Welcome back, Waltrip ... yeah NASCAR needs ya (cont'd)

To say it's been a tough 2007 for him, though, is a bit like saying, "Gee, that Barry Bonds sure seems to have gotten a smidge bigger and stronger in the past 10 years." You're en route to an accurate assessment; the destination just hasn't been reached yet.

A quick review of Waltrip's year would include the humiliating discovery of an illegal substance on his intake manifold at Daytona where he finished 30th. His 73 points earned in Florida put him just 27 shy of even par after NASCAR docked him 100 owner and driver points following the incident.

"MikeyGate" also included long suspensions for his crew chief, David Hyder -- who was unceremoniously dismissed -- and competition director, Bobby Kennedy.

This was followed by 11 consecutive races in which Waltrip's Toyota failed to qualify for a Nextel Cup race. Because they weren't in the darned show they couldn't put Daytona behind them, much less get on the plus side in the point standings.

Off the track but still on the road, Waltrip was cited for reckless driving after he fled the scene of a one car accident near his home. Luckily, he walked away (in fact, all the way home) unscathed.

It appeared all the pressure had pushed the NAPA pitchman into a full-scale Britney-esque meltdown. All we needed now was a grainy black and white photo of him shaving his trademark locks.

This is about the time I started hoping for something, anything, good to happen to the guy. Americans seem to love train-wreck TV -- just ask Jerry Springer -- but I much prefer a train safely reaching the station. All too often these stories end badly, and say what you will about the sincerity of Waltrip's personality, this story needed a good ending.

Why do I say this?

Consider the fact that in the 2007 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award poll Waltrip, after appearing in only one race in this season, was still considered among the top-10 drivers in fan popularity after nearly one million votes. I think it's safe to say the fans forgive him.

As for the men inside NASCAR, listen to what Waltrip had to say about the support he received from other teams during his dry spell. "There's a lot of people who have been really supportive of us, not only on the Toyota side, but other teams have pitched in and said, 'Think about this,' or, 'Think about that.' I'm just real thankful for the fact that they have supported me and they cared enough to try to get us in."

To me, this says the guys at the track were in his corner, as well.

So after a few months of turmoil, yes some self-inflicted, I'm willing to laugh, forgive and yes, forget -- then say, Yeah we tease him a lot cause we got him on the spot, welcome back. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

Oh, and Britney, get well soon. (Continued)