At Least, Cry Real Tears

By M.L. Morgan

(May 28, 1998) -- Well, race fans, Jeff Gordon won a pile of money at the Coca-Cola 600 this past weekend. I have no problem with that, in fact I got a kick out of him hoisting that Pepsi bottle during the post-race interviews. He gets paid to endorse Pepsi - that’s his job - no big deal. It’s just business. When Mark Martin won at Texas earlier this season, he had to tell the world what a great track it was. Same deal. Texas Motor Speedway sucks and so does Pepsi.

Earnhardt got taken out of this race by an inexperienced driver who had no business even competing with the Cup drivers. Randy Lajoie might be competitive in the BGN races but he obviously has no business in a Winston Cup car. I think it’s a travesty Nascar doesn’t change this rule. I’m not an Earnhardt fan but I think he showed remarkable restraint by not beating this punk to death.

I’ve been deluged with letters claiming Jeff Gordon must be cheating. All I can do is laugh out loud. This is so preposterous I don’t even reply. The Gordon team is subjected to the closest scrutiny Nascar ever devised. Jeff Gordon, and Ray Evernham, and the whole Rainbow Warriors team just happen to be the best there is right now. Such is life.

The loudest squawking I hear is from the other teams. I think it’s hysterical. The Ford teams outnumber the Chevy teams by 3 to 2. Although Bobby Labonte has won 2 races, he will not be a factor in the Championship, so I discount the Pontiac teams. It’s a Ford vs Chevy deal.

Then we see a deal like Earnhardt blaming Lajoie’s stupidity on the aerodynamic rules that Nascar has imposed. Of course that’s absurd. Lajoie is no more incompetent than the Waltrip’s or the Bodine’s. I know that doesn’t put Lajoie in very select company, but I can’t blame Randy Lajoie for Nascar’s rules.

Nascar goes out of it’s way sometimes, to avoid the “elitist” description that might apply to the IRL or CART series. Not all fans have million-dollar go-carts in their garages, but most have a car which resembles one of the Winston Cup cars. Nascar wants their game to be open to the little guys. I think it’s time for Nascar to be a little more selective in who is eligible to race in Winston Cup. This series is for the best drivers, running the best equipment at very high speeds. There is no place for stupidity. Nascar has a seldom-used rule which penalizes a driver for rough or careless driving. The penalty is losing a couple laps. Big deal. I think the penalty should be disqualifying the driver and team for the next 10 races.

Let’s get back to the ‘squawking’. Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip have been crying all season the Chevy’s aren’t getting a fair shake. Cry me a river. I guess Earnhardt forgot he won the Daytona 500. DW hasn’t won since the Korean War so he doesn’t even get a vote. Take a look at the standings. The manufacturer’s race couldn’t be closer. There are no surprises in the Top-10 drivers. All are good drivers with good teams. I’m tired of the whining.

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