Tonight I'm in Carmel, California, in preparation for tomorrow's test drive of the all-new, hugely anticipated Lexus IS F sport sedan at Laguna Seca racetrack. Can't tell you a thing yet about the Lexus; all that information is top secret until the official release date. But that doesn't mean I don't have some cool stuff to share with you. Tonight, I had dinner with Jim Farley, Toyota vice president and Lexus general manager. Many of you will recall that Jim finished #30 on last year's Motor Trend Power List of the auto world's 50 most influential individuals. Don't be surprised if Farley scores higher on our 2007 list. As the IS F proves, he's clearly going places with Lexus.

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Then Jim recounted a story about his late cousin, the brilliant comedian Chris Farley. "The movie 'Tommy Boy' wasn't completely made- up," Jim said. "At one time, Chris used to sell asphalt for a living. He was great at it. He'd schmooze, booze, and beguile his clients into buying asphalt. 'Tommy Boy' was really funny, but it wasn't accurate. Instead of being a screw-up, Chris was really a fantastic salesman."

That's it for tonight, gents; I've got to get to bed. Tomorrow awaits the new Lexus IS F and Laguna Seca. We're going to have plenty of cool photos and video for you soon. Meantime, take at look at this stuff shot by Lexus just prior to August's Monterey Historic Races. Tomorrow, this is gonna be me . . .