Premiere week casts Chase into land of TV imagination

In the fall, everything in my life comes to a screeching halt like a pack of stock cars trying to avoid the Big One at Talladega Superspeedway.

My activity level slows to a glacial pace; my movement mimics leaves falling from a Maple tree.

It's the time of year I create a hibernation-style nest in the living room equipped with all my required comforts and necessities: a venti Starbucks, computer, cell phone; my dog, Charlie, chenille throw and, most important, my remote control with DVR functionality.

My time is reserved for two things none of which include watching the beautiful fall foliage or pondering countless new uses for pumpkin pulp.

In the fall, only two things matter: The Chase and premiere weeks on network and cable TV!

Beginning with last week's Heroes on Monday and all the way to the race at Kansas and Desperate Housewives premiere on Sunday, I now have enough "seat time" to run a 500-mile race around the superspeedways of Talladega or Daytona.

By Tuesday, eyes glazing from 8 p.m. ET, starting with House, to the gripping end of Law and Order SVU at 11 p.m., I couldn't help but wonder if NASCAR drivers take any interest in programming outside of what airs on SPEED or ESPN.

Was Junior sitting in his hibernation-style nest waiting for Lip Stick Jungle to start last week or did Dr. Kate make Carl Edwards watch Grey's Anatomy?

I have no idea, but I do know that there are some relevant parallels and comparisons to be drawn among must-see television and Chase drivers this fall. At least both share some common denominators: potentially poor ratings, pilot failures, plot twists. Who will be around at the end of the Chase and who will be cut and sent back to work on next season's show?

This fall's Chase for the Sprint Cup is rivaling some of my favorite shows, both are producing storylines filled with comedy, scandal, heartbreak, apathy and even a bit of sympathy.

If any of the viewers don't have sympathy for Kyle Busch then check your pulse, perhaps you've been cast for Pushing Daisies, ABCs forensic fairy tale about a pie maker who can bring the dead back to life.

Now that the writers' strike is over we can enjoy a full season of this show now, but Kyle on the other hand ... well it's as painful as watching the Vice Presidential Debate instead of my regularly scheduled programming! "Can I call you Joe"? Did she really ask that?

His name is Kyle ...

... I will say My name is Earl comes to mind when thinking of Kyle these days.

Great guy that Earl, good intentions, but he's always getting into trouble despite his best efforts. Anyway, Earl is an ex-con out of jail righting the wrongs he has caused as the younger Earl in hopes of improving his karma.

Seemingly, Kyle began his 2008 season by righting some of his own past wrongs: mouthing the man, arrogant behavior, tempestuous relationships. But with what people observed as a more mature Kyle, came improved racing karma with his new team. Good racing karma in the form of more than a dozen wins across NASCAR's three national touring series. Although, once the Chase started, his good karma disappeared along with his championship hopes. He has yet to be mathematically eliminated, but it looks like Kyle better dig into righting some more wrongs before next season starts.

"It is stuff that has happened out of everyone's control. It's just bad luck. I don't know where that came from, but it is here right now. It's way too far to come back [from] now. Even if the entire field wrecked at Talladega and we were the only one to finish we would still be pretty far back," Busch lamented. (Continued)