An Outside View

t’s All About Lineage At last count I had written over 150 columns for this newspaper. A grand total of two have been about NASCAR. To put things in perspective, that is exactly how many I have written about horse racing. I never said that I was a racing fanatic. Over the years I have been little more than a casual observer of the sport. Oh sure, I could generally tell you which driver sat atop the points standings and the odds were probably better than even that I could tell you who won the big race the prior weekend. But I’ve never been a student of the sport like some of my friends. I don’t know the difference between a restrictor plate and a dinner plate. I don’t understand NASCAR’s complicated point system and I have never seen the logic of a system that would possibly allow a driver to win the championship without winning a single race. But who am I to criticize NASCAR? The sport seems to be doing just fine. Part of the problem may be that I’ve never developed any sort of affectionate ties to any one driver. With NASCAR, it’s all about the driver. Fans wear t-shirts with their favorite drivers on them, pin posters to the walls of their dens, and stick bumper stickers on their cars and pickup trucks. They’re not bashful about showing their support for this driver or that one. Personally, I get a little uncomfortable when I hear a burly 40-year old brute say, “He’s my man” or “I love that guy.” To each his own I guess. This year’s season is off to an exciting start. The Daytona 500 was thrilling and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the bumping and banging and all of the lead changes in the final few laps. I was also happy to see the #24 car and the Rainbow Warrior in Victory Lane. I know that many NASCAR faithful do not share those feelings. Jeff Gordon is probably the greatest racer of his era yet as he and the ever popular Dale Earnhardt, Jr. dueled down the stretch of NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl, most fans were pulling against him. When Gordon whipped his Chevrolet past Junior and went on to take the checkered flag, you could feel the disappointment in the grandstands Why is Gordon so disliked by so many fans? Some say his squeaky clean image doesn’t sit well with the NASCAR Bubbas who like their heroes to be a little more rowdy. Gosh darn-it just doesn’t get it with them. Even his high profile messy divorce did little to endear him with the fans. Others say it is because he’s like the New York Yankees of racing. Fans have to have someone to hate and Gordon is convenient since he has proven to be so dominant for so long. Still others will say it’s simply because he IS a Yankee. Gordon hails from north of the Mason Dixon Line and that is unforgivable to some diehard southerners who claim to be the rightful owners of the sport. Some will shrug and say it’s not that Gordon is so hated. It’s more that Dale, Jr. is so loved. That brings us to the matter of lineage. Gordon doesn’t have the advantage of being the son of one of the most popular drivers ever. He’s not known as “Little G” or “Junior.” Dare I say it? Would Dale Earnhardt, Jr. be the most popular driver on the circuit today if his name wasn’t ‘Little E”? Would he be as successful if his name wasn’t “Junior”? What if his name was Dale Dickson or Dale Dockery? No cards or letters please. I’m not being critical of Junior in anyway. He’s proven he’s a terrific driver and he can’t help it that his father just happens to be a legend in the sport. He is forever linked to the black #3. Fans love him because he’s Dale’s boy and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s just a chip off the old block. Seems there is something in a name. But isn’t that the way it is in the real world? Would Al Gore, Jr. have been a young Congressman from Tennessee and eventual Vice-President of the United States if his dad hadn’t been Albert Gore, Sr.? Would George W. Bush have emerged from the oil fields of Texas to become President of the United States if his dad hadn’t been George Herbert Walker Bush? How many records would Hank Williams, Jr. have sold if his dad wasn’t Hank, Sr.? Would Michael Douglas be one of the top box office draws in Hollywood today if his dad hadn’t been Kirk Douglas? The answers are no, no, no, and no! The ironic thing is that Gore, Bush, Williams, and Douglas have all accomplished more than their famous fathers. They excelled by their own rights and achieved more popularity than their dads. They embraced the notoriety of their fathers. So what if their names opened up a few doors that may have been closed to them otherwise. So what if somebody somewhere says they only got where they did because of their names. The reality is that the sons are more famous than their dads. Someday, it will be that way for “Little E.” He will always be Dale’s boy but he will make a name for himself because of what he does on the track and not because of the fans’ undying loyalty to Dale, Sr. In the meantime, drivers like “Little G” will be working just as hard to make their own name.