Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Can't have it both ways, kids

What do you want, NASCAR fan? Seriously, what is it you really want?

Why is that an important question? In the big picture, it isn't. However, I am tired of the whining about NASCAR not being as good as it used to be.

We saw a prime example of that Sunday in the Daytona 500. Brian Vickers shuts off the daylight in front of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Jr. ducks towards the grass, moves back in, hooks the car of Vickers, and causes the big one.

Vickers is pardoned for making the block, but Earnhardt is being lit up like a Christmas tree.

Some play the "it's not safe" card, others say it was all Dale Jr's fault.

Turn back the clock 20 years. What would be said then? An unheralded driver blocks a name of the time. The big name, intentionally or not, clips the unheralded driver, causing a pile up. Does the name driver get ripped? The unheralded driver pardoned?

The answer is none of the above. The final assessment is, "just one of them racin' deals."

If you, the fan, want it to be the way it once was, then you have to accept the fact the Dale Jr. wasn't trying to wreck the field, he wasn't trying to intentionally spin Vickers. He was trying to get back onto the track. Sure, the evidence would suggest revenge on the #88's part. Consider the following:

1-Daytona is the track that claimed the life of his father.
2-The speeds at Daytona are ridiculously high.
3-Perhaps, no driver is more aware of what that track can do to a car and driver when it gets hairy.

Do you honestly think Dale Jr. was trying to wreck a car he KNEW was:

A-on the inside part of the track?
B-capable of sliding into a large chunk of the field?
C-capable of harming other drivers (forget about them winning the race)?

Your answers to all of those questions should be "no."

Easiest way to say it--it was one of them racin' deals.

Let's move on to California this week, huh?

Mike Solarte

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the wreck was awesome. I love the wrecks in nascar, as long as noone gets hurt. How about the fact though that Jr. was under the double yellow. Vicker's did not need to block him, but he was just being a jerk to Jr. I think Vickers got what he deserved for trying to do something like that. If JR made a pass, he woulda been penalized, shoulda let him take that instead of trying to put a stop to him. And Bush crying afterwards. Saying 2 lapped car's shouldnt be racing eachother...gee sorry, i forgot NASCAR was decided halfway through the race, yeah, they had NO chance of getting back up there (sarcasm). And 10 years ago, that wreck would have been awesome, just imganine if that was Dale Sr. doing it, everyone woulda cheered.

Mike Solarte said...

Dale Jr. went under the double yellow ony because the #83 forced him there. I agree. It's racing. It happens.