NASCAR Fans Is The Craziest Peoples!
09/24/2013
Jim Fitzgerald
On the heels of the Nationwide Insurance company announcing that they would no longer sponsor NASCAR’s second level series after the 2014 season, and as a result of the shenanigans NASCAR stated happened during the closing laps of the race at Richmond, NAPA has announce that they are pulling their sponsorship from Michael Waltrip Racing, specifically from the No. 56 car driven by Martin Truex, Jr., following the 2013 season.
NAPA stated they believe in a fair playing field, and did not approve of the attempts made to get their driver into the NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship. The withdrawal of the sponsorship from the MWR team seemed to be expected by some, and a complete shock to others.
What may be even more shock is that perhaps the actions of the fans made the decision rather easy for NAPA. The facebook page of the Atlanta, Georgia based automotive supply company was flooded with comments from NASCAR fans. The comments ranged from those supporting the actions of MWR to those condemning and even threatening to not support the company unless some punitive action was taken.
Now that NAPA has decided to pull that sponsorship from MWR, many of those who made those supportive posts to the NAPA page have turned over and are showing a different side. The posts that were made towards the end of last week were angry, hurtful, and again, threatening to no longer support the company. Even before the announcement was made, and NAPA statements were limited to “we are still evaluating,” the threats had already commenced.
Without an official statement from NAPA regarding the topic, it is difficult to know if the outcry from the fans is what forced NAPA into the making the decision to withdraw.
It is, however, hard to think that so many voices were not heard, and ultimately not considered.
Consider the events of a few weeks ago. Martin Truex, Jr. and Joey Logano were in the Chase, while Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman were left on the outside looking in. We know what happened. Judgments, penalties, and the vilification of Martin Truex, Jr., who for the most part was an innocent victim, yet still the catalyst for the situation. At that point, with Truex, Jr.’s penalty, he was out, and Ryan Newman was in.
Enter the loudest voice in the world. NASCAR Fans.
Not only NASCAR fans, but a legion of fans of a very popular driver, who felt that their driver was also a victim of circumstance. A driver who had all but secured his place in the Championship Chase. Then of course, a car spun, and a car made a pit stop, and people cried “foul!” Jeff Gordon was left out of the Chase, and his fans were livid. He had been wronged, and NASCAR must right the wrongs initiated by others. They screamed early. They screamed often. They screamed so very loudly.
Their words did not go unheard. NASCAR, in a most unprecedented move, added a thirteenth driver in the Championship Chase, most recently reserved for but one dozen of the sport’s best. Jeff Gordon had been added to the Chase.
NASCAR’s official statement, made by Brian France, went a little something like this:
“Based upon the totality of our findings, to be fair and equitable we decided that adding a 13th car to this year’s Chase is the appropriate action. Beginning with our decision Monday, which resulted in an unprecedented team penalty, and continuing with further examination of actions involving two other race teams, it is clear to us that attempts to manipulate the results impacted the Chase field. The integrity of our sport remains the cornerstone of NASCAR, and our actions this week speak to our commitment to ensure a level playing field for all competitors.”
What that statement didn’t have was Brian France saying that the outcry form the fans was so loud and convincing that NASCAR felt a bandage needed to be applied In order to avoid a mutiny. It didn’t have to. All you needed to do was follow any form of social media to know what was happening. Fans were selling tickets, threatening not to go to races, and not even watch them on television.
The fans have recently drawn a line in the sand. “I’m tired of this, and I’m not going to take it anymore…” That sort of thing. This action should be applauded. It is the fans who make this sport what it is. No fans, no sponsors, no racing. The fans speak, and recently, it appears as if NASCAR is listening. They read what NASCAR fans are writing. They hear what NASCAR fans are saying. Take it as you will, but there are rumors of changes to the Cup Series schedule. More road races? One in the Chase? Darlington on Labor Day? All of these are things that the fans have been backing for quite some time. Whether they come to pass…we’ll see.
As aggressive as fans can be, however, caution should be taken. Be careful what you wish for, as shown in the above NAPA situation. Lines will continue to be drawn, and battles will continue to be fought. There will be victories, and there will be defeats. Remember though, as the end of the day, this is NASCAR’s sandbox, and any time they are ready, they can tell us all to take our toys and go home.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
Be sure to follow me @Forewasabi on Twitter