NASCAR: Be cool
One thing nobody expected in NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup championship was road rage.
Once the drivers got past Richmond, where the 10-man field for the 10-race Chase was finalized, it was supposed to be an exciting, but gentlemanly, competition the rest of the way.
Last Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway, it was anything but gentlemanly.
There were plenty of crashes, bringing with them anger, accusations and retaliation. The aftermath was fines, loss of points and probation for several drivers.
NASCAR president Mike Helton plans to put a stop to the bad behavior today at Dover International Speedway, where he will address the pre-race drivers’ meeting and threaten offending drivers with escalating penalties, including suspensions for continued on-track retaliation.
“This is a pretty emotional sport,” said longtime NASCAR star Ken Schrader. “You are out there running 200 miles per hour and guys are bumping you from behind, how could it not be?
“Then again, you have to control your emotions. This isn’t like football where a linebacker can take it all out on some poor wide receiver or something. Rubbing is racing, yeah, but you have to stay focused on one thing. If you let all of that other stuff get in the way, then you are not doing your job.”
Kyle Petty, another Cup veteran, noted that emotions run high this time of year, anyway.
“Besides the 10 guys running for the championship, a lot of other people are talking to potential sponsors or trying to get another ride or whatever,” Petty said. “There is a lot of pressure on everybody, so it’s not the time of year when you are naturally forgiving.
“It’s like the reverse of Christmas. You automatically assume the worst of everyone and everyone’s intentions. You just can’t allow your anger to dictate your actions. … There is no presumption of innocence inside the race car most of the time, either. Somebody hits you, it was on purpose – at least, that’s your immediate reaction. Sometimes you have to fight to get your emotions back in check.”
But, as bad as it is to use your car as a battering ram in retaliation, or to throw your helmet at the car of the driver who offended you, or to stand on track and let the other driver know your rage with an obscene hand signal, all of those things also are good TV.
In an age when there are complaints that NASCAR drivers have become too corporate and bland, there are at least some NASCAR officials who have mixed emotions about what has been going on.
While no one wants to see anyone get hurt, NASCAR knows a little on-track drama makes for a better show.
“Our athletes need to keep their cool, or reasonably keep their cool,” NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said after the New Hampshire race. “We’re pretty tolerant about things like that, but they know what the rules are, and we expect them to follow them.
“You look at a guy like me. I’ve been a promoter at a race track. There’s a fine line somewhere. Someone has to maintain control of the events. With the volatility of the emotions in this sport, especially with the drivers and crews, somebody has to make decisions and somebody has to invoke whatever penalties that we need to invoke to keep it on a reasonable level.
“Having been around this sport a long time, though, I don’t want it to become too vanilla. I mean, this sport has always been full of emotion and competition. We’ve got some of the most competitive people in the world out there and, in the end, I think the competitive nature of all the teams will override whatever downside there might be. It’s high drama and it’s for real. What you see is what you get with these guys.”
Darlington unveils rebuilding project
Darlington Raceway, which lost one of its two Nextel Cup races this season, plans to spend $6 million to add 3,000 seats and renovate suites in the tower outside turn three and the infield, track president Chris Browning said.
The project should begin before the end of the year and be finished in time for the 2006 Cup race the Saturday night before Mother’s Day, Browning said.
The track will tear down the Brasington Grandstand in turn two and build a new 6,300-seat grandstand in turn one for a net gain of about 3,000 seats.
The project also will renovate suites, rehabilitate the east and west infield tunnels and relocate all the track’s power lines underground.
“This has been a wonderful year for Darlington,” Browning said. “Our new Mother’s Day weekend date was a huge success, and now our company has given us an overwhelming vote of confidence with their decision to invest in the track’s future.”
Stat of the week
With Ryan Newman breaking through for a win last Sunday at New Hampshire, the only drivers without victories this season among the 10 involved in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship are Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. No driver has won a championship in NASCAR’s top series without at least one victory.