June 14, 2010
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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At the beginning of this season, NASCAR mandated is "Boy's Have at It" policy. Officials wanted to see more personality among the drivers and so far this season, they have gotten just that.
There have been more dustups and altercations on the track and after races among drivers than ever before, even among teammates. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson rattled each other's cages for a couple of weeks before putting their differences aside and focusing on the bigger picture.
Carl Edwards took the new policy to heart when he turned Brad Kesolowski at Atlanta and sent the 12 car flipping through the air. Thankfully, no one has been seriously injured as a result of the new rule.
The most recent on-track fracas is the one between Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. It's no secret that the two drivers dislike each other and have a sort of history on the track, but the situation came to a head last week at Pocono.
Logano believed that Harvick intentionally wrecked him and tried to assert himself after the race, but only succeeded in appearing immature by making a comment involving Harvick's wife, DeLana. The fact that Logano's father inserted himself into the situation did nothing at all to help the young driver's standing in the garage.
Yet, when NASCAR instituted its new policy did they foresee this level of controversy? It seems that just about every week, something happens that makes headlines, which is good for NASCAR.
The Green – White – Checkered Rule only amplifies the situation by creating more opportunities for drivers to bang fenders and for tempers to flare at the end of races.
A lot of fans would like to see a long running feud between two drivers, but in today's sport, that just isn't happening. There are several reasons for this, the biggest being that drivers choose to concentrate on posting consistent finishes and qualifying for the Chase, something that can't be done if they have to focus on having an enemy on the race track and getting involved in wrecks and winding up with DNF's.
"I don't get this long-rivalries stuff," Jeff Gordon was quoted as saying in a Terry Blount article for espn.com. "If you build a rivalry with a guy, and every week you mess with him and he messes you, you probably are not going to make the Chase."
Instead of building a feud, Gordon chooses to focus his attention on winning another Championship.
"If I battle a guy, I want to patch things up," he said. "I don't want it to linger. I don't want it to affect me at a crucial point in the championship. Rivalries are great for the show, but not for you as a competitor."
A long running rivalry would be good for the entertainment value it would pose, but this is stock car racing at its highest level, not the WWE. It appears that fans will have to settle with these micro-feuds that run for a few weeks then fizzle out. The only question is, which two drivers will be at each other's throat next week?
If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.
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