SEC Football 2011: Comparing SEC Coaches to Nascar Drivers

Coaches are like any sports figures; they have personalities and traits that are easy to see which may be shared with other sports figures. 

Just like drivers, some are winners, some are losers and some just take the seat and the paycheck and never do much of both.

Let's take a look at the coaches and their NASCAR driver counterparts.

This is meant to be humorous and no ill will intended.

We'll start with the SEC East and finish with those coaches in the SEC West.

Vanderbilt's James Franklin's NASCAR Alter Ego Is...

Yes, I didn't know this guy either.

SEC East, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt's Coach James Franklin would be Robert Richardson Jr.

Why?

Because nobody has heard of him either and he's as likely to win a race as Franklin is an SEC contest.

Both are unknowns looking for their day in the sun, but with Franklin at Vandy and Richardson at R3 Motor Sports, neither seems likely.

The risk of lots of crash and burns, however, seems quite high.

Steve Spurrier's NASCAR Alter Image Is...

A little body English to avoid another crash.

SEC East, South Carolina

The Old Ball Coach had his day, just like old Bill Elliott. Both were names with high expectations each week and now both just show up and hope to finish in the top 20.

Each has a distinctive speaking voice, and both have the gift for a one-liner if need be.

But now instead of being expected to win each week, it is a newsworthy upset if either pulls off a big win.

Both are Hall-of-Fame caliber people now circling the drain and approaching the end.

Kentucky's Joker Phillips Alter Image in NASCAR Is....

Joker rebuking yet another reporter who asks if he'll hire the Riddler to be his offensive coordinator

SEC East, Kentucky

Kentucky lives for basketball, and their football team is just a pleasant distraction until the hoop season begins.

They are content to go to any bowl just so they have something to travel to for the holiday season.

They aren't a bad team, but they aren't winners either.

Joker Phillips' alter image in NASCAR is very similar. His counterpart would be David Reutiman.

Reutiman is a nice guy who may or may not make the chase but is on a team where just finishing with a decent season is acceptable.

Like Reutiman, Phillips will win a few he's not supposed to, but lose a lot more and be involved in a few big crashes.

Tennessee's Dereck Dooley's Mirror Image in NASCAR Is...

Just like a driver needs a good spotter, Dooley could use some good advice right now.

SEC East, Tennessee

So who in NASCAR is with a team that used to being a winner, but still hasn't much success of his own?

That would be David Regan. He's with a team Roush Fenway Racing that has won before and could repeat his victory again. They have high hopes in Ragan just like Tennessee does in Dooley.

But neither has proven to the "Man" just yet. Till then, both will just keep running around in circles and trying to get to better times.

Georgia's Mark Richt Coaches Just Like This Driver Drives....

Like Jr., Richt banks on great personality, good looks and an over hyped image.

SEC East, Georgia

Mark Richt helped Florida State build a national champion season in Tallahassee, and Georgia hired him thinking he could do that for them in Athens.

And when you think of the NASCAR driver with a similar pattern at Richt, you have to go with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Yes, he's had some good wins, came in with high expectations and was supposed to challenge for championships, but always comes up short at the end of the season.

And just like Earnhardt, Richt seems to crash at times when he's expected to win and the championships just seem to always be out of reach.

Another similarity is both teams think they're lucky to have them, they make lots of money for everyone, Richt fills the seats and Earnhardt does too and sells lots of merchandise.

But in the end, both are just going through the motions and raking in the money without any hope of ever winning a championship.

Will Muschamp Sure Reminds Me a Lot of This Driver...

Like Joey Lagano, Will wants to be number one, but will either make it?

SEC East, Florida

Muschamp still hasn't had his first game as head coach in college, but he's young, with a team that has won it all before and is expected to win another with him at the helm.

Who else is like that?

Joey Lagano!

Lagano is with a crew chief and team that has won it all with someone else behind the wheel. He should have everything to make that happen again, but will he?

Only time will tell, but like Lagano, Muschamp will have a crash or two on the way to finding out if he has what it takes.

Now in the SEC West, Dan Mullen Seems an Awful Lot Like This NASCAR Wheel Man

Constant coaching just like Evernham may get Dan close, but can he ever grab the brass ring?

SEC West, Mississippi State

Dan Mullen was part of a team that produced two national championships, then he went off become the head man at a lesser school.

Will he wind up being another Ray Evernham?

Evernham was the guy behind a lot of Jeff Gordon's success, then went off the be the head man and found his own team.

For Ray, he never saw the success he had with the old team, but no one could deny that he didn't know what he was doing and that he made the team better because he was in charge.

Dan likewise, has already raised the play of the Bulldogs and made them competitive and even winners, but few think he'll ever win it all at Mississippi State.

He and Evernham are brothers separated at birth.

And Who Does Bobby Petrino Coach Like That's in NASCAR?

Like Kyle Busch, Petrino has a game plan, but it doesn't always work out

SEC West, Arkansas

Much was expected when Bobby Petrino came to Arkansas, and it looked like he would deliver, but it's been a few years now and despite piling up a lot of wins, he still doesn't have the important hardware to show for it.

Much like Kyle Busch.

Kyle went to Coach Gibbs team with the high expectations of a proven winner. But just like Petrino, it's been hard to do anything but pile up wins and never make it to the top.

If you want a guy that will get his share of wins, take Petrino or Kyle Busch, but if you want someone to win it all, look elsewhere.

Is There a Nut in NASCAR Like Houston Nutt?

The big prize is always just out of reach, just like with Ryan Newman

SEC West, Ole Miss

Houston Nutt is a coach who's hard to peg. He wins when he's not expected to win, and can lose when he's supposed to win.  He has a good overall record, but he's never made it to the top.

He's sort of like Ryan Newman. He sneaks in some very big wins every once in a while and can make people think he's on the verge of greatness, only to have a turn three crash and burn.

When you think about the similarities, maybe Houston is a long lost uncle or something.

Is There Really Another Les Miles Anywhere, Much Less NASCAR?

"No, I'm not a hothead and if you say that again, I'll come down here and shut your stupid mouth."

SEC West, LSU

You have to love Les Miles. He's living proof that good things can happen to people who sometimes don't have a clue. Such things give us all hope that one day we can win a lottery or some such event like Les did when he landed the job at LSU and inherited a Nick Saban team.

Les Miles reminds me of Tony Stewart. He's been to the top before, but also has been embarrassed by remembering how many laps were laps were left and simply running out of gas. Sounds like Miles' clock management skills to me.

And like Tony, Miles can win and will often. He'll be in the chase and he'll be a contender, but will he ever win it all again?

You know, he could. That's the great thing about both these men. They are far too dangerous to overlook and underestimate. You just have to hope that they implode on themselves.

Gene Chizik's NASCAR Alter Image Looks an Awful Lot Like This Man

Gus says I should do what again?

SEC West, Auburn

Gene Chizik, a man with a national championship ring now, a coach on top of the heap, but is all because of him?

He was actually the side story to Auburn's championship. They say that Gus Malzhan was the coaching genius behind the team and Cam Newton was the other guy who made the Tigers champions.

Chizik was almost overlooked in winning it all.

Who in NASCAR has been down that road?

Not exactly, but when Dale Jarrett did his one time championship, much of the credit was given to excellent calls by Todd Parrott, crew chief extraordinaire and the Robert Yates shop, which was on the top of their game at the time.

After Jarrett's one big season, he was only a championship afterthought for the rest of his career.

Will this be Chizik's fate?

Nick Saban Has Few Equals, but If There's One in Nascar, It Must Be This Man

If Saban had that Earnhardt mustache you could see the resemblence better.

SEC West, Alabama

Nick Saban is a complicated person. He's a man who cares about excellence and all the little things, who's not afraid to say what he thinks to the press. He's a coach who believes you can win by running over teams just as well as running around them.

Sound familiar?

If Saban had a mustache, maybe you could squint as see Dale Earnhardt Sr.

A winner who won't settle for second without a fight. A man who surrounds himself with people who desire winning just like him.

That could go for either man.

And each man will push the rule book right to the edge as hard as they push themselves.

I'm sure there is a branch somewhere that joins that family tree.

And That's It Folks!

Hope you enjoyed the ride through this article.

I welcome comments and your own feedback as to who you think are the NASCAR clones of your favorite coach.

This article was done clearly tongue in cheek and for the amusement of the readers and any perceived insults and slights were purely intentional.

No fish were harmed in the making of this article and these sentences are proof that nobody reads the conclusion slide at the end of these slide shows.