September 15, 2008
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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Many would think it ironic that Dale Earnhardt Jr., locked up the left front and drifted up the racetrack into Kyle Busch, but they would not be part of Junior Nation.
The reaction from the crowd at the sight of smoke billowing from the rear of the 18 as it slammed into the wall left little doubt as to what the fans thought.
It seems drivers are lining up to wreck Kyle Busch recently, giving rise to the old philosophy of what goes around comes around. However, Earnhardt didn’t take credit for intentionally moving Busch out of the way last week at Richmond.
"If I wreck somebody, I ain't going to leave him in good enough shape to come back and get me in the same race," Earnhardt said in a Matt Crossman article for Yahoo Sports.
Still, the fact that Busch wrecked Earnhardt earlier in the year at Richmond when he was well on his way to ending a 71 race winless streak, coupled by the fact that Earnhardt returned the favor in much the same fashion leaves little doubt as to his motives.
Such feuds in NASCAR serve to heighten fan interest at a time when the attention of most of the country turns to football. And the return of a little personality to stock car racing can only be a good thing.
“I don’t want to sit and just watch 43 names go around the race track. I want a little controversy, something to get fired up about,” Jimmy Spencer wrote in an article for Speedtv.com.
In the early days of NASCAR, drivers were more enthusiastic and vengeful, but in today’s era of political correctness the post-race fistfight as happened at the 1979 Daytona 500 between Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough no longer occurs. That race virtually propelled NASCAR into the mainstream.
While there should be more enthusiasm among today’s drivers, perhaps they shouldn’t take it quite to that extreme. And with the fines and points penalties levied by NASCAR for the slightest infraction, it would only be detrimental to go around wrecking every other driver, especially now that The Chase has begun.
Will Kyle Busch return the favor and wreck Earnhardt, or will the two bury the hatchet now that they are even? There is too much on the line for such antics.
Earnhardt is struggling to win his first Championship, Jimmie Johnson is vying for his third strait title, and Kyle Busch just seams content with winning the race or hitting the wall. The other drivers in the race would love for Earnhardt and Busch to take themselves out of a few races because misfortune in just one race could mean the difference between winning or losing the title.
The Chase has done for NASCAR what it was intended to do. Give more drivers a chance to win the Championship instead of just two or three as would have happened under the old format. A lot of times in years past, one driver would already have the title locked up by now.
However, the Chase format can cost a driver the Championship. Just ask Jeff Gordon, who would have two more trophies if not for the Chase to add to the four he already owns that he won under the old format.
Who will be this season’s champion? It could be anyone of the twelve drivers in the Chase, only time will tell.
If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.
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