Gentlemen Start Your Temper

By: Andy Kondratick
August 26, 2002 - When it comes to Bristol everyone focuses on the drivers and what they will do when and if something bad happens to them on the track. This week at Bristol was no exception. Rusty got pooch-punted by Gordon at the end of the race and Ward took his shot at Dale Jr. after their tangle on the track. There were several other incidents and just about every media outlet in the nation took advantage of the Saturday night mayhem at Bristol so why should I be any different? I choose not to talk about the carnage that is Bristol night racing but instead focus on the whole issue itself.

The action you saw this weekend was not something new but it is something that has been around forever in racing and since racing was first televised. I sat down and watched the 1979 Daytona 500 the other day and the end of that race was nothing short of an MTV celebrity death match. The final lap of the race and it was Donny Allison along side Cale Yarborough, they touched and beat each other’s doors in till they finally wrecked and stopped in the grass leaving the win to Richard Petty. All of a sudden here comes Bobby Allison pulling up to the crash site and it was open season. Cale hit Bobby in the face with his helmet trying to bash Donny's head in. Then Cale got punched by one of them and a whole crowd of people jumped in to break it up. A fist fight ladies and germs. Raw emotion pulsing through their veins and they gotta release it or explode. That is what it is all about for me folks. Not every race has to end like that but if it does, as in the case of Bristol and Martinsville and so on, just let it happen. These guys aren't kids racing in a pine box derby. They are guy's who strap in, hang on and drive fast. They are out there to win. Period. Yes this entertains us but should NASCAR try and fine drivers for showing that emotion of the track? Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it best in a recent interview I read and he said, "I think that kind of thing (occasional driver ’conflicts’) that adds to the sport. I know it’s fun for the fans, ya know what I’m saying? Sometimes NASCAR can be a little too perfect, a little too slick, so some genuine emotion from the drivers is a good thing. I think it’s a big reason the fans really look forward to Bristol." I couldn't agree more.

I do want to applaud NASCAR this week, after being so critical of them over the past few rants, for not issuing any fines to the Winston Cup guys as of yet. I say that just in case but I don't think they will issue any fines this week. I think the anger on the track was held up just enough to fly under the NASCAR radar with the possible exception of Ward Burton. Keep your fingers crossed. Also my hat is off to Rusty and how he handled his post race interview. Kept it nice and sweet then laid the "S" bomb in just to let them all know he isn't too soft. Nice one Rusty. This has been just one man's opinion.