Fan's Eye View ~ Still In The Shadows Of The Number Three
8/20/2013
Jim Fitzgerald
I had
a lot of responses. A few said it was
status quo, some were enjoying it, and others were disappointed. There were some who said it was exciting, and
others said it has been boring, save for a few races here and there, and one
person told me she was enjoying it quite a bit, but them confessed that this
was her first season, and had nothing else to compare it to. (Ahhhh…I remember
those days!) Most of the responses were
straight forward, and did not require much explanation. However, I did receive one response which got
my attention. It was a one word answer,
and it begged for insight.
“Troubling.”
When
I saw that, I have to admit I was taken aback a little, because it was not a
response I expected to see. So, I
pressed for more, and the words that follow are not a direct transcript, but a
paraphrasing of a twitter conversation I would have loved to have had on a
phone or in person. The
identify of this person will remain known only to me, and anyone she may
share with. For this column, her
identity will be simply “Tweety,” and she has agreed to let her words appear
here.
Jim: Troubling? How so?
Tweety: A few reasons, but
two main ones. I’m still very concerned
about the safety of the sport.
Jim: As far as SAFER
Barriers and such? Or
the cars?
Tweety: Barriers. They need
to be everywhere. But
not just safer for the competitors.
The fans are in danger as well.
Jim: True…the Daytona
Nationwide race this year could have been a lot worse.
Tweety: And the cable snapping at Charlotte.
Jim: Agreed, but they
are making changes. Those cameras are
gone and I know SAFER Barriers are always a hot topic. Jeff Gordon seems to be able to find bare
walls at will.
Tweety: I just feel like enough is not being done.
Jim: What’s your other
issue?
Tweety: Not sure I want to get into that.
(At
this point, we played a bit of cat and mouse, some detective, and a little bit
of therapy. Tweety decided in the end
that I was worthy of knowing the second topic.)
Tweety: There is something that will probably happen in the near
future that I’m not sure I will be able to take.
Jim: Such as?
Tweety: Well, it has to do with the driver of the 14 car this week.
(And
there it was…before she sent the next message, I knew
where it was going.)
Jim: Austin Dillon.
Tweety: Yeah.
Jim: Wild guess here…you were an Earnhardt fan?
Tweety: AM an Earnhardt fan.
Jim: Sorry…my
mistake. And you’re what?…concerned about seeing the No. 3 on the track again?
Tweety: Exactly. I think it
may be too much.
Jim: I know where you’re
coming from. I was a Davey Allison fan
from my first day of knowing about the sport, I think. Can I ask how long you have been a race fan?
Tweety: Since 1986. I liked
Davey too, but Dale is my number one.
Jim: So, when Davey was
killed, and Alan Kulwicki, too, we saw those cars on the track a few weeks
later. The No. 3 vanished immediately,
and until recently, has not been seen in the top three NASCAR series.
Tweety: And that’s how I want it to stay. The only person who should drive the 3 is
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Jim: I don’t know…I’m on
the fence about such things. On one hand
I know how much Sr. meant to so many fans on so many levels, but on the other
hand, at the end of the day, it is a number, plain and simple.
Tweety: It is a number, but
it is also THE number.
Jim: I know what you’re
saying, and I think I know how you feel.
That day in 2001 was a day that changed the face of our sport. One of the greatest stars of the sport was
gone. We healed, but many still have
scars.
Jim: Some follow up
questions, if you don’t mind?
Situational questions, really.
Tweety: Shoot.
Jim: Given the following
options, with which would you be most comfortable, and likely to remain
interested in the sport? Austin Dillon
advances to Sprint Cup and drives for Richard Childress, and:
1. The car has the same iconic No.
3 that Earnhardt had for so long.
2. The car is black, sponsorship
related, of course, and has the iconic No. 3.
3. The car is No. 3, but the number
is a different style of number.
(It
was at this point that I thought my conversation with Tweety was over, as it
was a good twenty minutes and one nudge from me before the response came. Tweety’s
explanation was that she had to consider all of these options, and make a
decision, and wasn’t pleased with any of them.)
Tweety: Honestly, I don’t like any of them, but if I had to choose
one, the 3 would be a different style. I
certainly do not want it to be black, either.
I think I would prefer #03 if Dillon had to use it.
Jim: So, even twelve
years later, it is still too much.
Tweety: Jim, I have a corner of my house dedicated to Dale. I have so many 1:64 and 1:24 scale race cars
on display. I have a framed autographed
“Winston Cup Illustrated” from when Dale won his fourth Championship. I have a library of magazines with his picture
on the cover. I have clocks, trading
cars, knife sets, tee-shirts, and a leather jacket displayed under glass. My cell phone ringer is “Sunday Money” by
Brooks and Dunn. This man was the reason
I got into racing. He is also the reason
I have remained in racing. A piece of me
died that day, too, but I hang around, hoping to hear any piece of information
about him. I want to make sure they are
still talking about him.
Jim: Do you feel like
they would talk about him if someone else were to race “his” number on the Cup
series level?
Tweety: I do, for a while.
After that, it is not his number anymore, because it will develop its
own identity with Austin.
Jim: Okay…you’ve been
great, doing this, by the way. I do have
one final question for you if you don’t mind.
Tweety: Sure.
Jim: It is 2016. Austin Dillon is driving in the Cup
Series. The car is No. 3, and it is the
same style number that Dale Earnhardt, Sr. used. Are you a NASCAR fan in that scenario?
Tweety: I’m not sure,
Jim. I just don’t know.
At
this point, Tweety and I wrapped up our conversation which was mostly about her
giving her blessing for me to tell this story, and me thanking her for letting
me do so, assuring I would keep her identity a secret.
While
we watch racing on a weekly basis from February to November, and we pull for
our favorites and curse those we don’t like, there are still some who, so many
years later, are still hurting over the loss of their greatest hero. For some, the cuts can go much deeper than
for others, and the wounds heal so much more slowly, and the scars which are
left behind are sometimes too big and ugly to look at. And then there are those who feel that
reopening an old wound may be more than their hearts can handle. If that is you, just know that there are people like Tweety out there, and you're not alone.
Be sure to follow me @Forewasabi on Twitter
