Ferrari had an awful weekend in Australia to open the 2008 season, but hey at least they scored a point.

Thanks to Rubens Barrichello's disqualification, Kimi Raikkonen was bumped up from his ninth-place DNF to eighth, earning one point for the defending champion and constructor.

This extends the car maker's run of consecutive point-scoring races to 33, the second longest in the sport's history. (They also hold the record - 55 - set between 1999 and 2002.)

But although Raikkonen lucked out to earn one point, the weekend was troubling for the 15-time constructor champion. Well known for its reliability, Ferrari suffered engine failures in both of its cars this weekend, as well as with one of its client's cars - Red Bull's Sebastian Bourdais.

"We know how important reliability is and we were severely lacking on this front," Ferrari's Sporting Director Luca Baldisserri said. "It is absolutely ages since we have seen two engine failures in a race. We have to look at every detail of this weekend to understand what went wrong and how we can improve."

Looked upon as the favorites coming into this weekend, Ferrari now must figure out why they suffered the engine troubles and try to overcome the already huge 13-point deficit to the top of the points chart.

And they better do it quickly before sophomore sensation Lewis Hamilton leaves them in the dust completely.

So I've noticed there's a lot of talk about Jimmie Johnson, both good and bad, for being the pretty boy of NASCAR. He's well-dressed, well-mannered and reserved, with a gorgeous wife by his side - very much living the life of a Ken doll.

Negatively, he gets put to task for being too perfect and it seems that he draws a lot of ire because of his looks and persona.

If the defending Sprint Cup champion represents the extreme right of metro-sexualism, always polished, primped and pretty, newcomer Dario Franchitti is bringing some yang to Johnson's yin.

Franchitti is raw and rugged in both looks and persona, seemingly the opposite of Johnson in that light, but similar to him in other respects.

A champion in his own right (IndyCar, 2007), Franchitti has a reputation of being one of IndyCar's most intense personalities. En route to the championship last year, he was involved in not one, but two spectacular crashes, which occurred consecutively during the summer, and which both saw him get airborne and walk away unscathed.

The licensed helicopter pilot, who's Scottish by birth, is also married to a coveted woman, movie star Ashley Judd.

Recently, he showed NASCAR his true colors as he shared a story about how he stopped a man from trespassing on he and his wife's property.

"I was just sitting in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal in my boxer shorts," Franchitti said. "I looked up and some guy is standing in front of me. He just walked in the house.

"I really don't think I was the one he was looking for, but the guy quickly turned around and ran out of the house. He got in his car and sped off. So what did I do? I got in my car and chased him.

"The police caught up [to] the guy before I did. And apparently some people in the Nashville media also heard on the [police scanner] about it, so they were there, too. They came up to talk to me about the time I realized I was still in my boxer shorts. I had to stay in the car the whole time."

I don't think much would be shocking if it involved the wild boy Franchitti, while even the simplest things outside the ordinary are shocking for Johnson.

Like when he broke his arm in the off-season, Dec. 2006. Johnson was horsing around on a golf cart when he fell off and broke it. The official report that first came out tried to play it off as an unfortunate accident that happened when Johnson fell out of the cart on a sharp turn.

The truth came out a day later that he was in fact goofing off when it happened. Ack, Jimmie Johnson goofing off?!?! Is it possible? His PR machine didn't want it to seem that way.

Maybe he can take a cue from Franchitti and realize that it's ok to be colorful and a little bit wild. Let his hair down, wear a shirt that has a wrinkle, stop trimming and waxing his eyebrows, bring some personality.

Two successful drivers are back in action this weekend after being sidelined last year by racing-related injuries - injuries that would've made me think twice about getting back behind the wheel if not kept me away all together were I in their shoes.

Bobby Gerhart is back in his No. 5 Chevrolet for Saturday's ARCA 200 at Daytona after being taken out of championship contention in 2007. In July at Pocono Raceway, Gerhart was involved in an accident that resulted in a back and neck injury which sidelined him for the rest of the season.

He's making his comeback in an event where he's the defending winner, three races deep, on a track where he's won five races in total and four pole awards.

"I'm feeling great," Gerhart said. "I feel better now than I have in many years. 

"Aside of the injuries, we had a championship run going, and we had it yanked out from under us. It was tough. But through it all, I realized how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many people who care, and these are the things you learn when you go through something like this. It's been a long road, but I'm feeling really good."

Gerhart may have worked so hard for a comeback for one more chance to win what is the most important race for him - the Daytona 200.

But another driver who's been just as successful, if not more so in his own career, is making a comeback this weekend after an even more damaging accident and horrific season.

Fourteen-time Funny Car Champion John Force has little more to accomplish in his career if you look at the record books. He's won more races (125), won more championships and won more rounds (992) than Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney and Don Prudhomme, combined. He also holds a record, that may never be broken, of qualifying for 395 consecutive races.

But for all the records, Force was not immune to a devastating season.

At the beginning of last year, Force's teammate, protege and friend Eric Medlen died in a testing accident in Florida. And in the midst of his 30th season in the sport, Force was involved in the most serious accident of his pro career, one that left him with broken bones in both hands and feet and serious tendon and ligament damage to a right knee already weakened by the effects of childhood polio.

That season changed his outlook on his career from one solely built on winning to one where he wants to make the sport that he's lived for safer for the next generation of drag racing stars. That next generation happens to directly include Force's daughter Ashley as well as his son-in-law, Robert Hight.

"I'm glad I crashed," Force said recently during one of the physical therapy sessions to which he religiously has adhered the last four months, "because so much good has come out of it. We spent 35 years out here and all we ever thought about was an E.T. (elapsed time) slip. Now we're making things safer for the next generation.

"This new car may not work," he continued, "but if I don't win a race this year, I won't complain. I don't want to be remembered for the most wins. I want to be the guy that made Eric Medlen's life count for something."

Force implemented several safety changes on his team's cars after Medlen's accident and attributes those changes to saving his own life during his accident. Additional changes were made to the car before this weekend's season opening CARQUEST Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

No matter what the reason for these two driver's returns to their sport, they sure are driven to compete. Hopefully they can both return to their winning ways and show folks that with determination, so many obstacles can be overcome.

The policy at Hendrick Motorsports of sharing everything among its teams is interesting to me, especially after seeing the struggle the McLaren team had between its two teams in this year's Formula One season.

According to the word that comes from the Hendrick camp, the four teams under its umbrella share everything from start to finish throughout a season. It appears there's room for interpretation among the teams where each one adapts the information gathered for its own structure and driver, but they all seem to be afforded access to what each team is working on and which things are working and not working for the organization.

And it's worked for them this season. Two of their four teams are the only ones left fighting for the championship this weekend at Homestead. And those two teams dominated the whole season. The other teams as well have held their own in the field.

This success bodes well for next season when the COT enters the competition full-time. Hendrick has certainly demonstrated a command over the new car. Could that be from the team's philosophy of building the best organization rather than the best individuals?

Not to say that Hendrick isn't full of superstars. In fact, it looks like they may have a powerhouse team of four superstars next season. But the key word there is team.

And seeing how McLaren handled a similar situation this year where its superstar drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton battled the whole season for the Formula One championship makes me see a value in how Hendrick has chosen to structure its organization.

With McLaren, they had to release statements to the fact that one team wasn't getting favorable treatment over the other or being told to yield to one another. They had to make this assertion because it was being publicized that maybe they were playing favorites with their drivers.

In the end, the teams weren't asserting how happy the organization was to be where it was at and the drivers didn't seem to be happy for one another.

And in the end, neither driver ended with the title and the team is left with one superstar and a team to rebuild after Alonso decided to leave early apparently because of the way he felt out of place with the team.

Now I know it's a little like comparing apples to oranges, but it shows how one powerhouse team can be successful by working together, while another fell apart by not working together.

Or so it may seem by the recent influx of drivers to the series. Could it be that far-fetched? Juan Pablo's done it and Jacques Villeneuve made the leap as well.

So maybe the time is ripe for Alonso to make the move. It might seem plausible if there were any worthy rides left for next year's Sprint season, but I can't really see him jumping ship for RYR or any of the other struggling teams.

But where's he going to go in Formula One? Back to his former team with which he won his championship? They sure struggled this year, hardly putting up a fight. And his rumored move to Ferrari was squashed by the team's contract extension of Felipe Massa. BMW, maybe?

Whichever team, I can't see him having much better of a chance for the title next year, if this year is any indication.

It's all the buzz now; the recent flood of open wheel stars leaving their familiar territory for the unknown. And of course, everyone questions why each particular driver is making the switch.

Is it for the money? That may definitely be the case with Sebastien Bourdais' switch to Formula One. The frenchman, who is Champ Car's leader in everything Champ Car, has only won slightly over half a million dollars so far this season, in his much expected march to a fourth consecutive series title.

He stands to make that in just a few appearances in Formula One, where the driver's yearly salaries stand in the millions.

I know, Bourdais who? In his case it may be a multi-faceted desire to get out of Champ Car. The money isn't there and neither is the fame. I sure haven't ever seen him in a McDonald's commercial, despite his sponsorship by the team for the last few years. And his move to a much more popular international racing series may garner him the fame his ego may desire.

But if Formula One brings a driver international fame and money, as the series definitely creates fabulous, elite superstars living the good life, what's Jacques Villeneuve doing trying his hand at NASCAR?

He's got plenty of money. He's got quite a bit of fame, why not just retire? His may be the case of just plain fun. The Canadian driver didn't seem ready to retire when he was ousted from Formula One last year. Of any series, that one doesn't seem to want to keep you around when you've outgrown that playboy persona.

And when presented with a 'forced' retirement, what's a race car driver supposed to do when he's still got the need for speed. Why not try another series? Especially another series that is today quick to welcome international drivers in order to garner some more international acclaim.

What a symbiotic relationship. This newly embarked upon international venture seems to be working for NASCAR and a number of the recently welcomed international drivers (Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Villeneuve). With those three drivers, NASCAR's market just grew three-fold, garnering attention in South America, Europe and Canada and these drivers have the chance to continue racing, earn boatloads of money and gain much more fame.

Juan Pablo Montoya's benefiting already from it after just one year in NASCAR. And with all the other cross-series jumps happening recently, it seems that any driver can find an open door for the pursuit of money, fame and fun.

Maybe a NASCAR star will be the next to make the jump. I can see it now, Dale Jr. tires of the money and fame in NASCAR and makes the switch to IndyCar just for the fun of it.

Ok, so Sunday's Formula One Japanese Grand Prix was crazy, but did the stewards make the right decision by deciding not to penalize Lewis Hamilton for erratic driving during the second safety car period?

From what I can see in reviewing the incident from a video on YouTube, it surely looked like Hamilton wasn't doing his job right. Being in the lead, he had the clearest view of the safety car and, as such, should've followed it in a direct path. Instead, heading into an S curve, he veered far to the right of the safety car and slowed dramatically.

And Sebastien Vettel, running in third, in a moment of human nature, apparently rubber-necked to see what Hamilton was doing and subsequently hit the back of Mark Webber, taking both out of the race.

Now, the FIA has rules established for how drivers are supposed to drive when a safety car is deployed. Under the 2007 Safety Car regulations in section 40.7, the rules state that any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers at any time while the safety car is deployed will be reported to the stewards.

In 40.8, the rules state that all competing cars must form up in line behind the safety car no more than five car lengths apart and overtaking, with the following exceptions, is forbidden until the cars reach the Line after the safety car has returned to the pits. Overtaking will be permitted under the following circumstances: if a car is signalled to do so from the safety car; under certaing pit lane conditions and if any car slows with an obvious problem.

In 40.10, once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within five car lengths of it and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.

Hamilton's driving wasn't particularly dangerous, although definitely puzzling, which could be construed as erratic. But it seems to be a case for veteran experience vs. rookie inexperience.

The rookie phenom and most likely first Formula One rookie champion, Hamilton, probably didn't intentionally try to confuse the drivers behind him. He was probably caught up in the horrible conditions of the race, distracted from being wet and not having appropriate visibility, and perhaps just slipped out of formation because of such.

He didn't really have anything to gain from messing up the drivers directly behind him since they are no threat to his championship run. If anything, by messing them up, he may have allowed those fighting him for the championship to gain on him in the race.

In addressing reporters in China, Hamilton expressed his frustration with the powers that be, remarking that Formula One might not be for him if he stood to be penalized for his actions. And I guess the series realized that this was not a battle to fight, since Hamilton's one of the best things to happen to the sport this year.

Along the same lines, they made the right move, IMO, by granting the other inexperienced driver involved, Vettel, the same leniency. Directly after the incident, Vettel was penalized 10 grid spots for his dangerous driving during the safety car period. But this penalty's been overturned and I even think Webber's come to realize that the worst thing here was the inexperience that sandwiched him at that moment.

If anyone, the ones who should be penalized are those in charge. With such a mix of different experience levels among the drivers in the series, the Japanese Grand Prix should've been suspended upon the second deployment of the safety car. Too much happened at that race due to the conditions and so much worse could've happened due to driver's not knowing how to address the conditions.