The group of which I was a part in the High School Days were race fans. We all took it upon ourselves to recruit new fans at every opportunity. Thursday evenings during racing season were spent at The Columbia Speedway and many a new fan joined our group. I’ve already talked about traveling to the Grand National, then the Winston Cup races back then, always introducing “newbies” to the sport. It was not only me, but several of us who promoted becoming race fans. All of us were known for our dedication to racing. I was the acknowledged “ring leader” only for the reason that I was always at a race somewhere, thanks mostly to my Uncle Bobby and, by that time his wife, Aunt Mary, who would take me along to the tracks on weekends.
The point I’m addressing here is that back then, it was a relatively easy assignment to explain stock car racing to the novice fan. I mean, after all, it was about speed, driving, and winning, and the new fan wasn’t into trying to understand tire wear, gas mileage and such. As a matter of fact, I don’t even think I was that into such topics. Oh, I’m not saying there weren’t complications to explain, such as some of the rulings NASCAR made back then, although for the life of me I can’t recall the questionable ones as I sit here today. Guess that shows that in the overall scheme of racing, those things were not that important.
Even today, I continue my efforts to recruit new fans to the sport, young, old, male or female, doesn’t matter. My mission is to explain the sport, as best I can, and answer any questions I’m able, or find the answer somewhere and get back to the person. While I admit my memory may not be what it once was, I have to state, unequivocally, that the questions I have been asked since February make me wonder if there is any real hope of engaging serious new fans for the sport.
For example, let’s go back to February at Daytona. I won’t even address the pole position award for the 500 about which I was asked by several people but I will address the issue of the car parts in the stands on the last lap of the Nationwide event. If you remember, I addressed that issue in a Legendtorial the following week. At the time, and I still feel the same way, I stated that I felt NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway had taken all reasonable steps to prevent such a disaster. Even so, they went back to the drawing board to make adjustments to the stands to hopefully prevent such an occurrence in the future. I also will not address the issue raised by one friend who is not yet a race fan who asked me several times about the spectacular wrecks in that race and how it seemed NASCAR was promoting ONLY that angle of the sport and not the competition. My friend may have a valid concern there.
After the Denny Hamlin-Joey Logano bash at Fontana, I had to fend off several discussions about race drivers out to “kill each other”. I tried to explain that, in all seriousness, what happened between those two that day was a “racing accident” although that is a hard argument to win when everyone heard what Logano said on his radio after Hamlin slammed the wall. Thankfully, that has gone away for now. I was running out of reasonable explanations.
Now I’m getting into the serious NASCAR issues being discussed by new fans, old fans, and people who really don’t even give a hoot about racing. NASCAR gets the press quite often with its arbitrary rulings and penalties. First out of the box was the question concerning the Penske cars at Texas. Several folks asked me how the cars had been through inspection more than once and the illegal parts weren’t discovered until just prior to the race. I really didn’t have a good answer for that one and I still don’t. I guess I must accept what someone said about the 48 team going to NASCAR and “ratting out” the Penske teams. The Penske drivers, Logano and Keselowski lost drivers’ points for something with which they weren’t even involved and probably knew nothing about. I have a hard time with that. If it is a driver issue, then take driver points. If it’s another issue, take owner’s points.
What about the Joe Gibbs Toyota driven by Kenseth with the rod that was too light. An Engine supplied by Toyota Racing Development which was installed in the car without JGR folks even going inside the engine. How do you explain the penalties for the driver and team in that situation? Why didn’t NASCAR slap a Manufacturer’s Penalty on TRD alone? Can’t figure that one out myself and everyone knows I am NOT a Toyota fan or especially a fan of Kenseth. But, right is right.
Okay, now let’s go to Daytona for the 400 last week. I have been asked, by more than a dozen people, some fans, some not, why NASCAR would not throw the yellow, as they have repeatedly done on last lap crashes no matter where they happened on the track, which resulted in another huge debris field coming out of turn four to the flag. I have no answer for that. Oh, I have some ideas that could never be supported by evidence, but being able to explain that to a casual fan or someone who just likes to question my love for the sport often, is impossible.
So, what now? How about this past weekends events at Loudon? Well, to start with, a fan with whom I often discuss the races, was livid that the red flag was displayed in the Nationwide race just AFTER Kyle Busch said on his in car radio that NASCAR needed to red flag the event while they cleaned up the wreck. The press covering the race had hyped, for lap after lap, that several of the cars were going to be short on gas and Kyle Busch was one of the primary guys short. It seemed to my friend that Kyle had asked for the red flag and got it. Then, to make matters worse, the Busch car went through three green-white-checkered overtimes and still had enough fuel to do that ridiculous burnout. Oh, I’m aware of the over dramatization often done by the talking heads, but even the crew chiefs were saying there wasn’t enough gas to finish. ‘splain that one for me, Lucy. Or Mike, or Brian, or John Hoots. Come to think of it that really is a “hoot”.
Now for the straw that really broke the camel’s back this weekend; the Jimmie Johnson-Chad Knaus-48 team debacle. I was asked, and could not explain, how NASCAR put the 48 car through at least FIVE pre-qualifying inspections (some say six) and finally cleared it to qualify. Then, AFTER it qualified, it was too low in front. Oh, I know there are all kinds of tricks for making such adjustments from inside the car, but wouldn’t you think that after FIVE pre-qualification inspections, NASCAR would have found them? Even more spectacular is the thought that Chad Knaus, knowing how closely NASCAR was watching the 48 car, would try anything whatsoever to be called into question. That escapes reasonable thought.
There was much discussion on social media sites and some racing sites regarding Knaus being such a cheater. Some even called Rick Hendrick a “convicted felon who didn’t know the truth if it slapped him in the face”. I have previously voiced my opinion of Rick Hendrick and I still consider him an honorable man. As to whether or not Knaus is a cheater, ask youself this; was Smokey Yunick?
I almost seems like my Mama is coming back to remind me not to talk about racing in church. But I still do because I’m asked questions there. I am so identified with NASCAR and Stock Car racing that folks feel they have the right to ask me anything about the sport. I don’t really mind because I always enjoy talking about racing but it is getting more and more difficult to explain the actions of NASCAR when folks are watching races now just so they can discuss the race with me at the next encounter. It’s like a running joke. Sort of like Barney Fife and his one bullet. NASCAR has issues for which I have no answers. Maybe some of you listeners do. I’ll stay around though, because I remember the issues of the mid sixties when NASCAR was also stumbling over themselves and the manufacturers’ hassles, but they survived and came back stronger. But more than NASCAR in those days, it was we, the fans, who stuck around and bought the tickets and the merchandise. Not so sure that’s working these days.
