Peter DeLorenzo is the man behind Autoextremist.com and has penned many a good rant about one automotive topic or another, but this one may be his finest yet. The rant is actually a transcript of a speech that DeLorenzo delivered to the Milwaukee Region of the SCCA at their year end banquet. It is long and it covers a bunch of ground but we found ourselves sucked in after the first few lines.

Through the course of the speech he manages to evoke the memories all of us gearheads harbor about our first experience in the realm of cars, racing, and things mechanical. He works in some pointed jabs at NASCAR, looks to the future of amatuer racing in the country and despite where we thought he was going to take us, ends on a postive and downright hopeful note.

This is one you need to commit to reading. It is not a quickie. Pour yourself a cup of joe and lock the office door. This column is totally worth it.