Before I get to one of the most talked about subjects regarding of course Jeff Gordon, what about the race itself. Looking back at the Subway 500..k, finally NASCAR fans get to see just what the Car of Tomorrow can do on a mile racetrack. Before, the COT was on two tracks that really didn’t make a difference namely Bristol, where you can race just about anything on wheels and get a good race and Martinsville, a short paper clip on the same effects, but for Phoenix, it does take a little more to put on a good show.
The racing under the light is a bonus for this race, but the COT does continue to impress me race after race with producing good racing, namely side-by-side racing and real passing for not only the lead, but all the way back in the pack despite the fact that its still ugly. I have gotten use to the rear wing because I watch both the Grand American Series and the American LeMans Series with the Chevrolet Corvette Racecar that features the very same, but the front end, forget it.
Despite the number of cautions, although I have to say that FOX is really trying to find the debris, the final battle was good, it would have been better if the one of the final cautions didn’t trap a bunch of cars a lap down or on the tail end of the lead lap, nevertheless, Gordon vs Stewart and Hamlin was a classic but for this time around, it would be Jeff Gordon taking the win.
This is where the story begins with Jeff Gordon’s victory lap, Gordon picked up a black #3 flag in honor of the late great Dale Earnhardt as Gordon had just tied Earnhardt in the number of wins column at 76. To many at the track and at home, mainly Dale Sr. fans, it was not a tribute but opposite and the response including yet again throwing beer, cans and anything else at Gordon as he drove around the track..Here’s my thoughts on it, I have to first say that I am a huge Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr fan along with Rusty Wallace and I am NOT a fan at all of Jeff Gordon, with that said..
I was shocked on Saturday night, but seens Dale Jr was cool with it, I somewhat was too and had forgotten about it by Sunday morning.
Here’s the thing, it was just the wrong place& wrong time, it would have been better…a tribute for Dale Earnhardt would be great on Sunday at Talladega before the race as it would have been his birthday, that’s all and will leave this story at that., but I will not applaud Jeff Gordon.
Finally on the COT, like I said before I am getting use to it, but the pace car (2007 Chevy Impala with body kit and rear wing) does look better then racecar, but the COT does have better safety, nevertheless, we all have to just say this is the next Nextel Cup Series racecar and we all have to get use to it, its not going away., so how do we make it look better…See Yeah!
Three Days later…
Sometimes it helps to think about a subject for a couple of days after I wrote this piece on Wednesday and yet I have still come to the same conclusion. Here’s where I am, on last Saturday night, NASCAR fans saw a good race in Phoenix with COT’s between Gordon, Stewart and Hamlin which also showed Gordon moving Stewart out of the way and going on to victory, no surprise there and he even said it in victory lane.
Now I had no idea that Jeff Gordon had tied Earnhardt’s record and then I saw Gordon driving around with a #3 Earnhardt flag including fans throwing beer cans and etc at him and I was shocked, of course once I heard that Gordon had tied Earnhardt’s record, well I understood it a little more.., but like I said before, I had took it in and then moved on by Sunday morning. Since the Earnhardt family including Dale Jr. was cool with it, so was I and that it…Now I would have rather seen a tribute to the great Dale Earnhardt this Sunday at Talladega before the race and if Gordon is in it, that’s ok too. That would have been a lot better and fans would have known why. That’s my thoughts.
