NASCAR: Drivers Jeff Gordon Fans Should Root For In 2016
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
No Gordon? No NASCAR
Although all of the drivers in this article have merit as to why they should receive support from Gordon fans in 2016, some fans will be content riding off into the sunset with their favorite NASCAR driver.
Throughout the 2015 season I am sure you have heard some Gordon fans talk about how ‘once Gordon is out of NASCAR I am never watching again.’ Well, 2016 will be their first opportunity to prove whether or not they are full of hot air. Having interacted with some fans who have said this I do believe that some Gordon fans (not most) will walk away from NASCAR now that Gordon is gone and there is nothing wrong with that.
Like I said previously, NASCAR isn’t like other team sports. Once a driver is gone he is gone and some fans simply cannot take that passion and dedication and place it anywhere else. If the New York Yankees went belly up in 2016 and no longer existed, I venture to say that there would not be many Yankee fans becoming Red Sox fans (despite how close they might be to the Boston area). The hate that Yankee fan has for Red Sox fan is similar to the hate that Gordon fans had for the other 42 drivers on the track any given week (granted some were hated more than others but that’s just the way that it goes).
The bottom line here is that for some there isn’t life after Gordon and that is okay. Those fans will either appreciate NASCAR for being NASCAR and watch without fully supporting any specific driver or they will leave the sport all together.
No matter how you slice it up though, Gordon fans have options heading into 2016.