NASCAR's Changing Face Of Maturity

Maturity is defined as "the state or quality of being fully grown or developed." NASCAR, however, has different ways of defining maturity, all represented by various faces of the sport.

One of the ways that NASCAR defines maturity is, of course, a very typical one: that of age. While younger and younger drivers emerge in the sport, there is one driver who truly is the face of modern maturity, Mark Martin.

Martin, at 50 years of age, is most certainly one of NASCAR's most "seasoned" drivers.  Even at his "advanced" chronological age, Martin has the work ethic of a teenager and the perspective of someone who has raced for more years than many of the current Cup drivers have been alive.

Yet, is Mark Martin really the poster man for true maturity in NASCAR? For fans who have seen Martin recently, especially in Victory Lane after his now four wins this season, an argument could most surely be made that he is not acting his age at all.

In fact, Martin seems to be almost child-like in his demeanor recently, smiling like a school child that just robbed the proverbial cookie jar. Forget mature, Martin is like a giggly, giddy teenager, pleased with himself, his team, and life in general.

Given this, perhaps chronological age is not the best way to define maturity in the sport of stock car racing. Fans and media alike in NASCAR today seem to be focusing more on emotional maturity than maturity based on age.

In fact, there are NASCAR drivers that are mature well beyond their chronological years. One example is young Ryan Truex, Martin Truex, Jr.'s little brother.

Ryan's father, Martin Truex, says: "Ryan is every bit as good as Martin, Jr. was at this same time in his career. What I have to keep reminding myself is that he's only 16."

Truex continued, "He's not 20-something. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue so I don't treat him like he's 25 years old."

While Ryan Truex may be emotionally mature beyond his years, fans and media alike have branded another "younger brother," Kyle Busch, as the poster boy for emotional immaturity in NASCAR.

Busch is most often criticized for his lack of emotional maturity due to his on-track antics, especially after losing a race. The young driver often has a habit of either doing something dramatic, such as destroying a race trophy, or running away from the media and out on the track.

Yet, there is another side to Kyle Busch that does indeed reek of maturity. Three years ago, Busch visited a children's home near Grand Rapids, MI. He met and spent time with the children there and the experience changed him forever.

Busch set up the Kyle Busch Foundation to help children who needed a home. He has very maturely dedicated himself to raising funds to provide a safe place for children to grow, mature, and follow their dreams.

Emotional maturity may be another aspect of development and growth in NASCAR. But there is one more aspect of maturity in the sport that is vital, that of maturity while behind the wheel and out on the race track.

Driving maturity is essential, not only to racing safely but to winning. One of the most recognized faces in NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, describes this type of on-track maturity.

"As you mature," said Gordon, "you pick and choose the moments when you're going to do that (be aggressive) because you know you can't do that all day long."

Gordon continued, "I definitely think we all mature as we get older and with maturity, you typically gain patience. And I think also it is just experience."

Gordon acknowledges that with mature driving comes success on the track. Of Kyle Busch, Gordon says, "He is still close to the edge, but he is not going over the edge as much and I think he's seeing more consistent results because of it."

So, what is maturity in NASCAR? Is it maturity based on age? Or is it emotional maturity, on and off the track? Or is NASCAR's truest definition of maturity how the driver drives the race, regardless of his age or emotions?

Perhaps it is a blend of all three of these definitions of maturity. Or perhaps maturity has nothing to do with it at all and it all comes down instead to basic personality type.

As Gordon so eloquently says, "I think there is a part of your personality that is at the beginning of your career and goes all the way through. It is just you; you can't change it. It is who you are."