Back to school signs are all over the place and I haven't even cracked open my first bottle of SPF 30. Summer is racing to an end and as usual the racing world is spinning wildly....

Jeff Gordon dodged the NASCAR hammer this week for his bypass of the victory lane war after his Brickyard 400 win. All well and fine for now, but Gatorade Victory Lane lined with bottles of PowerAde is awaiting this week's Watkins Glen winner, which Gordon has a good chance at becoming for the fourth time. NASCAR has its hands in so many pockets it needs another pair of pants.

I can't stand stock cars racing on road courses. And I have a feeling there's alot of you out there who share my disinterest when Sonoma or Watkins Glen comes up on the schedule.

Rusty Wallace will announce a farewell tour for 2005 very soon, possibly this weekend at Watkins Glen or next weekend at Michigan. The veteran driver is said to have had it with NASCAR's latest changes in formats including the "Chase for the Championship" and green-white-checkered rule. There are whispers that Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte and Sterling Marlin will also bow out of the Cup Series within the next 12 months.

NASCAR continues to kill the Busch Series. The latest blow is the 2005 schedule which will take the series to Mexico. The additional cost of the road race south of the border as well as the return of Watkins Glen to the schedule will add an estimated $250,000 to the already cash-strapped budgets of Busch team owners. Two prominent owners are planning a switch to the truck series.

Even more ridiculous is NASCAR forcing its Midwest Series regional late model touring series to race on the road course at Brainerd International Raceway next weekend. Can't wait to see 20 short track cars spread out around a three-mile road circuit for two hours.

As if it needed any more reason for people not to care, the Champ Car World Series has truly become unwatchable. Last Sunday's race at Road America was pathetic with the madatory green flag pit stop rule determining the outcome of the race rather than actual on track action. The series has modified the rule but it is too little too late. No one cares as the incredibly light Road America crowd and paltry television ratings demonstrate.

The Knoxville Nationals are in full swing this weekend and the usual SRO crowds and giant car counts seem to be in place. It's a shame this event can't translate to the rest of the World of Outlaws races which have become predictable and boring. The Boundless Motorsports-Ted Johnson war appears to be over and the new owners have the series squarely in the plam of their hand. Let's see what they do to bring the circuit at least partially back to where it was five years ago.

Kudos to NBC/TNT for their stellar work on the first four races televised in the second half. The production is first rate and the announcers actually provide information without sounding like an audition for the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour." However there has been more talk that ABC/ESPN will blow away the NBC bid when the television contract comes up for renewal in two years.