Welcome, gay NASCAR fans! Can you believe our DeVine 9 1/2 fantasy team pulled off the Triple Crown Royal? That's what I like to call the Big 3: Winston Cup champion (Matt), most winning driver (8 races! Run, you big dog Ryan!), and Raybestos Rookie of the Year (super-cute fun-bud Jamie McMurray! Go, Jamie!). It's great to see our guys finishing out the year in such high style!

Congratulations to the winner of the final Winston Cup race, Bobby Labonte! Bobby led a grand total of one -- count it, one! -- lap on Sunday, but it was the last lap, and that's the big one. Following up on his emotional win last week at Rockingham, Bill Elliott ran rings around everyone else at the newly banked Homestead track. But as the white flag waved, Bill, who had led the most laps and seemed to have the race locked up, instead cut down a right rear tire, giving the lead to Bobby. Here at my home bar, Elliott fan Janet was just about to call for the celebratory Champagne when her guy fell back. Too bad, Bill -- but another terrific performance for a driver who continues to counter "retirement" stories by showing out and running well. I'd like to think that, at home, Bill occasionally busts out into that great old George Jones song: "I don't need no rocking chair!"

Going into the weekend, all the talk was about the "new" Homestead. An enormous, $10 million+ construction project added progressive banking on the turns in an effort to make more room for side-by-side racing and passing. The results seemed to please most folks. It was thrilling to watch Jamie's blistering laps on Friday night to win the pole! USA Today's racing writer Chris Jenkins posed an interesting question: "If it's worth it for International Speedway Corp. to pay for reconstruction of the banking at Homestead to make it steeper, then why not pay to reconstruct Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway with more gentle banking so they wouldn't have to use restrictor plates anymore?" Wow -- what a concept! Such large construction projects would also help the economy, no doubt, which would certainly be a welcome improvement during this Republican-caused depression.

But while the fans liked the track, the track sure didn't like the tires. Tire troubles were in abundance all day, not just on the #9 car's ill-fated last lap. As we watched car after car shred its skins, Cherelle exclaimed, "I think this new track is a devil track, cuz it sure is hell on tires!"

Serving up the National Anthem on Sunday was John Secada. I last saw him perform at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during the 96 Games, just five nights before the awful bomb blast that hurt so many people. John was evidently getting the "stretch" signal on Sunday -- at the end of the song, he added some of the most gosh-awful warbling and goofball vocalizing you have ever heard. Yes, he made it end right as the planes came over, but boy did he sound good and crazy doing it!

I'd like to point out that, without anybody telling me or anything, I correctly predicted that Richard Petty would drive his #43 car in the final tribute laps saluting RJR's sponsorship -- how right I was! Afterward, The King appeared in the NBC broadcast booth without his famous hat, though with his famous glasses. Sadly, Kyle Petty's car did not make the show on Sunday.

We had really high hopes this week for the #42 car, since Jamie started on the pole. But he imediately lost the front spot to Brian Vickers and never regained it, though he did run pretty far up in the pack most of the day, and he finished in 9th. But never mind about all that, Jamie is the new Raybestos Rookie of the Year! Yeah, Jamie! (And while we're at it, congrats to Brian Vickers, who won the Busch championship on Saturday, and who runs his rookie year in Cup next year for Jeff Gordon's stable of stars.)

As I look back on my notes from Sunday, they basically tell the story of a bunch of wrecks and other misfortunes that take out numerous members of the DeVine 9 1/2! In the very first incident, Kevin Harvick wobbled up into Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, totally knocking Busch out of the top 10 -- and off the stage at the Waldorf. Ryan was seen in the garage area jacking and beating on his car like a madman to try and get it back on the track. Kevin's ride was unharmed, and Jamie skated cleverly on by. In an interview, Kurt was very bitter about Kevin's keeping him from making the top 10. Both the guys Kevin wrecked out gave up a points spot: Ryan dropped two, to 6th, and Kurt dropped one, to 11th. One away from making the show at the Waldorf. Ouch. What a bittersweet year for Kurt, with four wins, the fourth-highest money total -- yet so much conflict and conflama.

Then, everyone's hopes for an exciting finish for Matt Kenseth went up in smoke along with his engine. Some of the reports I read made it seem like the team might have tried some more powerful pistons, but they did not last. Matt was clearly not pleased to be having only his second blown engine of the year on the last Sunday of his championship season.

Poor Mikey, who has fallen so fast and hard these last few weeks, took a final leap into the wall on Sunday when he lost a right front. According to Mikey, this crash was just as scary as it looked, but the safety walls at Homestead made it a lot easier on him.

Near the end of the race, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton got tangled up in a wreck that saw some fire coming from under both cars. A fitting finish to a bleak year for Mark -- he and Jamie were the only 9 1/2 members to go winless. Better luck next year, Marky.

There was one moment there on Sunday when I'm sure Fatback McSwain, Bobby Labonte's crew chief, was the happiest man on the planet. When he realized his #18 car was going to take it on the last lap, Fatback sure enough got to jooking and jumping!

ANOTHER ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

As the checkered flag falls on the 2003 Winston Cup season, I have to say I'm pretty impressed by the work of the little fantasy team that we slapped together way back last winter. We ended up holding down six of the top 10 points spots, plus, as I've mentioned, the championship, most races won, and rookie of the year. Not bad for a bunch of guys who were picked out just because of the way they fit into my pervy imagination! (Did I not mention that "fantasy team" has a different meaning here at Gaytona.com?)

This will be our last regular update for 2003, although I do hope to post some coverage from the Waldorf banquet as well as other tidbits when I get the chance. During the off-season, I'd like to invite everyone to my other site, www.bettyjack.com, where I'll be holding forth from time to time about this, that and the other.

When Dixie Richardson and I started Gaytona.com, we hoped it would give us the chance to hook up with a few other gay NASCAR fans and maybe have a laugh or two. We did all that -- and so much more! In addition to hearing from gay and straight NASCAR fans from across the country, we got written up in the Advocate, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Star, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Jayski's, and Thatsracin.com, plus we got mentioned on numerous morning radio shows and radio Web sites. What a wild ride it's been! My wig is totally all mashed over to the right side (from the force of riding around the track, you know).

While our virtual speedway is clearing out, I want to thank Dixie for all her work in keeping the site current, and the rest of my crew -- especially Cherelle, Andy, Janet, Sue, Bud and Kathryn -- for all their fellowship and good humor throughout the season. Thanks to Amy, AJ, Mike and all my new racing friends, too numerous to mention, for your many e-mails and ideas. Thanks to ARGE for the terrific Gaytona logo, whose golden sun has shined on us throughout the season. And a championship thanks to our sponsors - Gazzelle's Clothing Store, Potsy's Pet Portraits, and The Funtone USA Television Network - for powering us around the World Wide Web.

We're already planning a new and better Gaytona.com for next year! Who will be on the team? Well, I'd love to hear from y'all on that.

As we prepare for the holidays and look forward to the Daytona 500, let's all remember the troops who are living in misery and danger thanks to the horrible politics of the pathetic leaders. Include these guys and gals in your prayers, and put your faith to work by doing all you can to bring about a regime change here in the United States.

Thanks again, race friends, for all the fun this year. Have a safe and happy off-season, and let's get together again for the Daytona 500! Meantime, I'll see y'all at the Track Bar!