Just north of Knoxville. We're way behind, but we're working our way home. I just dropped our TripPaks in Pioneer, Tennessee.

I only mention this because every time I go in there I look at a Richard Petty die-cast car that they have in their NASCAR collectibles case, which is all die-cast replicas of NASCAR race cars; mostly modern drivers, but there are a few based on "legends." The Richard Petty car that I always look at is the old 1975 Dodge Charger that Petty drove when I was a kid. I want this car.

Now, in my travels I’ve learned that if you're from North Carolina people make certain assumptions about you. There are the general southern prejudices (that you're uneducated, a racist, incestuous, etc), but specific to N.C. is that they assume that you are a NASCAR fan (for whatever reason).

I couldn't consider myself a racing fan, or a sports fan, really (though I keep tabs on the Oakland Raiders and the Carolina Panthers). The last time I had a favorite NASCAR driver, I was a kid and the driver was Richard Petty; and this model is the car he drove then.

I suppose, more than anything, this is the reason I want that car. Even so, I’m going to have a hard time justifying $70 for a model (maybe I can find it cheaper on the internet?). Still, it would be nice to have a reminder of a time of my life and a mindset that I’d almost forgotten about. Jim and Chip Childers robbed me of most of my mementos of my childhood. Maybe in a way I feel like this is a chance to get some of that back.