You will recall that I became so inundated with (mostly) interesting and sometimes abusive e-mail by July of 2009 that I decided to make my annual Best and Worst of E-mail column a bi-annual affair.

So without further ado, here are some of the best and worst e-mails I received from NASCAR fans throughout the second half of the year, along with the usual sarcastic retorts from yours truly. As usual, last names have been removed to protect the innocent and many sentences have been eliminated to limit the rambling. Just remember, don't take any of this too personally. I certainly attempt not to!

I always like to start this off with a positive e-mail, so why not go with one received from a Jimmie Johnson fan just before JJ wrapped up his unprecedented fourth consecutive championship? When this particular "fan" first started peppering me with e-mails, let's just say they weren't always of a positive nature. In fact, let's just say they never were of a positive nature. So I was pleased when he wrote the following:

Dear Joe,

When last we exchanged the written word, you encouraged me to read the stuff you guys write so this morning I read your ENTIRE column and it brought forth two results.

a) I enjoyed reading it
b) I agree with you

I am starting to prepare my Long Island Iced Tea for the (Johnson championship) celebration next Sunday. Regarding the manufacturers' trophy ... anything but a Toyoder!!

Jack
Derry, N.H.

See, I told you. And many others. All you've got to do is keep reading and eventually you will discover something I've written that isn't so bad in your discriminating eyes.

Another hot topic recently was the decision of JR Motorsports to sign Danica Patrick as a part-time Nationwide Series driver. I happened to mention in my initial column about the pending venture that perhaps Ms. Patrick might want to master the IndyCar Series a bit more before seriously taking on NASCAR (read more). That led to numerous responses, including this one:

Joe,

Why do you care if she's "wasting" NASCAR's time? Is it your time? Keep in mind that you are no more important than the guy sitting next to me, or me for that matter when it comes to professional athletes and the decisions they make. What you're doing is no different than what "Access Hollywood" is doing with Tiger Woods at this point.

O'Dell

There was a time when NASCAR was enjoyable to watch. A time when men got out of their cars and settled things like men when they had to. But, now with the advent of NASCAR's mainstream popularity and people like you, those same men are called barbarians. So cool your jets there, Nancy O'Dell.

Chuck
Chesapeake, Va.

Um, Chuck? Who is Nancy O'Dell? Is she coming to NASCAR, too?

(Editor's Note: Nancy O'Dell, a former Miss South Carolina, is an entertainment journalist who had a long run as co-host of "Access Hollywood" before leaving the show earlier this month.)

And by the way, some folks agreed with my position ... such as:

Menzer,

You're a man after my heart. Thank you for that Danica article ... geez, I was hoping she wouldn't come to NASCAR, we have enough Divas with the Busch brothers. Also, Junior doesn't need anymore distractions after last year.

Lisa
Whereabouts unknown

Alas, my heart is already taken by my lovely bride of 20-plus years -- so be careful with your words, Lisa. But you make some very good points otherwise! And finally, there was this on the Danica subject:

Joe,

Danica Patrick is the Dale Earnhardt Jr. of IndyCars. Jr. is simply famous because he happens to share the same name as one of the most legendary NASCAR drivers there will ever be. Danica is famous because she is a woman that happens to be smoking hot. ... Jr. is supposed to be dominating right now. Hendrick [Motorsports] was his golden ticket to the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, but [it] turns out Jr. screwed up along the way and ate the ticket along with his chocolate bar. Now I e-mailed you about Danica, but I'm talking about Jr. because he and Danica are one in the same. Jr. gets all of this attention for doing absolutely (sic) NOTHING. Just like Danica, except for her "Sports Illustrated" (sic) shoot, which is just awesome.

I personally say Danica should do a "Sports Illustrated" shoot at a dirt track, now that would be awesome. Jr. should quit now and focus on not blowing his retirement (sic) ...

Bo
City of residence unlisted

Bo, perhaps you could get in touch with the aforementioned Lisa -- if you can figure out where both of you are from and where to meet. But be careful. Sounds like he might get into a Little Bo Peep Show and that might not be your thing.

(Hint: If it is, though, wear something with the No. 3 prominently displayed, perhaps even in tattoo form).

One other much debated e-mail topic as the year wound down, of course, was whether or not it was good for the sport to see Johnson nail down that fourth consecutive championship. Lots of folks came out of the woodwork on both sides of the fence on this topic, which produced the following:

Hi Joe,

I think [NASCAR chairman and CEO] Brian France is in denial. Millions of fans, including myself, have turned the TV off because we are just sick of the current situation with the Chase [for the Sprint Cup championship].

We don't think Jimmy (sic) Johnson is a four-time champion and we do feel that there is cheating going on with Johnson and [crew chief Chad] Knaus. You and the other writers can call JJ "Superman" all you want [well, I don't know whether or not you specifically have] but we think that NASCAR is mocking all the champions before him. He is a good driver, he is not a great driver but he has a great cheater in Knaus.

I have been a rabid fan for years [even more so than my husband] but I don' t know if I will watch any of the races at all next year. Yes, I am one of those beginning to think Brian France is ruining NASCAR.

SB
City unknown, Ga.

Brian France is ruining NASCAR? Or Jimmie Johnson is? I can't seem to keep it straight with all you people.

All I know is that I attended 20 of the 36 races in person this year and watched the rest on television. While it's true there were some boring races, there were plenty of darn good ones, too. (You've heard this before, but it's worth repeating: just as in football or baseball or basketball, not every game or event is going to be spellbinding when you are watching live sports).

And Jimmie Johnson? He made racing history, and did it legally -- despite all those Chad Knaus haters out there. Why is it that Johnson and Knaus get vilified for going one step better than Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson once did in a different era (and Junior Johnson, as Yarborough's car owner and de facto crew chief, was celebrated for pushing the rules envelope far greater than Knaus ever could attempt in this era)?

While I think we all hope for the finish to be a little more stirring and even admit that it may be better for the immediate future of the sport in terms of its popularity if someone else wins the championship in 2010, I for one am looking forward to seeing what Superman and his trusty sidekick Cheatin' Chad can do next year in their Drive for Five.

But since this is supposed to be a mostly humorous column, I will now take a step back and report what one fan wrote in response to a story about track owner Bruton Smith's tentative plans to build three tracks in the Middle East country of Qatar:

I hope a camel defecates on his bald head. And any driver that races over there.

Anonymous
Whereabouts Unknown (but we're pretty sure he doesn't live in the Middle East)

This seems like a good time for a little joke I made up. If Bruton does indeed get those tracks built, you know what that will make him? A Qatar Hero.

Smith even pledged to have some ideas about making Talladega Superspeedway a safe place to race. Talladega was a hot topic both in the spring, when Carl Edwards' car flipped and nearly went into the frontstretch grandstands, and again in the fall when the cars of both Ryan Newman and Mark Martin sailed airborne and flipped again.

Readers chimed in after yet another column about how something needs to change at 'Dega but probably won't (read more), including:

Thanks Joe,

I appreciate your comments about Talladega. When Carl Edwards had his incident at this track last time where several fans were injured, I e-mailed NASCAR with my concerns. I e-mailed this time as well. I haven't watched a restrictor plate race since. I'm boycotting the restrictor plate tracks until something is done about this problem. I don't want to watch a race where someone is going to get killed whether it be a driver, NASCAR employee or a spectator. That's not why I watch racing.

I needed to hear someone other than myself say that this is a problem. NASCAR, as usual, is playing off that there is a problem. That's called denial. Someone in NASCAR referred to it as a game of chess. I refer to it as a game of Russian Roulette.

Thanks,
Patrick
No city of residence listed

Then again, not everyone agreed with Patrick or myself that something drastic needs to be done to change the way NASCAR races at Talladega, including the e-mailer who wrote:

Nothing is wrong with Talladega. Turn them loose and let them race ... no one makes them show up at the track. As for the 48 [of Jimmie Johnson] too bad his car was not a total wreck along with the 5 [of Mark Martin]. No one was hurt, so what's the beef? As for the last lap Carl Edwards wreck NASCAR should red flag the race, put the overtaking car that caused the wreck in the pits for three laps and restart the race ... green, white checkered ... with the offending car in the pits three laps down.

John
Jacksonville, Fla.

Dear John, you make it sound so simple. It's not.

Nor was the post-race conversation I attempted to have with winner Tony Stewart following the Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway, when Stewart kept interrupting my attempts to ask a question. I thought it was pretty funny; some thought I should be deeply offended.

Others couldn't understand what must have come off [in their minds] as a clumsy attempt to write a mostly humorous column about it afterward (read more), including the guy who wrote:

My goodness, Joe, just had to comment. That's such a convoluted column -- especially your five-paragraph roundabout way of getting to what I guess is the point -- that I thought (fellow NASCAR.COM staffer Dave) Rodman had written it!) Also, remember that the only one fascinated by a journalist's interaction with a celebrity is the journalist himself/herself.

JW
Parts unknown

Thanks, JW. I'll try to remember that next time I talk to Rodman.

That'll be sometime next year, by the way -- which means it's time to wrap up this wrap-up column with a couple of my favorite personal shots, taken by readers at me in their spare time.

The first was delivered after I noted in a video blog (watch) that many have noted that I seem to resemble other sporting persons in this life. One fine gentleman wrote:

Hey Joe ...

I just got thru seeing one of your look-alikes ...

I had some M&M's for breakfast, and submitted a stool sample to my doctor ...

He looked at it ... And said, "Hey, it's Joe Menzer."

William
El Dorado, Ariz.

I won't stoop so low as to say something like that -- but I was walking my dog the other day and she bent down to do her business and, aw, never mind ...

Finally, there was the true fan who wrote in under the subject heading "NASCAR dicision." He just didn't think my take on the "dicision" that came down was very smart, adding:

man you just dont understand nascar rules too well

Tony
Parts unknown

True dat, Tony. Fact is, I don't know too many civilians who do. But when we "dicide" to write down something, we do try to use proper punctuation. You should try it next time, too.

Hey, there's always next year.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.