If you’re like me, you may be getting tired of NASCAR’s habit of airing its dirty laundry in public, in front of the cameras, namely in terms of feuds and confrontations between drivers, sometimes even between team owners.
Friction is certainly not new to the domain, particularly at the conclusion of tightly contested races. But since NASCAR officials declared at the start of the current season that drivers should “Have at it”, another way of inciting them to battle all out on the race tracks, things have gotten perceptibly worse.
Just before the season opener in Daytona, NASCAR officials indicated to drivers that they would intervene as little as possible in the outcome of races, preferring that drivers make their statements at the wheel of their cars.
What has transpired is a soap opera, updated every weekend, entitled “Who hates who?”...
It’s no secret certain drivers operate with shortened fuses – think of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon. But now, even the gentlemen are getting in on the act. Even the laconic Jimmie Johnson got into a verbal tussle with Kyle Busch after the race at Pocono.
There’s no doubt that a large percentage of fans adore these verbal jousts. Maybe it allows them to vicariously vent their own frustrations? There’s just as little doubt, however, that it has all gotten excessive.
The danger is that NASCAR becomes a circus and object of ridicule. It’s happened in the ChampCar series, when the only way to generate interest was to highlight confrontations between Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani or Sebastien Bourdais. For my money, it’s a real shame.
NASCAR has a duty to restore order in its ranks. If NASCAR wants to make its events appealing to whole families, what example is it setting for young people to see two or three drivers engage in battle to run each other off the track, to the cheers and screams of spectators who not only appreciate this spectacle, but clamour for more?
It’s time to put an end to it and allow fans to watch and appreciate properly conducted races.
Friction is certainly not new to the domain, particularly at the conclusion of tightly contested races. But since NASCAR officials declared at the start of the current season that drivers should “Have at it”, another way of inciting them to battle all out on the race tracks, things have gotten perceptibly worse.
Just before the season opener in Daytona, NASCAR officials indicated to drivers that they would intervene as little as possible in the outcome of races, preferring that drivers make their statements at the wheel of their cars.
What has transpired is a soap opera, updated every weekend, entitled “Who hates who?”...
It’s no secret certain drivers operate with shortened fuses – think of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon. But now, even the gentlemen are getting in on the act. Even the laconic Jimmie Johnson got into a verbal tussle with Kyle Busch after the race at Pocono.
There’s no doubt that a large percentage of fans adore these verbal jousts. Maybe it allows them to vicariously vent their own frustrations? There’s just as little doubt, however, that it has all gotten excessive.
The danger is that NASCAR becomes a circus and object of ridicule. It’s happened in the ChampCar series, when the only way to generate interest was to highlight confrontations between Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani or Sebastien Bourdais. For my money, it’s a real shame.
NASCAR has a duty to restore order in its ranks. If NASCAR wants to make its events appealing to whole families, what example is it setting for young people to see two or three drivers engage in battle to run each other off the track, to the cheers and screams of spectators who not only appreciate this spectacle, but clamour for more?
It’s time to put an end to it and allow fans to watch and appreciate properly conducted races.