NASCAR drivers have their own place on Santa’s naughty and nice list every year based on their actions during the season.
As everyone tidies up their shopping lists this week, it’s always important not to forget anyone. You earn a spot on Santa’s list by being nice throughout the year. You work your way off of it by being Joey Logano… sorry, naughty. It made us here at Beyond The Flag wonder who we should be shopping for this holiday season and who might be getting a lump of coal. Here is what the BTF staff came up with:
Claire Steen
Naughty – Joey Logano: He likes to start trouble and stir the pot with pretty much anyone he can find. Those who cannot play nice with others certainly should find themselves on the naughty list.
Nice – Carl Edwards: Edwards is always a classy representation of himself and is a sponsor’s dream. His attitude remained positive during the transition to JGR, which many felt would have yielded better results, especially during the beginning of the season. Despite some early struggles, Edwards never threw his team under the bus. ‘Kill them with kindness’ some say and that’s why Carl Edwards made it onto the nice list in 2015.
Joseph Shelton
Naughty – Joey Logano: Despite being sent to Penske’s finishing school, he still drives like an arrogant rookie and hasn’t learned that you have to respect the other competitors. Logano is a driver with a ton of talent but the arrogance is something that is going to continue to not only get him into trouble, but put him on the naughty list as well.
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Nice – Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has always maintained a humble attitude and has enough respect for the history of the sport to recognize his responsibility to help new, up-and-coming drivers. It’s become common-place for JR Motorsports to give drivers a shot at running in solid equipment to see what kind of talent they truly have, just look at Alex Bowman as an example. Jr.’s kindness towards others is one of the main reasons that he gets to be on the nice list in 2015.
Mike Hutton
Naughty – Joey Logano: Acting like a spoiled, entitled brat at Martinsville after things didn’t go his way will stay with him a long time. Many times in life people are judged by the way that they handle themselves when things go wrong as opposed to when things are going well. I will be the first to admit that things went very wrong for Logano at Martinsville and the way he handled it gets him a top-spot on the naught list this season.
Nice – Kyle Busch: He embraced adversity and took stock of how the priorities in his life were changing and used all of it to focus on becoming a winner, which in turn led to becoming a champion. Busch became a better person (in NASCAR at least) and a better driver in 2015. The growth that Busch showed was incredibly impressive and that’s the kind of things that earned him his spot on the nice list.
Christopher Olmstead
Naughty – Matt Kenseth: Although this will not be the popular choice, Kenseth does indeed belong on the naughty list. Two wrongs do not make a right and while Kenseth might have felt great about taking out Logano, it makes him no better than Logano in the end. Kenseth being the bigger person would have got him onto the nice list but instead he finds himself on the naughty list.
Nice – Jeff Gordon: Gordon had plenty of opportunities to be sour during his last season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Heck, the first 25 races were tough for him and the No. 24 team and a lot of that was their own doing. Like a true champion, Gordon never wavered and the result was rebounding and going to the final-four. A positive outlook goes a long way and for Gordon it almost took him to a fifth championship, and it did take him onto the nice list.
Naughty – NASCAR: Have you ever been playing a game with someone and they change the rules right in the middle of it? Yes, this tends to be something that only happens with children, that is of course unless you’re NASCAR. Too many times in 2015 NASCAR played with the rules right in the middle of the proverbial game. Dear NASCAR, nobody likes what you’re doing so please sit on the naughty list in 2015 and change your ways in 2016.
Nice – Martin Truex Jr.: Truex Jr. had himself one heck of a season on the track and that rebound alone might be enough to have gotten him onto the nice list. Throw into the mix what he was dealing with in his personal life (his long-time girlfriend battling cancer) and his perseverance and focus is even more impressive. A lot of people would not have been able to maintain the drive that Truex did under those circumstances and for that he earns a spot on the nice list this season.
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Everyone here at BeyondTheFlag.com wishes our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Be sure to check back often for some exciting new content in 2016!!