Just My Opinion for the week
I read something the other night while browsing through yahoo’s sport section, and I seen something that was very discouraging to a fan of NASCAR, one that has quite a few years of tradition in this sport.
A woman wrote in and asked why “NASCAR had a stupid tradition of prayer and showing pride of the United States?” It appeared that this fan was against the traditions that have gone on for years in this sport. I have seen a lot of things come and go, and the one thing that I would hate to see taken out is the prayer at the beginning of the race and the Great American Tradition of the National Anthem being played and the jets flying over the track.
I don’t know who this fan is, and what kind of religion they are, but this has been something that has gone on for quite a long time. I think there are many traditions that have been taken out of this sport and one was seeing the Mountain Dew Southern 500 being taken off the schedule on this weekend. But these two traditions are definetly something I don’t think need to be removed
Are Drivers Athletes
This is a debate that has been waged for years between racing fans and fans of
other team/individual sports. The argument that drivers are not athletes is
unfounded and can only be made if the perspective is taken out of context of the
whole realm of sports.
The proponents of the argument that drivers are not athletes usually present a
two-pronged argument:
1. The technology of the the car wins the races, not the drivers ability.
2. Since physical, human force is not the means of propulsion, the drivers are
no more athletes than, say, video game players.
Lets take an broad, yet succinct look at this argument in the context of the
sporting world. Maybe we might discover that just because the “stick and ball”
of racing (the car) is a masterpiece of scientific engineering; and just because
the driver relies on power outside their physical bodies to propel them to their
objective, this does not preclude them from being classified as athletes.
To argue such a thought would put one in the camp of endorsing that a modern
Olympic swimmer is not an athlete because they wear a modern suit that is
created through advanced technology. Are cyclists any less of an athlete because
they use carbon fibre in their bicycles rather than welded steel? I think not.
Thus, because a vehicle is a scientifically-advanced, technical piece of
equipment and can give an athlete an advantage does not inherently detract from
them being classified as an athlete. Some have erroneously argued that hockey
goalies are not athletes because all they do is “stand there or fall down and
let their over-sized pads do the work for them”. These are the same type of
uninformed people who really don’t know the sport or the position, they are of
the same mindset as those who say drivers are not athletes.
In the recent Olympics, there were many classes of competition where athletes
were racing in sailboats; that was not using human power to propel it, it was
using wind power. There was also various equestrian events in which the athlete
(the jockey) manoeuvred and raced to the ultimate recognition of athletic
prowness, an Olympic medal. In 2010, in Vancouver, we will see skiers and
bobsled racers take to the slopes and courses to race. Its not their own human
power that propels them, its gravity. They are using skis, and poles and suits
and/or sleds engineered with the latest scientific advancements to maximize
power and minimize wind resistance. These athletes simply guide their
technological equipment through the race course in the fastest possible way.
Does that detract from their athletic recognition? No. They have to wrestle
against the momentum of the corners and maintain intense focus in the midst of
blinding speed and G forces. This is
globally-recognized athletic achievement, this is the same elements a driver
must face. In the same way as skiers and sailors and jockeys, drivers are
simply another class of athletes who use advanced scientific technology and an
external power source to compete.
You are free to say that drivers are not athletes, but only if you can say
skiers, etc are not athletes; and if you say that, you’ve stepped outside of the
realm of logic.
The detractors might retaliate with the fact that drivers who are old and/or
physically out of shape can compete in a race car just like their competition
who are young and fit. The reality is, that this argument is technically wrong
and its error becoming more and more evident every year. The competition level
of the racing world has developed in parity to show the true advantage that an
young, physically fit driver has. The stamina required to be able to react when
it really counts (at the end of the race) is going to be a deciding factor in
who is a competitive athlete and who are field fillers. A fit driver like Carl
Edwards uses their physical acuity and endurance to wear out their competition
and take advantage of their mental and physical fatigue late in the race. If
competition continues to increase as it has there will be no field fillers and
every small advantage, technological or physical, will play a much larger role in who is a successful driver. It is a biological reality that reflexes slow down as the human body matures past its physical prime. If you take a look at the typical championship age of drivers you’ll find that it is not very different from those of other professional sports. We are seeing and will continue see that age span of drivers narrow around the time of physical prime as the sport continues to become more and more competitive. Exceptions will continue as in any athletic sport, but the general average will show the athletic nature of drivers. And further to that, simply being fat does not mean one is not an athlete. Let me list some proof of this: World class Boxers Butterbean and George Foreman, Sumo Wrestlers like Konishiki, Baseball Players like Manny Ramirez and Babe Ruth. All of them are fat; all of them are considered athletes, even if they are disadvantaged in some ways against their competition. If these competitors are not precluded from being classified as athletes because of their body structure, then Tony Stewart can be considered an athlete in his own right as well, even if he is disadvantaged against a driver like Carl Edwards.
Edwards/Busch Rivalry Something NASCAR has been missing?
When was the last great NASCAR rivalry? Earnhardt and Wallace? Earnhardt and Waltrip? Or do we even have to go all the way back to when Richard Petty and David Pearson went door handle to door handle in the 60s and 70s.
It is something that has been lacking from this sport for quite a while. Sure we’ve had little one week tangles between drivers but a rivalry is defined by more than that. In the Merriam-Webster directionary a rival is defined as a: one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess b: one striving for competitive advantage.
This year, since about the begining of May, Edwards and Busch have gone back and forth between the lines, and there have been some situations that have sparked this to come out as a tough rivalry, one that this sport has needed, but none made it spark more than last weekend’s fire at Bristol when Edwards nudged Busch to go on and win the Sharpie 500.
Edwards has always been known for the kind and soft apologizing type but on Saturday night Carl showed that he isn’t taking anything off of other drivers, most especially Busch. He made it clear he wasn’t apologizing and if it came down to it happening again he might hit Busch harder. Busch compared him to Mr. Ed, the famed horse from the early 1960’s. Amie Logan, a fan from diehards came up with a perfect comparison for Kyle Busch, that might even be a relative they look so close in resembleance, Pee-Wee Herman.
Maybe since before Dale Earnhardt Sr., passed away this sport has rarely seen a race go the way that Saturday night’s event at Bristol went. Earnhardt for years was known for intimidating drivers, and he did it to Terry Labonte twice at Bristol by wrecking him in the final laps of the Sharpie 500 event in the 90s, once Labonte went on to win, and the other Earnhardt won, but it didn’t even spark the fire that this past weekend’s race did.
Maybe this is what NASCAR needs for the future, a new rivalry to put fire in the fans hearts.
How Do You Choose Your Favorite Driver?
So I am entering the world of blogging this week, and have been feverishly working on my first theme. Mind you, I do want to make a good impression. After a couple hours of typing and re-typing, I had a full page written, and I was not happy with where this topic (picking your favorite driver) was going. So I hit the save button and decided I would come back to it today to try to polish it up. Yesterday was a good day to be a Carl fan. He took the #60 PlantersPeanut-FordFusion-ifyouhaven’tdrivena- Fordyoushouldtryit-SaveALot-Scott’s car to victory lane in Michigan, so I knew this win would help to inspire something creative in me.
Day two, and I have already opened my mouth to a friend, telling him that I have a good feeling about this weekend. Certainly this would be the kiss of death for my favorite driver. As race time approached, I sat down in front of my computer and logged into Nascar dot com, loaded up the RaceView and the Pit Command, grabbed a soda and sat down to enjoy the race. I could feel some trepidation as the green flag dropped, and Carl began a most incredible drive from 27th position toward the front of the field. And this, my friends, is what I would like to discuss with you. This is not a commercial, but a personal experience with technology. If you haven’t tried this RaceView thing, you must. I watched and listened as my driver drove the top, bottom and middle of Michigan’s wide sweeping track. I followed along, as if I were in a balloon that was tied to the back bumper. Nervously, I checked in front and back of the car – scouting the nearby competition. Passing one, two and even three cars at a time – calling out to Bob, telling how the car was working at any particular point in the race. Oh, my! Up to P20, P16, P13. Cautions! Awesome pit stops! I monitored the pit times, noting to myself how much the pit crew has improved over the course of the season. I ran a second scanner – listening in on a handful of other drivers to see what I can pick up on other potential strategies. Raceview is the next thing to being there in person. All that’s missing is the roar of the engines, smell of oil and tires, and the wind on my face as the cars roll past.
Let me take a moment to give a shout out to one incredible spotter, Jason Hedlleski. (My apologies for any misspelling here.) He gave Carl a heads up a full lap before the 22 got spun up into the barrier. There were four tail end of the lead lap cars, “racing their guts out” to quote Jason. He further added “be ready for anything there!” I could witness this accident from my little vantage point in back of Carl, hanging on for dear life as “we” took a sharp left turn to the infield pavement and back onto the track. As I heard “they’re wreckin’”, the yellow flag flashed on my computer, and I could look up to the TV to review the carnage.
The remainder of the race was just as heart-stopping and nail-biting as the first part. I suffered through the bad set of tires and the loose condition, Kyle Busch’s turn at leading, and that darned last caution and restart with three to go. Another win, another backflip and that winning, endearing smile spread across the face of a young man who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday. I watched Carl joyously thrust his fists upward, then turn to his team to include them in the celebration.
This is what it means to be a fan. This is why I have come to be a Carl Edwards fan in particular. I knew he was the real deal when he won his first cup race. I have learned over the last couple years how this driver is a dedicated, focused and extremely disciplined athlete. He works out diligently. He appreciates his good fortune, and has eschewed the life in Charlotte to return to his roots in Columbia, MO. He gives of his time and fortune to charity. He gives his trophies to kids who will treasure the memories that hardware represents for the rest of their lives. He apologizes for his mistakes – and better yet, admits to them. What’s not to like? Oh, and by the way – he is a champion already, and maybe – just maybe he can rewrite the history books by becoming the first double champion in Nascar.
Happy Birthday, Carl. Many happy returns, especially to Victory Lane. What a flipping good time!
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