One of our loyal readers chided me for putting NASCAR on the contempt list yesterday, and he suggested that the cheating scandals was merely a throwback to the sport’s colorful roots. And he has a valid point. NASCAR’s drama, some of which can be theatrical in nature (like the girly fights that often break out between drivers after contentious races), does keep the sport interesting, and it is fair to remember that it was at one time the playground of moonshine runners and other good ol’ boy outlaw-types. To that end, I salute NASCAR’s flavor, and I offer up this piece, a remembrance of the throwdown between Cale Yarborough (who always enjoyed real fights) and the Allison brothers near the conclusion of the 1979 Daytona 500.However, NASCAR still gets to keep their spot on the contempt list. Allowing owner/driver Michael Waltrip to race tomorrow after someone on his crew used an illegal substance in the fuel system of his #55 Toyota is a serious error, one that seems to run counter to the sport’s history. This column from David Newton shows that many NASCAR veterans, including Richard Petty, find it unlikely that anything was done to Waltrip’s car without his knowledge. Even former DEI teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finds it hard to believe that anyone on Waltrip’s crew acted without his knowledge. This piece tells that it has always been taboo to mess around with the engine, the fuel, or the tires of a stock car…and seems to suggest that NASCAR should have given Waltrip a long vacation.
