This is the Statt Mann Baby. It's time to Scatt a little bit.

On our 12th Anniversary, it’s easy to point to things like Dale Earnhardt’s death and 9/11 as things that have shaped our motor racing lives in the last 12 years.

There’s also been the rise and decline of NASCAR, the return to the spotlight for sports cars, and the growth of X Games and Action Sports in general. They’ve all changed the way we think about motor racing. Who knew drifting would be important.

But the one thing that might have brought about more change is the development of social media and the mainstreaming of everything about it.

Twelve years ago we knew nothing about Twitter, Facbook, maybe not even My Space. We were still faxing and just getting email under control. You remember AOL and all those CDs we were given as an encouragement to sign up.

For that matter, some of us didn’t know about DSL much less cable modems. Streaming video, ESPN3 and Speed2, those are all things that have changed the way we watch and keep up with motor racing in the past dozen years. And we’re long past The Ocho! Remember that!?

We can only imagine that the things that will shape the next 12 years may not have been invented yet.

Promoters certainly hope that whatever’s on the horizon will make it easier for all of us to keep up with the changing face of racing.

Peace.