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Miscellaneous Observations, Opinions & Rants (Words I Hate)
By-Don Hamm
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Before I get to the meat of this article I must first note the passing
of Bob Latford, NASCAR's historian and the originator of the current
points system. Mr. Latford was born in 1935 and his encyclopedic
knowledge of the sport will be sorely missed. David Poole has an
insightful article on this gentleman here:
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/6366745.htm
Now to the dirty words.
First on my list is Aero Push. These two
words have no place in supposedly stock car racing. We aren't
talking jet fighters or space shuttles folks. We're talking about
aero tweaking that has exceeded all bounds of reason and has led to
excessive expenses by the teams to keep up. Factory sheet metal,
raise the cars up, stiffen the front springs and drive hard, turn left.
Next on my list is broadcasters, drivers and crew chiefs talking about
a Bad
Set Of Tires. What they really mean is the tire
specialist dropped the ball or the crew chief ordered the wrong changes
in the setup. Don't blame the tires for your mistake. The only
bad tires are the ones that blow out.
Another set of words I hate hearing is Clean Air.
We used to have some great racing with aero dirty cars and great seat
of the pants drivers. Now we have a bunch of pansies who whine
and moan that their car is no good unless it's in clean air. See Aero Push
above.
Why is it that certain drivers accuse others of Dirty
Driving if they are a victim but it's just One Of
Them Racin' Deals if they are the perpetrator.
Granted, some drivers are open to accusations of brain fade but I don't
believe we see that much of what we could legitimately call dirty
driving.
I'm sick and tired of reading or hearing references to the Feud Of
The Week. Granted there are a few drivers who feel
they have reason to be careful around certain other drivers. For
any of the drivers to be carrying a grudge into a race is an open
invitation to having a bad week. The drivers have to be focused
on the race and not thinking about who did what to them last
week. To be sure, there are a few drivers who have bruised
feelings but they can't afford that to cloud their judgment in the heat
of a race.
One thing is obvious and two things are for sure, the Gentlemen's
Agreement is no longer in effect for too many of the
younger drivers. Since the drivers no longer seem to honor this
it's time for NASCAR to step up to the plate and make a rule that
freezes the field at the last completed lap. Will we have to wait
for another driver to get killed before this madness stops?
Six words that have become an irritant to me are How Bad
Have You Got It? Frankly, it's none of your
business.
Two words that make me want to yell obscenities are Modernizing
Tradition. This is an oxymoron. Tradition is
just that, tradition. You either observe a tradition or you
eliminate it. Tradition can't be modernized.
What may become the dirtiest word in our sport is NEXTEL.
Why do I say this? From all I can gather they are forcing
CA$HCAR to violate free trade/open competition with their competitors
in the wireless phone industry. Budweiser is big in NASCAR as
their official beer, they
sponsor the Bud Pole Award and Junior's Chevy. What if they were
to tell the powers that be that Coor's and Miller had to withdraw their
support of Sterling and Rusty? NEXTEL has no right to tell BAM
Racing they can't have AT&T as a sponsor. If they can't stand
the heat of fair competition then they have no business in our beloved
sport and CA$HCAR, in their incessant pursuit of the almighty dollar,
seems to have made a pact with the Devil. Where is Charlie
Daniels when you need him?
Two more words that really raise my hackles are Wind
Tunnel. The only people using wind tunnel testing
should be the manufacturers and NASCAR. The use of them by the
teams should be forbidden. Reasoned owners should lead the charge
in this matter as it regards the excessive expenses incurred by them
and their sponsors. Again, they aren't fielding jet fighters or
space shuttles. It's time to get back to basics.
Last, but not least, are two more overused words, Young Guns.
Too many of these fine young drivers have no idea of how fortunate they
are to be getting top quality rides with top quality, well sponsored
teams. The majority of them have not had to earn their way into
the sport by driving for Junie Donleavy. None of them have came
up with their own car like Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip,
Allan Kulwicki, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, etc.
None of them have had to tow their car to the track on an open trailer
and sleep in their car, subsisting or RC Colas and a bag of
chips. The arrogance of some of these youngsters makes me want to
kick butt and check ID cards. There is a boat load of talent in
the new crop of drivers but too little humility regarding their great
fortune to have been picked by top owners to fill the seats of great
rides. I fully realize that drivers rising to the top level on
NASCAR have to be confident but they should learn not to be cocky and
so in your face. The only one who impresses me with his attitude
is Jamie McMurray.
One final note. I pour my guts out in my desire to make our sport
better, safer and fairer. My regular readers know that I have
maligned NASCAR for their failure to put driver safety first even
though they claim to do just that. I have repeatedly pointed out
the need for a larger greenhouse and/or an escape hatch in the roof of
the downsized cars. We all saw the report on the prerace show
from New Hampshire about this needed safety improvement at NASCAR's
R&D Center. My fellow writer, Danny Z, e-mailed me to make
mention that maybe we do make a difference. He reminded me not to
take all the credit. I could care less about who gets the
credit. All I care about is seeing the right things being
done. Rest assured, my only concern is that we don't lose anothe
driver, especially to an in car fire.
That's all for now. Hopefully I haven't stepped on too many toes
but who knows. The above is my opinion based on my observations
and experiences. You have the right to disagree but not to be
disagreeable. Until next time, please be safe and watch over
those little ones.
It is my hope and fervent prayer that
the 3,025 innocents who died on 911
will not be forgotten or diminished in importance with the passage of
time. I can't remember Pearl Harbor but I know the dastardly deed
perpetrated on us in such a cowardly manner. Those who forget
history are bound to repeat it. May
God Bless You and Yours, Our Great Nation, Our Leadership and All
Victims of Terrorism.
Don@insidethepitbox.com
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