December 26, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
Christmas has now passed and I am feeling a sense of relief to have all the gifts unwrapped, the food eaten, and everyone is safely returned to their home.
As I write this column, none of those things has yet happened.
I’m still up to my chin in wrapping paper, food to be prepared and airline flights to meet. But as the song says, "It’s a wonderful time of year.”
As I reflect on this racing season, there are other Christmas songs which just might be fitting to describe this year in NASCAR. “We Three Kings” could definitely be the top three NASCAR drivers this year who all are part of Hendricks Motorsports: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon.
I’m not sure what Christmas gifts I’ll be receiving this week. But Jimmie Johnson received an early gift this week when he was named Associated Press ‘Male Athlete of the Year’ for 2009. This designation honors not only Johnson but also NASCAR as well.
Johnson deserves this honor after winning the Sprint Cup Championship for the fourth consecutive year. He has accomplished a feat that hasn’t been done before in the NASCAR world and this milestone has now been recognized in the sporting world in general.
NASCAR started as a regional sport in the southeast section of the United States but its popularity has now spread across the country. However, these roots still are important and some fans try to keep the modern NASCAR close those early roots. By choosing Johnson as the Male Athlete of the Year, The Associated Press is stating that NASCAR is a legitimate sport.
NASCAR needs to shake off the image as a sport relegated to rednecks. Even the new movie 'Blindside', has a comment about NASCAR’s proliferation of redneck fans.
This regionalism may be behind the fact that Johnson isn’t always honored by NASCAR fans. The recognition by AP speaks to the importance his record for the past four years of racing.
Rowdy.com put it well when they wrote of Johnson’s talent. “Most humans simply don’t have the hand-eye coordination required to control a car precisely at that speed with such powerful forces exerted on their body. Most don’t have the powers of concentration to do it for 3-4 hours with 42 other cars around. Most don’t have the sensitivity to understand exactly what the car is doing around the track. And most certainly don’t have the stamina or strength required to perform all those tasks in 110-degree heat.”
Johnson does not fit the profile of the typical NASCAR champion. He’s from the south, but that is southern California. No North Carolina boy here. I don’t want to sound uppity but Johnson also has good grammar not always a given with NASCAR’s finest even those in the media. Larry McReynolds talks in his book, The Big Picture, about how he had to be coached in proper speaking by his TV director. But apparently, there aren’t enough of those directors correcting the faulty grammar -- so prevalent among NASCAR announcers.
But there are Christmas songs that bring to mind NASCAR right now. I’m not talking about “Grandma Got Ran Over By A Ragan, or “Deck the Garage with Signs of Sponsors”.
It is a “Silent Night” at the NASCAR tracks right now but in approximately 50 days we will ramp back up to a race season.
So to all you in the NASCAR world, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” until we hear those wonderful words in February: “Gentlemen, start your engines”.
You can follow me at Twitter @nascarfaithful
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.