However, on race day for NASCAR Sprint Cup, it is as unwelcome as a Bud hat in a Miller campsite…
The entire season blew the storm of the Chase into Richmond with wildcards and points on the line. That storm was put off as another storm blew in and kept the race in the garage for almost two hours. NASCAR and RIR staff kept things tight as the rain moved out. After all, the plan was to run under the lights. The weather was watched and the decision was held. Jet dryers and utility vehicles did a number on the track to dry it out but even then they ran the first few laps under caution.
Finally they went green on a green track with any rubber from qualifying and the Nationwide race the day before thrown to the inner wall. The crowd braved the rain to watch Jeff Gordon blow by pole sitter Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Dale, Jr. to regain the lead shortly after. (more…)
Sunday morning – Daytona 500 Race Day! Clicking into NASCAR.com first thing to check on updates for today and what do we see…? A big sidebar advertisement for Nationwide Insurance with Danica Patrick standing there… Ironic…? Good timing…? After all, she has gone nose deep into concrete twice in three days and steps back into a new car. That would seem to be a good selling point for auto insurance… Right…?
But this race, this season… It’s not all about Danica Patrick. Every garage, team and driver has a story that brought them here and they all want the same thing. There are also the stories of those who are shut out of the barn for the big dance. Take Michael Waltrip, for example… Re-entering the field during Gatorade Dual Day, he attempted to leave the inner skirt of the track and get on the banking but the sudden angle change was too much at speed and the car jolted up the track and into the wall. That put him at #44 and one spot off the grid after pre-season wrangling to have a ride to qualify with. Yes, MWR still has cars on the track for the 500, but Michael isn’t in any of them. (more…)
There is no actual evidence that Kyle Busch is the devil or is in league with the forces of e-vil. However, on any race day during driver introductions, a wave of audio sweeps the stands with “boos” and derision when he hits the stage. Only with a tuned decibel meter can it be measured, but it is possible Kyle Busch has surpassed Jeff Gordon in the race to polarize NASCAR fans.
What is it that makes drivers like Gordon and Busch stand on the “love’em – hate’em” line? Is it that they win races? Other drivers win races but haven’t generated this kind of response. Gordon still draws the noise but is essentially running an uncharacteristic Sprint Cup winless streak. Busch has rolled into 2009 with wins in all three of the series. He has 2 Sprint Cup wins, 2 Camping World wins and 1 Nationwide win. Is it the wins…? Is it the driving style…? Or is it something more basic that makes fans so one-sided when it comes to these two drivers…?
Could it be something as simple as one name? Jeff Gordon has a much longer history with this name. Kyle Busch has a season or two. That name, of course, is “Earnhardt”. Gordon challenged the late Earnhardt, Sr. and inspired the hatred from #3 fans. The untimely and tragic death of Dale Earnhardt did not release Jeff Gordon from being the target of the shouts and jeers. It only transferred the allegiance to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. leaving Gordon to continue as the villain against the hallowed name.
Kyle Busch, however, may have taken a lot of the heat off Gordon in this respect. Despite “rubbin’ is racin” philosphy, Busch got into Dale, Jr. and spun him at Richmond with 3 laps to go and Busch becomes the “devil” in the eyes of the fans. This instance, along with a string of occurences that can be pasted together into a scenerio which rivals the Kennedy assasination conspiracies, leaves the door open for NASCAR fans to walk through and “Ta-Da” – a scoundrel is tagged.
Is it really that simple? It’s hard to tell from the viewpoint of the grassy knowl or the grandstands. Whatever the case, rivalries on the track – real or perceived – make for great drama that makes for great racing. A the end of the day, the driver in Victory Lane is likely to be secondary to what happened on lap 283.
