Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/36447
VIEWS FROM THE GRANDSTANDS KAY BELL Hail to the Bad Boys It’s time to quit worrying about corporate image and celebrate the NASCAR drivers who bring passion, thrills and fans to the sport. ithin a one-week span this summer, a four-time NAS- CAR champion claimed an historic victory and a young driver got beat up by one of the sport’s legendary owners. W Guess which event we’re still talking about? Congratulations and all to Jeff Gordon, whose June 12 win at Pocono was the 84th of his career, tying him for third on the all-time list with Hall of Famers Darrell Wal- trip and Bobby Allison. But what we all really want is details on the smackdown that Richard Childress gave Kyle Bush after the June 4 truck race. How mad was Richard? Did Kyle put up any fight before doing his turtle impression after Childress popped him? Where the heck is the You- Tube video? LOOSE LUGNUTS Give NASCAR the boot Racing series champs Tony Stewart (NASCAR) and Lewis Ham- ilton (Formula 1) traded cars in June for a couple of laps around Watkins Glen International, but the real win- ners could be race fans. The drivers maneuvered the extended route at the upstate New York track; it meant they drove the 0.95-mile boot sec- tion of the course. When NASCAR runs at the track, it doesn’t use that section. But after getting to drive it, Stewart proclaimed himself a fan of the longer course. “I think it would create more passing opportunities, for sure,” Stewart said. Michael Printup, president of Watkins Glen, told the Sporting News that he plans to lobby NASCAR about running the full course. Why F1 costs so much If you’ve ever been to a Formula 1 race, you know the tickets can be wallet-explodingly expensive. F1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone is a notorious workaholic who lives a relatively simple life, but the same cannot be said for his youngest daughter, the 22-year-old Petra Ecclestone. Petra, whose only job is being a socialite, is buying the most expensive house in the United 36 TRUCKERS NEWS AUGUST 2011 States — the 100-room, $150 million Los Angeles mansion originally built by TV mogul Aaron Spelling. L.A. is too far from her favorite stores and nightclubs, though, so Petra plans to stay in her $75 million London house and use her new California crash pad only part-time. Keep that in mind when you melt your credit card for tickets to that new F1 race in Texas next summer. Texas two-step stumbles Where do I begin to talk about how wrong the Texas IndyCar race in June went? The much-hyped two races in one night concept could succeed, but it needs work, a lot of work. Let’s start with the obvious, the drawing for a start- ing spot in the second race. It was grossly unfair to put a championship at the mercy of a track gimmick. The racers should have started the sec- ond race in reverse order of where they finished the first one. At least they should have gotten points for each car they passed in the second race. Also a big mistake was the hour break between the two races. Really? You needed all that time to roll out the trailer with rotating tires? C’mon Texas Motor Speedway, you’re better than that. Details of the confrontation remain scarce, but even today it fas- cinates race fans. Heck, even non- NASCAR folk were talking about it. And that’s precisely why we need more. Now I’m not advocating vio- lence. And pit-lane brawls every week sure would make it hard for race crews to get their work done. But that fight’s passion is exactly what’s in short supply at NASCAR. So it’s time for the sport to fully embrace its bad boys. NASCAR’s leadership is trying, as evidenced by its “boys have at it” message to encourage on-track rivalries back in 2010. But it’s only worked to a degree. NASCAR’s reigning bad boy, Kyle Busch, has had some run- ins with competitors, most nota- bly Brad Keselowski. But after some Kevin Harvick name-calling, which wasn’t even face-to-face, their feud fizzled. Another brouhaha, however, seems to be brewing. It again involves Childress Racing and the younger Busch brother. This time, though, it’s Kevin Harvick who’s warning Kyle, through both some aggressive on-track moves at Pocono and post-race comments, that “he ain’t seen nothing yet.’’ You go, Kevin! I applaud Harvick not just because I’m no Kyle fan, but because of all of today’s drivers, he’s the closest in spirit and action to NASCAR’s classic bad boys. Harvick’s “Happy” nickname belies his intensity. Dale Earnhardt Sr. saw it; that’s why Ironhead per- sonally selected Harvick as his suc- cessor. Now it’s time for Harvick to fully assume the Intimidator’s TOM PENNINGTON/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR