Last week we celebrated Veterans Day where we honored all the men and women who have served, and who now serve, to keep this country free.  These men and women, most in their late teens and early twenties, VOLUNTARILY enlisted in the service, most to protect the freedoms we have in this country.  Duty and Honor are the words most spoken when referring to why they serve and what we owe them for their service.  It absolutely amazes me that the kids you see in the protest marches are clueless as to what this country is all about and how we got to where we are.

I am well aware that Jeff does not like for political discussions to be a part of this site but I would defend this Legendtorial by saying it is much less political than it is to support my theory of the pink-panty wearing generation of folks now attempting to run things.  This description would, of course, include one certain CEO of the sanctioning body for major league, at least it once was, stock car racing.  I don't know from where this entitlement attitude came, but it is time for this country, and this sport, to wake up and realize this is a doomed road down which we journey.

The reference of Kool-Aid replacing Sprint as the title sponsor of the "Cup" series has a basis in fact.  "Drinking the Kool-Aid" is, quoting now from Wikipedia, "is a figure of speech commonly used in North America that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination.  Could also refer to going along with a doomed idea because of peer pressure."  This comes from the mass-suicide of a group of followers of cult-religion icon, one Jim Jones.  You can find out all you want to know about this reference to Kool-Aid just by Googling either "Drink the Kool-Aid" or "Jim Jones".  I'll not waste more time on explanation here tonight.

Getting away from the political and going into the sport we care about, I will tell you here and now I am not about to drink the Kool-Aid and follow blindly along this wandering path my sport is taking.  We have long lamented the absurdity of "The Chase" and while the "cupcake panty waists" actually seem to like it, I am of the opinion that it has ruined what was once an honorable and decent sport.  Do you need further proof than to look at what has happened this season?

To begin with, NASCAR violated its own rules when they made an exception for Kyle Busch to be eligible for the Chase.  While I hold no ill will for Kyle Busch, this was a discretionary move by NASCAR to absolve its conscience for not having the wall Kyle hit in Daytona protected with the SAFER barrier.  Let nothing be said about the fact that the accident, which injured Kyle, was of his own making as he attempted one of his patented stupid moves on the track.  But, Brian made the ruling so, as in all things Brian, we are stuck with it.

Now let's go to Kansas where two cars were racing FOR THE LEAD, and the second place car, clearly much faster than the leading car, was being blocked repeatedly by the lead car.  The second place car finally ducked to the inside, the leader moved down to block, and the second place car tagged him.  Watch the video.  It's obvious that is that case.  So, the car, which had done the blocking, was knocked out of the lead and virtually out of the chase.  Then, to top that off, the Blocker goes on a rant and promises retaliation.  The retaliation comes at Martinsville with the car pretty obviously going to win the race until the cup cake liar, nine laps down, intentionally wrecks the leader, taking him out of the race and, for all intents and purpose, out of the Chase.  In my personal opinion, there is no bigger scum in racing than the cheese head driver of the number 20.  Speaking of which, I saw earlier today (Monday) where Brian France met with said cup cake in Charlotte.  The smell coming from that mess of scum probably blistered the paint on the walls.

Ok, so I don't like certain drivers, teams, car makes, or CEOs.  Guess that is my option as an American.  I have given a great deal of thought as to where the ideas and ideals of the current management of my sport came from.  That's sort of like trying to figure out how these "entitled folks" of today are entitled to everything they want, when they want it and how they want it.  My parents didn't raise me that way.  Ann and I didn't raise our kids that way.  I don't see our kids raising the grandkids that way.  But I sure see a hell of a lot of young people so bent on this entitlement.  Can't understand the cheese head.  He's over 40 and yet he feels he is entitled to special treatment on the racetrack when he is clearly in the wrong.  I did find it very interesting that on several social media sites, the majority of those supporting the cheese head are under the age of 30.  Amazing, but expected.  To be fair, Big Brian should put the number 22 in the final race with the chance to win the Championship.  Re-instate him in the Chase.  No, I am not a huge fan of Logano, but he certainly more than earned his way into the hunt for the contrived championship much more than did Kyle Busch.

Then, we had the Phoenix debacle.  It never rains in the desert, right?  It does when NASCAR wants to further complicate issues because of the Chase fiasco.  So, Dale, Jr. wins.  The four in The Chase are Jeff Gordon, due to his win in Martinsville, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex, and Kyle Busch.  But wait, NASCAR called the race because of rain, which resulted in several teams suffering by that call.  A common occurrence in rainouts, for sure, but wouldn't you think if something is as important as NASCAR trying to make this Chase scenario, they would have waited until hell froze over to run the complete distance, for maybe a different outcome and different drivers with an opportunity to run for the Championship next week in Homestead?  I think this was an extremely poor decision by NASCAR but then I am well aware that there is no one at NASCAR who gives a hoot about what I think.

Back to the Kool-Aid reference.  NASCAR has been feeding its fans B.S. for at least the past 10 years.  Brian France came on board an institution with an honorable and hallowed past and has done everything in his power to corrupt what was.  I'll not even address the lack of fans in the stands, or the television ratings, or any other insult to the sport tonight.  I will say that I am disgusted with the perception by those in NASCAR that some of us will buy into anything (drink the Kool-Aid) as they try to ply us with their Chase, their "driver nations" and all the other flavored drink they are attempting to pour into our cups every week.  It is obvious to me, and should be to all long time fans, that NASCAR is serving the Kool-Aid to the Kool-Aid aged cupcakes who are lapping it up by the gallon.  The problem is, as has been said repeatedly on this very show, the Kool-Aid drinkers of today don't have the dedication and perseverance to maintain the support of the sport that I did when the sport was birthed and nurtured to adulthood.  We are expected to believe that a two-race suspension for the idiot intentionally taking out the leader of a race is punishment enough for such a heinous act.  Kool-Aid!!!!

We are expected to "Pledge Allegiance" to the flag of the driver nation of our choosing.  I wrote a forum post out of disgust for such an idea from NASCAR.  The only thing that post accomplished was having the spelling police pounce upon my typo.  Seems very few, even here on this historical site, care enough to verbalize their opinions.

If there are any of you listening still drinking the Kool-Aid, beware.  Nine hundred plus followers of Jim Jones thought it may have been another "practice alert" and they paid the price.  We, the loyal fans of the sport and of what was once NASCAR, are expected to partake of the Kool-Aid being dispensed out of Daytona Beach these days.  Not this guy!  No way.

No, I did not watch the entire race Sunday night.  I saw the start, where NASCAR once again played the rules they wished to play, which cost Kurt Busch.  I'm not a Kurt Busch fan but if you had seen the explanation given in the drivers' meeting about said rule by the NASCAR Official whose name escapes me, it sounded more like a certain female politician explaining emails.  Will I watch the finale at Homestead?  Probably portions of it, or maybe the last ten laps to see if Toyota finally gets the Cup it has sought after since 2007 when it debuted in Cup racing by cheating at Daytona.  Personally, I hope Truex wins.  He's a good guy and he certainly deserves more than the fabricated Championship of a Chase format.

I guess one of the saddest things to think about as the week winds towards the finale, is the fact that 39 of the 43 drivers running this weekend will be ignored.  Oh, perhaps if one of them leads a few laps it will get noticed, and if one of them wins, there will be mention of it somewhere, but all the Kool-Aid drinkers will be focused on the four "driver nations" doing battle for that Cup.  Wonder how long the sponsors of the other 39 drivers are going to keep drinking from that cup of Kool-Aid?  The Kool-Aid Cup!  Has a ring to it.  But the Kool-Aid pitcher of advertising fame always had a big smile on it.  I really don't see that many of the NASCAR participants are smiling these days.  The "Kool-Aid" ploy of the importance of racing for Fifth place in the points is insulting!!!  Yet we are expected to buy it.