car win!  This is a great track, with the increased banking and overall configuration.  Speeds are fast at Homestead, and the cars will need to be dialed in to keep that Roush momentum going at this track.  I truly look for this to be our weekend!  Like I said, may the best RFR car win!

This weekend is bitter-sweet for RFR, and myself as the 2008 Fan of the Year.  First off, we say goodbye and thank you to Jamie McMurray.  Jamie will be moving on in his career as RFR has had to cut down to the mandated 4 team rule in NASCAR.  It's unfortunate that this is even happening, but Jamie McMurray is one of the finest racing professionals in NASCAR.  He worked his tail off at Roush Fenway Racing in the time he was the driver for the #26 car.  He may have only had two wins while at RFR, but they were two of the most exciting wins that I have witnessed!  I will never forget the Daytona win and the Talladega win.  They were awesome!  I am glad that I had the opportunity to have met Jamie back in Charlotte in May.  He is one nice person!  So thank you to Jamie for being a part of the greatest racing organization in NASCAR, and good luck in your future!  You are one good man!

It is also time to say goodbye to a long time sponsor at RFR, DEWALT tools, primary sponsor of Matt Kenseth and the #17 team for so many years.  What a run they had with Matt.  A championship back in 2003, numerous victories, a Daytona 500 win as a sponsor, and a great relationship with Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing.  I think they have been one of the greatest sponsors in NASCAR, and they stuck with it for a decade or so.  That's true commitment and it is unheard of in today's NASCAR sponsor world.  So thank you DEWALT for being a part of RFR, and for being such an identifiable sponsor with the fans!  I love your tools!

And finally, this is my last race preview as the 2008 RFR Fan of the Year.  I hope to have one final article for you all in a week or two, as I officially sign off as the 2008 FOTY, but in the meantime, I have truly enjoyed having the opportunity to bring all of the RFR fans a race preview written and told from a fan's perspective since early Spring.  It has been an honor to have been the representative for all Roush fans out there, and I will miss doing my writing contributions to the RFR website.  What a run it has been for me!  This organization is the best, hands down!  Once a Roush Fenway Racing fan, always a Roush Fenway Racing fan for life!  I hope you have enjoyed my articles as much as I have enjoyed writing them for you, the best fans in NASCAR!  You guys are the best, and thank you for all of your support!

Good luck to Jack, Matt, Greg, Carl, David, Jamie, Colin, Erik, and all of the RFR personnel this weekend!  We are rooting for you, and let's bring it home one last time in 2009!  Go get em' teams, and GO ROUSH FENWAY!!!!

Your 2008 RFR Fan of the Year,

Jon

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