What We’re Thankful For 2013: From The Marbles

With Thanksgiving upon us, each Yahoo Sports blog is taking stock of what they're thankful for while also providing menu suggestions and a sport-specific viewing guide for when you hit your couch. Share what you're thankful for on Twitter with the #YSBThanks hashtag or in the comments below. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We hope you have a great holiday with family and friends and eat as much as you can without getting sick. And don't go crazy for the Black Friday sales. Go get a good deal, but don't hurt anyone in the process, OK?

And by the way, we're thankful that From the Marbles is a stop on your Internet trips. We appreciate it. Here's what we're thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

1. Danica and Ricky: They're not exactly trendsetters — we hope that they've had some sit-down dinners with Elton Sawyer and Patty Moise to discuss the life of racing and relationships — but we're thankful for you, Danica and Ricky. We're thankful for all of the jokes that your relationship allows us to make, and we're thankful that you're truly happy with each other. It doesn't feel forced and you can tell when you talk about each other that you really care.

Plus, we're also thankful for the way you've handled dating each other while driving against each other for the Rookie of the Year Award. You could have gone all NASCAR-Kardashian on us and shot for relationship attention at every opportunity. Instead, you didn't hide from the camera, but you didn't go find them either.

2. Road Course Racing: Will it ever get old? And will we ever get more road course races added to the Sprint Cup schedule? Let's be blunt, the Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Labor Day weekend was boring ... until the final lap, and then all hell broke loose and that Sunday afternoon became the most memorable day of the Camping World Truck Series season.

Yeah, those moments might have been slightly manufactured with a late caution flag, but the multi-storyline last lap would have been a one-in-a-hundred moment at an intermediate track. At a road course? It felt like normal.

3. Dario Franchitti's career: We'd like to take the time and recognize the incredible career that the Scotsman had in open wheel racing with 31 combined wins in CART and IndyCar and his four-year run of consecutive IndyCar championships from 2007-2011.

You'll notice that he skipped a year in 2008. That was the NASCAR experiment that we won't dwell on. But that's been almost forgotten, hasn't it? And his IndyCar success is a huge reason why. Had Franchitti gone back and struggled, NASCAR would be a blemish. Instead, he reeled off three titles in his first three years back and we're (rightfully) remembering him as one of the best IndyCar drivers ever.

Hopefully, for the sake of all of us, Franchitti continues to be heavily involved in open-wheel racing.

4. Stewart-Haas Racing's Twitter Feed: The team's namesake isn't on Twitter, but we appreciate the work of Mike Arning and the TrueSpeed folks that make the SHR team Twitter account consistently the funniest one in NASCAR.

(Bonus) Jimmie Johnson: Stop with the black helicopters once and for all, and let's recognize greatness. Jimmie Johnson will be a driver that you'll be telling your kids about in 30 years, much like Earnhardt and Petty fans want to tell us how much better their driver was in the good old days of NASCAR.

Given the legion of Vader haters, many of these future stories about Johnson may be told begrudgingly. That's fine. What he and his team have done over the past eight seasons is incredible, and it's a run that has no foreseeable end in sight. And here's a thought, will those stories be told less begrudgingly if Johnson has a moment like Earnhardt did in 2000 at Talladega?

Right now, there's no miraculous moment that pops out immediately for Johnson. We've just been bludgeoned with sustained greatness. Had he come back and won at Homestead, that could have been it.

Turkey: Our Turkey will be grilled over the radiator of a 1985 Ford F-250 without a functioning transmission in the infield of Talladega. Sorry about the aftertaste of antifreeze, but you wouldn't have known it was antifreeze unless we told you. And that's not pepper on the turkey either. Those are the embers from the fireworks we just shot off.

Funnel Bacakonator: Because you need something to supplement the turkey.

Busch Light: This is a NASCAR Thanksgiving after all. And hell yes, we're drinking it out of the camouflage cans.

Shake 'N Bacon Brew: Dessert.

* * *

A Fantastic Thanksgiving photo: We understand Brad Keselowski's affinity for Jennifer Love Hewitt, but we're surprised it didn't switch to Alex Morgan after the two randomly shared a car together with the Sprint Cup Series trophy during America's Thanksgiving Day Parade last year.

Friday Night Lights Marathon, 8 a.m. ET, Pivot: Yeah, I have no idea what Pivot TV is (267 on DirecTV), but they're airing a marathon of the greatest show in the history of television, so they're alright in my book.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 10 a.m. ET, NBC: It's a parade, just like a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race! And there may be more passing, too.

FIA World Rally: Wales, 1 p.m. ET, MAVTV: Rally racing in Wales? Why not? This is more dangerous to stand on the side of the road and watch than a parade is too.

Total Divas Marathon, 2 p.m. ET, E!: This will make your favorite NASCAR driver feel like a grounded individual.

Chopped, 10 p.m. ET, Food: It's Danica Patrick's Chopped appearance. What could be better than watching food after eating a lot of food?

* * *

#YSBTHANKS: Ball Don't Lie • Big League Stew • Busted Racquet • Cagewriter • The Dagger • Devil Ball Golf • Dirty Tackle • Dr. Saturday • From The Marbles • Prep Rally • Puck Daddy • Shutdown Corner