The five time champion has finally awaken, I don't remember Jimmie Johnson ever getting so -hombre- until last Sunday at Pocono.
Thank you Kurt Busch for thinking about us fans and making a rather boring race fun to watch.
I find it curious that every weekend this guys get all dressed up in their colorful -race suits- and get into powerful-race cars- and yet they complain when someone wants to -race- them.
Don't you find that odd. It's called racing, isn't it.
The biggest complainers are, in most cases, the elite drivers. The ones foremost in my mind are Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.
Another curious thing is that these complainers have nine championships between them, could all that whining have something to do with winning.
I suspect if you can get everybody to stay away from you (not race you) because you have earned some kind of -NASCAR PECKING ORDER- you could actually win lots of races, let me explain.
Found this in a text about the social structure of wildlife, this may help explain driver behavior, stop laughing and stay with me on this please.
Pecking order : Structures a social ladder in which each member of the group occupies a certain rank or position. The highest-ranking bird can peck(or rub) every other member of the flock without retaliation. The second highest accepts the pecking (rubbing) only by the highest member and in turn can peck (punt) all lower-ranking birds. Other species besides birds (NASCAR drivers) may also organize social behavior around the general idea of pecking order. However, the actual show of dominance may display itself in a variety of ways. As a result this system is now more generally known as the "dominance order"
Did you fallow that?
NASCAR fans, broadcasters and drivers are always talking about driver longevity and respect earned, in other words a "pecking order"
Last Sunday Jimmie Johnson, who is the highest-ranked member of the NASCAR drivers social ladder, got bumped (raced) by a lower ranking member of the group, Kurt Busch, oh my God you can't imagine what happened after the race, you'd think Kurt Busch killed somebody, Jimmie Johnson was enraged about the fact that another driver wanted to race him.
Let me say that again, Jimmie Johnson was upset because Kurt Busch wanted to race him in an event called "stock car racing" I'm guessing here, but I assume that racing is what one does in an automobile race.
Again I'm just guessing, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Here is quote from Kurt about his tango with Jimmie Johnson, and by the way thank you Kurt Busch, is about time someone told the elite in this sport that there is no crime in racing them. The quote:
"I was racing Jimmie hard there at the end, I was racing-flat out. You want to race, let's race. I didn't know we were supposed to pull over when it came down to five to go. I raced him hard. I raced him smart. I raced him clean, and he wants to come over here and **** about it"
That is the best quote of the year, one more time, THANK YOU Kurt.
It's racing, is not -I'm going to get out of your way because you're Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon - those traditional unwritten rules are a thing of the past, specially for the younger drivers.
A great example of that was in last weeks Nationwide race between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carl Edwards, I'm sure Mr. Edwards has earned a very high ranking in the NASCAR pecking order, maybe that gives him the right to run all over Ricky Stenhouse, but the young man would have none of it and raced the hell out of Carl.
The high ranking Carl Edwards was not a happy man after the race, after all how dare does that green pea race him like that. Both Edwards and Johnson gave shots at their opponents in their media interviews.
The point is my dear friends, don't expect this new generation of drivers to move out of anyone's way just because one has a No. 48, 99, 24,5,14 or 88 on the side of their cars, well maybe they should move out of Dale Jr's way, after all you do not want to upset Junior nation.
Now you know the real story about NASCAR and the championship, is all about a pecking order.
Did you stop laughing yet.
As always this is just a fans opinion and from what I understand everybody has one and I thank God for that.
Enough said.
Julie Henderson
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Baseball's Top-Selling Player Jerseys 
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Folks have some fun!!!
asifyouknow
Total Comments (1921)
The more I watch NASCAR the more I feel like everyone in the organization from Brian France down need to watch and study the movie Days of Thunder. In that movie you had guys bouncing, punting, and knocking around each other all the time. Yes I understand it is a Hollywood movie and some of that is there for dramatic effect, but the cars today can do all that rubbin' is racin' stuff and have no issue. This is not like the last generation car that if you looked at it wrong you messed up the aerodynamics and ruined your day.
A lot of the current attitude has to come from the corporatization of NASCAR as well. They want the upstanding model driver who keeps his nose clean on and off the track and wins races/championships. With the boom in the 90's we saw the drivers go from the roughnecks of the 70's and 80's to the proper pitchmen of the 90's and 2000's. The only man who could get away with running a little rough was Dale Sr. and even at the time he was seen as a relic of the past, one that the current NASCAR regime would like the public to forget.
And finally we get to the driver themselves. You are right there seems to be this mystical elite group who feels they can do what they want. And now we are seeing the next generation of driver who won't take that. You can see the frustration on drivers' faces week in and out at what is happening on the track. The Nationwide guys are tired of constantly seeing Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Brad K. coming in and driving circles around them. In Cup it is Jimmie Johnson and Kyle that have are rubbing people the wrong way constantly.
The fair weather fans that helped the boom of the 90's and early 2000's are leaving, we can see that with the sagging ratings, and empty seats. The problem though is that in that decade and a half many of the core fan base was alienated enough that they left the Series long ago. NASCAR up to that point was always seen as the common man's sport. The drivers worked on their cars from the time they got to the tack all the way up to it being time to hop into the car and drive. People could relate. Now the drivers are seen as no better then the rich stuckup players in American football, baseball or basketball.
Raistwalker
Total Comments (2064)
NOT that long ago..... the story goes that Jeff Gordon, after winning the inagural Brickyard 400, tried to order in a Pizza to his room at the Speedway Motel (a dump that was popular with many drivers for many years). The Pizza delivery service replied it would be a while, there was a lot of traffic around there. Gordon replied, yeah, I know. I won.
I think those days are long gone. Million dollar motorcoachs. Private jets.. traded in their wrenches.
pondscum
Total Comments (5686)
YEP! Rubbins Racin!! GO KURT!
Kurt Busch #1 Fan
Wildomar , CA
Total Comments (1)
Thanks for this blog, I really enjoyed it, well written and factual with a good dose of humor.
Last I looked the 'R' in NASCAR means Racing.
Keep it up man this is worth my time (or anyone's). These are not easy to make relevant, most are just a waste of time.
Al Crazy Old Coot
Huntington Beach , CA
Total Comments (151)
Your quote: "And finally we get to the driver themselves. You are right there seems to be this mystical elite group who feels they can do what they want. And now we are seeing the next generation of driver who won't take that. You can see the frustration on drivers' faces..."
Thank you Raistwalker, that was the point I was trying to make, hope other folks get that...thanks...also great comments on your post...I always read your stuff...
asifyouknow
Total Comments (1921)
Thanks so much for the encouragement.....
asifyouknow
Total Comments (1921)
I was so glad Kurt said it...someone needed to step up and call those whiners out....Kurt got a new fan here..
asifyouknow
Total Comments (1921)
Wonder if Jeff Gordon has a hot-tub in his motorhome..lol
asifyouknow
Total Comments (1921)
I don't know let's send Juan in after a rce to investigate! :p
Raistwalker
Total Comments (2064)
Hit me baby one more time...
asifyouknow
Total Comments (1921)
I think your comments about Gordon would have been true 5-6 years ago, but the last few years I have seen him bumped, wrecked and raced hard all over the circuit and he has complained a lot less than the Harvicks, Johnsoms,, Bushes, Edwards....
I agree with your article, but your two references to #24 were a off base
drysdale
Total Comments (1980)
Congrats to Brad, a most powerful run but somewhat boring. Ironically, my wife blew my mind this weekend while I was watching the race as she pranced around the house in a spoof of the NASCAR logo tee shirt with the word "BORING" on the front! She picked it up at http://www.nascarwidows.com and it was quite funny and too close to the truth.
Lorenzen Fan
Total Comments (15)
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