Posted by Tim Hayes

NASCAR good ol’ days
It’s a topic sure to create intense debate and even hot tempers.
As the annual high-stakes chess match unfolded with loads of the usual restrictor-plate suspense Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, some folks long for the old NASCAR.
The Sprint Cup show now plays on network television. The cast has become international, the directors are mega-millionaires and the audience includes the corporate elite.
A large segment of the NASCAR fan base remembers a simpler time when the series actually had character, free spirits and a southern-soundtrack.
Anyone remember the Oldsmobile, independent drivers like Buddy Arrington, and unique tracks like Rockingham and North Wilkesboro?
According to the party line, modern-day Sprint Cup racing is far superior to the days when drivers such as Richard Petty would lap half the field and win by huge margins.
I dare anyone to say they actually enjoyed the recent bore-a-thon at Texas Motor Speedway. Heck, even the drivers admitted that the single-file parade was a stinker.
Yes, NASCAR’s new mass-produced car has earned rave reviews for safety. However, even elite teams such as Hendrick Motorsports have yet to discover a way to pass or race in traffic on intermediate-sized tracks.
Defending series champion Jimmie Johnson claimed the new car was basically ‘’undrivable”
after the Texas disg-race.
The NASCAR brass contends that creative crew chiefs and engineers will eventually solve the balance issue with the winged Car of Tomorrow and devise a method to make events more interesting.
Meanwhile, the sport appears to be losing the ratings boost and feel-good buzz it had to start the season. With gas prices soaring to record levels, more track promoters may soon feel the empty-seat blues.
And that brings us back to stock car racing of the 1970s and 80s. Granted, some of the storylines lacked fantastic finishes but this was before NASCAR introduced gimmicky rules as the lucky-dog which allows slower cars back on the lead lap. And let’s don’t forget all those phantom cautions that bunch up race fields and delight television producers.
Due in large part to colorful stars such as Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker and Darrell Waltrip, the Sunday afternoon matinees offered old-fashioned fun. Fans could identify with their blue-collar heroes, afford a motel and maybe even grab an autograph or two.
Perhaps it was inevitable, but this sport has just become too sanitized and predictable. There are few rebels, let alone ruffians.
Much like the Formula One world, a handful of teams rule the Sprint Cup series. The cars and drivers all look alike. We need some spice, some underdogs and maybe even some fighting.
This isn’t ballet or some overly-scripted reality show. This is racing and that should be powerful stuff.

Posted by Allen Gregory

Aaron Fike is far from a household name in NASCAR, but the former Craftsman Truck Series driver created some headlines and headaches last week.

In a revelation which shocked some hear-no-evil types, Fike admitted that he used heroin on race days. In fact, Fike was arrested for heroin possession just one week after finishing fifth in a truck race at Memphis last year.

As expected, the NASCAR apologists came out of the woodwork to offer spin control. For whatever reason, Fike was slammed and painted as an outsider with an axe to grind.

There was a twist to this sad case, and it illustrates what a joke the NASCAR drug policy really is.

Several high-profile drivers, such as Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., have called for mandatory drug testing in their sponsor-driven sport. The currently policy only calls for testing when there is reasonable suspicion.

Harvick said last week that he has never been drug tested in the past decade. Meanwhile, Fike was never asked for a test even though Kahne admitted to “wondering’’ about the young Illinois native.

NASCAR officials have long earned praise for being reactive to problems within their sport. Clearly, they need to be in proactive in the area of drugs.

Many diehard stock car fans have joked about the many woes in professional basketball and football, yet Fike is not the first NASCAR figure to have problems with drugs.

Rising stars such as Shane Hmiel, Tyler Walker, Kevin Grubb and Brian Rose have all either been forced from the track, or at least suspended, due to issues with substance abuse. And there have been more embarrassing cases over the 15 past years, though admittedly none involve superstars.

With Fortune 500 companies fueling teams at the elite Sprint Cup level, drivers and teams must present a professional, clean-cut image. NASCAR president Brian France may claim he has the most aggressive drug-testing policy in sports, but it certainly failed miserably in the case of Fike.

And does France really expect drivers, many of whom are close friends and business associates, to play the role of snitch if someone in the garage has a problem with drugs or alcohol.

A large part of NASCAR’s growth has been based on the homespun personalities of the drivers and crews. For the most part, they are decent, likeable folks who work an insane amount of hours for our enjoyment.

But make no mistake, these guys are human. They are definitely not the made-for-Disney cartoon figures that some starstruck fans imagine they as.

Whether you want to admit it or not, NASCAR is not immune from drugs.

Hopefully, the leaders of this sport will finally step down from their ivory tower and learn from the harsh lesson of Fike before something similar happens again.  What is there to hide?

Posted by Allen Gregory

Posted by Tim Hayes

Posted by Tim Hayes