The reverberations from Miami are finally starting to settle, the leaves are falling, the weather is cooling.
It's Thanksgiving season, and we have plenty to be thankful for. Here's our list for the editorial team members of NASCAR.com following a tremendous 2017 season.
We are thankful for …
• The championship Furniture Row Racing team and the lesson it showed brilliantly about hard work, overcoming obstacles, belief in your people and the power of tenacity. -- Holly Cain
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s thoughtful answers, patience and willingness to let us behind the curtain, so to speak, in his final full-time season. -- George Winkler
• The sounds and smells from the garage; the interactions with fans and discovering all the points on the map where they come from; the wide-eyed young drivers aiming to turn themselves into household names; and that last-day-of-school feeling from saying all our goodbyes at Homestead, knowing that 2018 and Daytona will be here before we know it. -- Zack Albert
• Twitter. Seriously, what did we do without it? -- Jessica Ruffin
• Jeremy Clements winning at Road America as a highlight for the small teams that work hard and show their dedication week in and week out. -- George Winkler
• Danica Patrick’s impact on young fans of the sport, particularly female fans, witnessed with my daughter. -- George Winkler
• Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski's ability to develop and mentor talent in NASCAR. The sport's surging youth movement is in large part due to their efforts to give talented drivers an opportunity. -- RJ Kraft
• Graceful farewells. From champion Matt Kenseth to sport-changer Danica Patrick to the Most Popular of all, Dale Earnhardt Jr. They all are examples in talent, fortitude and grace. -- Holly Cain
• Chase Elliott standing up for himself when things got heated with veteran Denny Hamlin. The new boys are coming. -- Allie Davison
• The dedicated fans. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you for loving the greatest sport in the world. -- Chase Wilhelm
• Maybe this is cliché, but I’m thankful for the fans. Without them, drivers would get really warm inside their cars. -- Steve Luvender
• Automakers. The debut of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is coming in 2018. That comes on the heels of the rollout of the newly designed Toyota Camry in ’17 and the updated Ford Fusion in ’16. While navigating the changing automotive waters of the consumer, these auto giants continue to see the benefits of their involvement in NASCAR. -- Kenny Bruce
• Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex, for sharing their strength amid adversity, their willingness to help others and their enduring love story. -- Kathy Sheldon
• Witnessing such an exciting time for the sport. Sure, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Danica Patrick are stepping away. But fans watched Richard Petty retire in 1992, and with that came the silver lining of the start of Jeff Gordon's career. The next "Wonder Boy" is out there right now. -- Pat DeCola
• Short-track racing. The close quarters bumping and banging leads to some of the best action you’ll see all season long … and also provides some heated exchanges and unexpected rivalries to blossom. -- RJ Kraft
• The love of competition. Everyone in the garage is a competitor. Sometimes competition is friendly, but most of the time it’s fierce. And that’s what’s great about sports -- especially NASCAR. -- Jessica Ruffin
• I'm thankful for Cole Pearn, for no matter what the circumstance, he maintains that one facial expression he has where it looks like he just saw someone holding a jar of mustard with a straw in it. -- @nascarcasm