How many times do you think you will hear a racing driver utter the words: “It is what it is” during the coming season?
My guess is we will all lose count before the Daytona 500 even takes the green flag, but, it is what it is. Thus, with the spirit of the New Year, here are some potential uses of the phrase during the 2008 season.
Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus will be suspended from competition for the third consecutive season, but his team will be a contender for its third-straight championship. It is what it is.
IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti has left the open wheelers for NASCAR, but his wife, Ashley Judd, will still appear on television more frequently during telecasts than will the likable Scotsman. It is what it is.
The Champ Car World Series and its team owners will fill their driving rosters only days before the season opener at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Many will meet their crew members just prior to the first practice session. It is what it is.
This columnist will frequently misidentify the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series as the Nextel Cup and Busch series. It is what it is.
Despite his shoulder-length hair, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will not be mistaken as Fabio. It is what it is.

A CT scan will reveal that contrary to the belief of many viewers, Rusty Wallace never really did “drive his brains out.” It is what it is.

Kyle Busch will punch the blue M&M, but in turn get his butt kicked by the green M&M. It is what it is.
NASCAR drivers will whine and complain about the Car of Tomorrow, which, by the way, is now the only car in the Cup series. It is what it is.
Team owner Jack Roush will whine and complain about everything. It is what it is.
Many NSSN columnists and readers will continue to subscribe to the theory that the racing was better in 1955 than it is today. It is what it is.
Despite his sponsorship from Budweiser, the ladies of the popular Allstate commercials will finally catch the elusive Kasey Kahne. It is what it is.
Drivers racing at the grass-roots level will complain that race teams owned by NASCAR drivers Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Jason Leffler, Bobby Labonte and Clint Bowyer have an unfair advantage. It is what it is.
Another “retired” racing driver will return to active competition. It is what it is.
A CT scan will reveal that contrary to the belief of many viewers, Rusty Wallace never really did “drive his brains out.” It is what it is.
NSSN readers will continue to find ways to link the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor to Toyota’s entry into NASCAR racing. It is what it is.
The mayors of Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Bristol, Sonoma, Loudon and Atlanta will not mess with O. Bruton Smith. It is what it is.
Mike Kerchner will receive e-mails that will include the words “smart ass” and “sonny boy.” It is what it is.
NASCAR’s television ratings will continue to fall. It is what it is.
Helio Castroneves will receive less notoriety for winning his third Indianapolis 500 than for winning the “Dancing with the Stars” competition. Still, Chris Economaki will refer to Helio as Twinkle Toes. It is what it is.
Mercifully, this column is over. It is what it is.