April 26, 2004
NASCAR
I don't really know much about auto racing, but when in Redding we are exposed to a lot of it. I have to say that it sure looked to me like Dale Jr. was robbed this afternoon. I do not know all the nuances and all, but I would have to say that a race in which no one is allowed to pass in the final lap is not much of a race at all. Are any of my readers fluent in NASCARese? I tend to get my information on this from rather biased sources, so I would like to hear from a Jeff Gordon supporter on this!
Posted by erik at April 26, 2004 2:18 AM | TrackBackWow! Jim! Congratulations. And what a beautiful name! The more Italians in the world the better, I say!
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at April 28, 2004 2:05 PMJeff Gordon is basically the victim of poor timing.
He arrived on the NASCAR scene at a moment when every driver worth their weight was a proven veteran. The fact that Gordon had been involved with racing since he was 5 years old and a top contender in many types of racing before entering the BUSCH series (Triple A NASCAR) has been completely overlooked.
In the eyes of his competitors – and, especially, his competitor’s fan base – Gordon was some no-name kid who was showing up the veterans without having ever paid his dues.
Had Gordon entered NASCAR more recently (in a period of NASCAR where new drivers are common) he would have been seen in a completely different light.
Personally, I like Mark Martin. I cannot say enough for a man whose major sponsor is Viagra. As we like to say in my circle, “There may never be a nobler cause than to help old people have an active sex life.”
On a side (and much younger) note, wish me happy fatherhood. The wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Delia Eleanor Aida Nocito, about three weeks ago. Our first child.
Posted by: Jim Nocito at April 28, 2004 11:49 AMThanks, Jim! What is it about Gordon that people dislike so much? I can never get a straight answer out of folks ("oh, he's just a wimp" is about the gist of it).
Alicia, thanks for the link. Those American Falangists are good guys, but we are not on the exact same page (and I will not even begin to lay into their writing, their graphic design, their sense of PR, etc.). We exchanged some emails a number of years ago, but I decided to stay away for the most part. I look at their site every so often.
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at April 27, 2004 11:19 PMThere is no doubt that Gordon benefited from the 'freeze the field' rule over at Talladega. Any racer in his position would have.
There is a consensus that NASCAR extended the caution as a nod to Gordon [to make things right] due to the fact that his car was severely damaged and his position sacrificed the prior week when a piece of the asphalt was kicked up by another car.
Is this just a conspiracy theory? Possibly.
Is this a way for [an already despised] Jeff Gordon to win a race. Unfortunately, no. This poor guy is one of the nice guys of NASCAR, yet he boasts more enemies than fans. He is a good racer, a fair competitor, and a nice guy. He didn’t make the rule and he didn’t convince anyone to extend the penalty.
It ain’t his fault he won, by crackin’.
a little off topic, but there is a post about the Falangists
here