Why NASCAR Fans Should Be Thankful in 2013
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, NASCAR is likely to be far from the minds of many fans.
As it should.
Rather, this day should be all about family, fellowship, long-overdue visits and catching up with relatives, good conversation and food—and, okay, maybe even a little football.
Even though many have had rough years, we still should be thankful for the blessings we have.
But I can promise you that somewhere Thursday, be it around the dining room table or in front of the TV, there will be more than a few diehard NASCAR fans who can’t help but reflect back upon the recently completed 2013 season.
So, lest we not forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving—and please try to control yourself at the prospect of early shopping on Black Friday—let’s look at five reasons why NASCAR fans should be thankful.
5. NASCAR May Not Be Perfect, but Little Else Compares
1 of 5
Like any sport, NASCAR can’t be everything to everyone, let alone try to please everyone, as well.
Both the sport and the sanctioning body may have their imperfections, and fans may invariably complain about competition, the Chase for the Sprint Cup, so-called cookie-cutter tracks and the like, but few sports can boast about such loyal fans as NASCAR can.
If there was so much really wrong about NASCAR, would races still draw several million people to race tracks each Saturday night or Sunday afternoon?
And would millions of fans still turn on their TVs to make sure they don’t miss a particular race?
NASCAR continues to work to give fans the best experience possible, and for that, we should be very thankful. It will never satisfy everyone, but as long as it satisfies most, fans will continue to keep going through race track turnstiles or sit glued in front of their TV for three or four hours at a time.
4. A Sport That Cares and Gives Back
2 of 5
One of the least publicized aspects of NASCAR is the benevolent and caring nature not only of the sanctioning body and other related organizations, but also drivers.
Among charities that don’t get the notoriety they should include The NASCAR Foundation, Speedway Children’s Charities and Victory Junction Gang Camp.
But the spirit to give back to those less fortunate doesn’t stop there. Frankly, it’s probably easier to count the few drivers who have not established their own charities and foundations.
Some of the sport’s biggest superstars, including 2013 champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and so many others are as dedicated to their philanthropy as they are to their job behind the wheel.
And let's not forget NASCAR's support of our soldiers and wounded warriors. Every other sports league could learn quite a few lessons about honoring those who keep us safe in the fashion NASCAR does.
When you hear the saying “NASCAR Cares,” it really does.
3. The Generation 6 Car
3 of 5
When the latest incarnation of the Car of Tomorrow—the so-called Generation 6 race car (“Gen 6” for short)—made its debut on the Sprint Cup scene in 2013, many didn’t know what to expect.
But NASCAR most definitely did its homework on the new COT. The current edition is light years ahead of the original COT that debuted late in the 2007 season and then was adopted full-time in 2008.
The Gen 6 car looks more like a car you would find on a dealer’s showroom, which had been one of the biggest complaints about the COT by fans. The new Gen 6 came out of the box more racy, more aerodynamic, safer, more stable and more competitive.
What’s more, there wasn’t the long learning curve for drivers, crew chiefs and teams that they endured when the original COT debuted.
NASCAR promised a new race car that would be state-of-the-art and definitely better than its predecessor—and fans should be thankful that the sanctioning body delivered exactly what it said it would.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
2. An Unwavering Commitment to Make the Sport as Safe as Possible
4 of 5
Any form of motorized racing comes with an element of risk of serious injury and even death. Get in or on something with a souped-up motor and try to outrace the next guy, and you're bound to eventually wreck.
Thankfully, NASCAR can proudly boast that it has not lost one driver to a race-related crash in any of its top three series since Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Sadly, other motorsports series can’t say as much. Just this year alone, sprint car racing lost Jason Leffler (who split his time between NASCAR and sprint car racing) and Josh Burton. Sprint car racing also was where NASCAR driver Tony Stewart suffered the worst wreck of his entire motorsports career, causing him to miss the final 15 races of the Sprint Cup season.
And let’s not forget the loss of IndyCar great Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas in 2011.
One of the key reasons NASCAR has now gone 12 consecutive seasons without a race-related death is the sanctioning body’s daily commitment to driver and fan safety. If there’s a new product on the market or new innovation that will further protect drivers and fans, NASCAR is typically first in line.
Yes, there have been some mishaps that remind us no sport, not even NASCAR, is perfect or completely safe, like the crash at Daytona this past February that scattered debris, injuring more than two dozen fans. Or the wreck and resulting injuries Denny Hamlin suffered early in the season at Auto Club Speedway.
But all in all, NASCAR fans can’t help but be thankful that they can talk about the safety of their sport and how drivers typically walk away from oftentimes horrific wrecks relatively unscathed.
1. The Biggest Thanks of All Goes to Such Great Fans
5 of 5
Admittedly, NASCAR has endured some serious challenges over the last six years, most linked to the shaky economic situation that the world has gone through.
Because of the high-cost nature of the sport, there have been countless personnel layoffs, teams folding, sponsors leaving, a dramatic drop in media coverage (particularly newspapers) and a substantial loss of fans attending races.
At the same time, however, you likely won’t find more truer and diehard fans in any other sport than those you find in NASCAR. They are among the most loyal, dedicated and forgiving fans anywhere.
Even if things like financial hardship have forced them to make changes to their lifestyle, NASCAR fans still find a way to get their high-speed fix.
If they can’t afford to go to the race track any longer, they still manage to stay on top of their sport through TV and radio broadcasts, online coverage and interacting with others on social media.
How many countless times have we heard drivers thank fans for their support? How many fans still turn out at driver appearances both at-track and off-track? How often do you run to the local store or find yourself just walking down the street and another NASCAR fan is proudly sporting a jacket, cap, T-shirt or some other form of clothing showing who “their” driver is?
For without loyal and diehard fans, there would be no NASCAR. We wouldn’t spend the offseason anticipating and getting excited about the season-opening Daytona 500.
We wouldn’t start talking about who may win the championship next year, even if the new champ just won it perhaps just a few minutes earlier.
We wouldn’t keep hoping that Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Danica Patrick will win their first Sprint Cup championships, asking ourselves if next season will finally be THE season.
Yes, NASCAR fans have a lot to be thankful for, but even more so, the NASCAR community of teams, drivers, owners, crew chiefs, PR people, souvenir vendors and more wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the fans.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that, but trust me, deep down inside NASCAR is about the fans.
And it’s the fans who deserve the biggest thanks of all.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski
Also, catch me this Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. ET as I host "The Back Stretch" on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90. Better yet, call in at 1-866-PIT-LANE.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
