Dear fans,
I, like you, am a NASCAR fan. I love the sport. I love the rush, I love the speed, I love the noise, and I love the cars. I grew up an Earnhardt Sr. fan. I greatly detest Brian France’s method of running the show (look up the word oligarchy). I, like you, was nearly overcome with joy Sunday when Jeff Gordon took his No. 24 to Victory Lane, solidifying his spot in the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami.
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I’m a lot like you when it comes to my fandom. I root for the sport, cheer the underdog, boo the questionable calls, and even collect the memorabilia. We’re the same, you and I, and I guess in a way this makes us part of the NASCAR family. I’m fine with that, and I get the idea you are too.
Well, speaking from one family member to another, I want to talk about something I noticed Sunday, following the incident between Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano. I’ll agree that you’re not stupid, and neither am I. Kenseth took the No. 22 of Logano plum out. Hooked him, turned him, and there went the ballgame. Many of you cheered Kenseth for wrecking the little punk. Many of you called for NASCAR to suspend the coward for wrecking Logano. A lot of you, meanwhile, decide that you’re going to swear off NASCAR for not making a consistent call.
To that last bunch, don’t kid yourself.
The NASCAR head shed that doles out the punishments doesn’t exactly have a shot at winning an IQ contest, granted. They’re unfair some weeks, and other weeks they make good calls. It’s hit and miss, and sometimes it seems like it is 30% hit and 70% miss. But that isn’t enough to run you off from the sport. Admit it. You tune back in next week to crank it up and enjoy the show. NASCAR knows it and you know it so why waste your breath?
Why bother promising to quit the sport when you’re going to go back the next week and watch again? Sure, manipulation is rife. France is an idiot. But if you’re a true fan you look past that. You cheer the sport for the same reasons you first fell in love with it. A lot of you are so loyal to your driver that they keep you coming back and that’s okay.
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It’s irritating…no…annoying when I see fans who leave comments on social media like, “if he doesnt Suspend Kenseth for BEING A COWARD Ill kwit this sport FOREVER!!!!,” actually thinking leaving such grammatically laughable threats make a difference. They don’t. They never do. Plus, what good is a threat when you don’t plan to back it up?
So stop. Just, stop. You’re griping for no reason, and that makes us true fans, the ones who love the sport no matter what, look bad. Suck it up. You’ll be back next week. And the next week. And the week after that. Then, during the off-season you’ll be counting down the days to Daytona because as a fan, it’s what you do.
So ask yourself, what’s the point of leaving stupid threats to a sport that was running before you were born and will continue to run for many years to come? NASCAR isn’t going anywhere, and they know you aren’t either. Plus, think about it: You know you’re not going anywhere as well.
So tune in to Texas, cheer on the No. 24 team and the rest of the field as we race closer to the end of the season? You’ll forget the “grave injustices” that NASCAR inflicted on the fans after Sunday. Also, be honest: Can you really say you’re livid and so full of rage over Harvick “allegedly” causing that last caution at Talladega even though it was well over a week ago?
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Point being, as fans our sense of being wronged by the sport comes and goes. We’ll still get mad about said calls years down the road, and NASCAR will continue to just flat make some boneheaded calls. They’re NASCAR; it’s what they do.
Meanwhile, you’re a fan, so enjoy the sport. It’s what you do.
Sincerely,
A NASCAR fan.