I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and was able to spend it with loved ones. A lot of people think of the holiday shopping deals after Thanksgiving; but my thought is this: We're now more than halfway between Indy 500s. Call it Christmas in November.

* I felt kind of guilty watching the Redskins lose on the road on Thanksgiving. Seriously, and I'm not even grasping for some low-hanging fruit. It's Thanksgiving! Is there not one day we can offer some reflection and dignified appreciation for America's native people? Bad enough the team is called "Redskins," but we can't even let them be the home team? Would seem to fit the holiday history.

* There is some concern around Indiana with the NBA’s Pacers. I certainly expected more from them early, but let's not forget: Juan Montoya was running 32nd early in the 2015 Indy 500.

* If I became surgeon general, you know what I'd make mandatory? Public restroom doors ALL opening from the inside out. Is anything more disgusting than the thought of that brass petri dish door handle you have to grab just after washing your hands? Push swing it open from the inside and enjoy your meal in sanitary bliss.

* Anyone remember the "That's Incredible" show? It was like "America's Got Talent" before we knew America had talent. That said, the guy in the glass cube was still more impressive than Frisbee dogs. That dude was the Charles Nelson Reilly of that show.

* With the IndyCar Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course looking for a new title sponsor, I nominate St. Elmo shrimp cocktail sauce. Think about it: the GP is the ultimate appetizer to invigorate your senses for the month of May. Doesn't IMS make your eyes water? So does that cocktail sauce. Let's see it happen. The "St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail Sauce Grand Prix of Indianapolis."  Granted, it's a mouthful. So is the shrimp.

* I've shared this before, but I still am amazed 317 men survived the USS Indianapolis tragedy.  I'll never be convinced the Indy area code is, indeed, coincidence.

* As I mentioned last week, I spent last weekend driving my late friend Turhan's car back from Austin, Texas. My buddy Mike Byron made the trip with me. Turhan was a brother to us both. We saw a lot of good sights along the way, including the "Sling Blade" diner in Benton, Ark. Cathy Huckaby owns the diner, which was used in scenes its namesake, the 1996 Billy Bob Thornton film.

Cathy asked what brought us through Benton. When I told her, she momentarily disappeared. She returned with two pieces of homemade banana bread cake she had just finished. She wanted us to have it for our drive. People are inherently good, folks. Never forget that.

And speaking of good, so is Turhan's Mercedes. I finally know how Little Al felt in '94 at Indy.

Veteran broadcaster Jake Query is a member of the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network team and will offer his musings Tuesdays on IndyCar.com.