By Jenna Daigle

September 5, 2004

In one week I have read that two of the last greats will retire next year -- Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. I am from the old school. To be honest, ever since Dale died, nothing has been the same. Still, I have watched week after week as the sport that I love has changed. The one thing I could depend on, and the one comfort I found was the few old drivers I have watched over the years are still there. But, that is becoming less and less common.

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Rusty and Mark are they all going the way of D.W.? I completely respect Rusty (and Mark too) to go out while on top, and not like Petty and D.W.-long after they should have. But what does this mean for me and all the other old timers?

I still haven't gotten ahold of all the young guns. I know they win week after week. But, their faces all seem to blend together. Of course Dale Jr. always stands out, but beyond that, I am at a loss to distinguish one from the other. I still love to watch the Labontes, but Terry too is probably about to announce a retirement. While I have grown up with Bobby, he is no longer considered a "young gun" although he is still a contender.

Still, you don't hear his name, it is all about the "young guns".

Am I the only one that is sad about this? I find myself ironing clothes or mopping floors while half heartedly listening/watching a race. This is not the same NASCAR that I fell in love with 15 years ago. I understand that the torch passes to each generation and I have watched it pass from Petty to Earnhardt to Gordon and so forth over the years -- but now it's different. It just isn't the same.

True, we have Dale Jr. representing the Earnhardts, but beyond that, what is there..really? Okay, I still cling to the few. Bobby Labonte, Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon. After that I am at a loss. Even last year's champion is somewhat oblivious to me. Last year was the first time that I didn't watch the awards show. Somehow, they all get lost in the mix and no one stands out.

Every now and then there will be one that stands out for negative reasons, like Kurt Busch. I could never like him at all. No way, no how. I just don't respect the guy. But I am yet to find one that I really love. I guess what I am trying to say, is that I can not find one single driver that gives me that same old passion. Even when I find it in myself to get worked up about some of my old favorites like Bobby or Rusty or Mark, you can count on NASCAR to make it boring or take the wind out of my sails.

I have never been a Tony Stewart fan, yet I find myself rooting for him only because he gives me back some of the old feelings. He refuses to lay down and play dead for the "young gun" sponsor boys. He continues to be about himself and about racing. I only hope that Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon will do the same for a few more years.

As the younger guys get more and more cookie cutter every year, I find myself more and more disenchanted about the sport. It is not what I grew to love at all. I only hope they will change before it is too late, and our voices are the only ones that will let NASCAR know that cookie cutter is NOT what we want. If not, if this perpetuates and all our old timers are gone, where will I go? Where will you go?

You can contact Jenna Daigle at.. Insider Racing News

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. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.

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