Finally, the day has come. We don’t know his name, but according to the Telegraph, The Stig is “…a married man, who lives in a comfortable £300,000 home and drives an unglamorous £15,000 car.” Wait, what? a 15K automobile? And married – MARRIED??!! How can this be?? This ruins all our sexual fantasies! (Or maybe it makes them juicer.) “He found his first track outing when he was younger ‘terrifying’ but this did not stop him from racing in Formula First, GT Racing and Stock Cars, while he almost made it to Formula One. He is in his 30s, and earns around £150,000 a year combining his Top Gear job with some stunt and test driving.”

Now we have a better concept of who lies behind the helmet as the mystery daredevil “Stig” – a regular Joe. Our Automopedia forensic scientists have gathered their evidence and can now theorize a definitive Stig identity:

Who is The Stig?

Joe the Plumber

During 2008′s US Presidential race he was the quintessential “All American” – and the pinnacle of your average working class hero. Has his fame finally revealed his true self – a British stunt driver??

Al Bundy

You don’t get more working class hero than Al Bundy, star of the classic sitcom Married…With Children. Since then the rolls for actor Ed O’Neil haven’t come rolling in, maybe it’s because he’s too busy with all those road tests?

Barack Obama

 Obama claimed victory over the hearts of America’s middle class, will his first campaign promise in office be to order the mass production of diesel powered roadsters?

Hilary Clinton

 Hilary has been known to go to extreme lengths in order to win over working class votes. Perhaps that white jumpsuit is hiding an orange pantsuit.

Rip Taylor

 We have no evidence that Rip is The Stig, but it would be a funny bit for Top Gear to tease their revelation on an episode, only to remove his helmet and have Mr. Taylor be underneath, with a pocket of confetti of course.

David Tennant

Beloved star of BBC’s hit Doctor Who has admitted he will be leaving the scifi series after 2009, is it because there are too many cars for him to be racing?

But the bailout is actually supposed to go to the ever increasing pension and health insurance coverage costs for automotive workers and retires. The package includes “$25 billion in loans for the beleaguered Detroit automakers and several of their suppliers.” Detroit doesn’t want it to be called a bailout, but what else can you name free money from the government estimating around $5 billion dollars for each of the three companies up front, in addition to smaller amounts for their suppliers.

This $25 billion looks to be only the beginning, as automotive giants plan on applying for more aide in the same or even greater amounts. Whatever the future holds, present day Detroit needs help, ASAP. General Motors post losses so negative that they fear brands like Chevrolet may not be in existence over the next 1 – 2 years.

The 44th President of the United States is Barack Obama. It was a glorious victory for African Americans and liberals alike. If anyone wanted to give 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. back to the Democrats it was the voters, and they did so last night. Obama came in strong with 324 Electoral Votes to McCain’s 147. The Illinois senator won Ohio, PA and Virginia – battleground states each candidate needed to secure victory.

But President Elect Obama has some hefty shoes to fill – the economy is in a downward spiral, jobs are being cut everywhere, especially in the automotive manufacturing plants of America’s Midwest. Gas prices are coming down, but still not at the rates we’re accustomed to paying. Obama said he will create jobs – and now more than ever do many states, including those battlegrounds of Ohio and Pennsylvania, need employment. Or are the massive car giants already too far gone? Will dealerships continue to combine or disappear from the face of the earth? Will a new tax plan help or hurt factories and dealer lots? Today, the democratic party and Obama can celebrate, they deserve it. On January 20th, 2009 a four year upward battle will begin. “Baptism by fire.”