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The Dan Lowry 400 might
have been the most boring race I have
ever witnessed. Sure, there was the
Talladega-Daytona style big wreck and
the usual good racing back in the pack,
but Denny Hamlin had them covered. At
least until Lap 381.
When Lap 381 arrived and Hamlin’s
leaking tire made it obvious that the
inevitable was going to happen, it
looked like it was going to be Dale
Earnhardt, Jr's day. So much so that I
began my race story with the line, “Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. ended his 71-race victory
drought with a victory at Richmond.”
Silly me.
Earnhardt had been the second or third
fastest car all night, so it made sense
that he would get the win. Kyle Busch
had been up and down and though in
contention, didn’t seem to have the car
to challenge Earnhardt. Then the caution
came out and with few laps remaining,
Busch caught up. Those around me told me
that Busch would wreck Earnhardt, but I
refused to believe them. Earnhardt had
the better car. Then all the fury of
Hades broke loose.
You all know the story. Busch got a good
run on Earnhardt and got alongside his
rival. They got together and a hundred
media types began to use the term,
“Junior Nation” to describe the
displeasure that Earnhardt’s fans were
going to have with the incident.
First of all, I’ve never understood the
term. The first I heard it was about
Boston Red Sox fans. The “Red Sox
Nation” did this or that or thought this
or that. I found it strange. Then it was
the St, Louis baseball fans who were
referred to as “Cardinal Nation.” You
never hear about the “Cincinnati Reds
Nation” or the “Chicago Cubs Nation,”
and it was explained to me that there
wasn’t anyone as fanatical about their
team or driver than the fans of Boston,
St. Louis or, in this case Dale
Earnhardt, Jr.
We were told by the television folks
that Kyle Busch would need bodyguards to
get out of the speedway. We were told
that fans had middle fingers extended
and fists raised at the end of the race.
All dressed in green, I would guess.
Have they all forgotten?
This is a short track. There isn’t a lot
of room, and when a driver gets under
another, things happen. That was the
case on Saturday night. Forget about how
much you despise the personality of
either of the Busch brothers. It was a
racing accident, plain and simple. One
of many on any short track you want to
attend on any given night. A classy
Junior Earnhardt admitted as much.
Frustrated as much as anything, he
admitted he had done the same thing that
Busch did to him. Of course, he didn’t
help matters when he proclaimed that
Busch might need security to get him out
of the track, but few media outlets
reported his final sentence, “we all
will.” Busch didn’t help matters when he
commented that he’d have to put up with
the move for some time, referring to the
fans that live and breathe “Dale Jr"
I’ve watched the replay over and over
and have come to the conclusion that no
one did anything dirty or improper.
Busch got under Earnhardt and he ran out
of room. With few laps remaining, he
stayed in it and so did Earnhardt. The
result was Earnhardt spinning and Busch
going on to a runner-up finish. No one
intentionally moved down or came up into
the other’s car. It just happened.
I remember a night at Bristol and a day
at Martinsville as well as many days
various other short tracks in the
southeast where this happened on the
last lap, but I’ve never seen such furor
over two men racing for a win. That’s
the way it’s supposed to be. Yes, Kyle
Busch has a reputation (see the truck
race at Martinsville), but in this case,
it was simply two drivers going for the
same piece of real estate. Should Busch
have given Earnhardt more room? Should
have Earnhardt backed off and made the
sure pass later? In the heat of battle,
I doubt that was a consideration. And to
tell you the truth, that’s expecting too
much from these men who compete for a
living. It was what it was. A minute
that made a horribly boring race an
instant classic. For now.
I had to change my whole story, but I
didn’t mind. For the first time all
night there was something to write other
than what was a boring race.
Junior will win again on another day.
That much I’m fairly confident about,
but it wasn’t the end of the world when
the two drivers got together going for
the win. If we’re lucky, it will happen
over and over again for the rest of our
lives.
You can
contact Ron at
ron.fleshman@verizon.net
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