WOW, what a race, what a battle, what a Championship. Last night at Homestead Speedway we saw one of the best of all time fights for the Cup. To me, this is what NASCAR Sprint Cup racing is all about. The only negative was the fact that only 2 had a shot at it. Congrats to Tony and the entire Stewart Haas team for showing true grit, determination and hunger from the drop of the green all the way to the checkers. Well Done. Hats off to Carl for showing sportsmanship and being gracious in defeat. He gained my respect for his words and actions after the race.
I hope everyone enjoyed the race as much as I did. This race had me on the edge of my seat most of the night, adding and subtracting, counting and calculating, keeping up with the points with every pass on the track. I have to say Great Job NASCAR for the new points system. I never realized how much going to such a simple format would add to my racing experience.
Over the last week as the season drew to a close I have experienced so much. The race was amazing, the trash talk was deep and the farewell to this season has left me eager for next year. NASCAR was able to peak my interest considerably more during this years chase than theyve been able to for probably the last 5 years. This has forced me to remove some of the blinders I have so conveniently placed between my memories of the greatest era in NASCAR and todays racing. I still cherish the NASCAR of the late 60s and 70s but I now can appreciate the sport today and have learned to enjoy it. It is different, but Im reluctant to say it is equal or better that what I witnessed as a youth.
I am willing to concede that in the past I have been quick to bash and criticize the product and the management, and refused to give their efforts any credibility, but with age I have soften in some of my views. The fan from the early days of the sport is no greater fan that the ardent young fans we see at todays races. I remember my youthful days as a fan, every team shirt or jersey had to have #43 on it, my favorite color was Petty Blue. I swore STP was a miracle cure for any mechanical ailment that could ever be experienced in a car or truck, and I thought a Ford was much less capable of racing without an engine failure than anything else on the track. My passion was there when my knowledge was not.
Todays young fans are witnessing their greatest era in the sport. I hope that this is something I wont forget on down the road when I dont feel the same excitement as a fan some 30 years my junior. The sport has changed, the leadership has been past to a different group, but I trust the objective is the same, to put the best product out to satisfy the older fan and attract a new generation. This sport can be generational. Even though I see some areas it falls short in its attempt, I also have to applaud the efforts and results of what I witnessed last night. I encourage everyone to take the blinders off from time to time. Its not the same NASCAR as 40 years ago, but it does resemble the sport and it can be enjoyed if given the chance.
updated by @bumpertag: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
