Blinkers, turn signals, whatever you want to call them, why is it so hard for people to use them?

I've noticed an alarming trend over the past few years, people simply do NOT use their turn signals anymore! Why is this? Is it so hard to reach over with your left hand fingertips and hit that little stalk up or down? Or is it because people are too busy talking on the cel phone or flipping through their iPod? Whatever it is, it's no excuse! Use your blinkers, even if no one is around, even if you're in a turn only lane, for the love of God, PLEASE use them! It's the only way for people to know what you are doing. And when you do use it, turn it off when you are done. And if the bulb burns out, replace it. No more excuses people, use those blinkers, they're not just for Christmas anymore!

It's NASCAR Season!

For me, there are only two seasons, Winter & NASCAR. I can't wait! Who will win Daytona? Who will be in the Chase for the Championship? Who will win the Cup?

Here are my predictions for the season:

Mark Martin will win a few races, make the Chase and will be a threat for the Cup.

Carl Edwards will win the most races, will lead the points most of the year and will be the man to beat for the cup.

The rest of Roush Racing will also do very well, winning many races and making the Chase. They will have a hard time beating Carl.

Tony Stewart will spend so much time mentoring his two rookie teammates that he will forget what he's doing and will have trouble making the Chase.

I'm not a Dale Earnhardt fan, but I think he will do pretty good if they can figure the intermediate tracks like Charlotte, Texas, Atlanta, etc. If he makes the Chase, he will be a threat to win the Cup.

I'm even less of a Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson fan and I think these two will not get along very well this year. Jimmie's frustrated by not being able to pull it together at the end of the year and Jeff is tired of Jimmie running better than him. Expect major headlines out of Hendrick Motorsports this year. As far as the other Hendrick drivers, Kyle Busch & Brian Vickers, they will have decent years, but will struggle to stay in the top 15 due to inconsistencies.

Teams to watch will be Penske & Yates. They have some new talent and the resources and should do very well.

And the other major teams (Evernham, RCR, MB2, Petty, etc.), they will have some good runs, but mostly they will be mid pack struggling to get in the top 15 in points.

Saleen to build an F150!

Saleen, the company known for building the baddest Mustangs around and the S7 exotic supercar, is going to show this beautiful Saleen F150 S331 Sport Truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a couple of weeks. It looks awesome! The press release says the Supercharged version will have 450 HP @ 5200 RPM and 500 lb-ft of torque @ 4000 RPM from its 5.4 3V V8 with the Saleen Twin Screw Supercharger. If they make a SuperCrew version, I may have t get one of these instead of Sport Trac SVT Adrenalin.

Auto Show Time!

Well it’s another new year and you know what that means…Auto Show time! The first major show is the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This is the show where the Big 3 (or Big 2-1/2 as I call them) usually show their biggest ideas, new concepts and new upcoming products. My favorite car company, the Ford Motor Company (which includes Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar & Aston Martin) is rumored to be showing some pretty cool stuff.

2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Ford is rumored to be showing some 2007 production versions of the Explorer Sport, Edge & Mustang Shelby GT500. The Sport Trac will be much improved over the last version with features like a 292HP V8, 6 speed automatic transmission and independent rear suspension. Also, the base V6 puts out fewer emissions than a Honda Accord Hybrid. The Edge will be Ford’s newest CUV (crossover utility vehicle) that will finally have the much anticipated all-new Duratec 3.5 V6. The Shelby GT500 Mustang is the first of many “Limited Edition” Mustangs. This one is going to be pure muscle car with a 450+ HP Supercharged 32V DOHC 5.4 V8 (the same V8 that is in the Ford GT supercar) and a solid rear axle. Should be pretty sweet. I hope we see the new supposed “People Mover” minivan replacement, a Focus, Ranger & Crown Victoria replacement and some vehicles smaller than the Focus there, but I doubt we’ll see all of that, if any. Now that it appears that Ford has turned the corner with more modern designs, I’m pretty anxious to what will be coming out in the near future.

2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

I’m not sure what Mercury will be showing, hopefully a more production looking version of the Meta One that will eventually become the Magellan CUV. Lincoln should be showing a couple of concept sedans that should be going into production in a few years and a production version of their Edge based CUV. Other than that, I really haven’t heard. And as far as the other Ford affiliates go, I really have no idea nor do I follow them very much.

2007 Ford Edge

Well, once the press releases start coming out, I'll give my take on them. Until then, I will be waiting (im)patiently...