You Asked For It! ~ "Are We Justified By Tenure?"
5/06/2014
PattyKay Lilley
I bid
you welcome gentle readers, to yet another discussion about us... the race fans...
and perhaps of shoes and ships and sealing wax... of cabbages and kings; who
knows? To our assigned reader in the lovely city of Charlotte, North Carolina,
you are more than welcome to come along for the ride as we see where this one
will take us. In our last conversation we discussed how learning about the
sport could turn folks from being merely casual spectators to being devout fans.
That's something that probably holds true in most aspects of life. Knowledge brings
understanding, tolerance and acceptance and quite often, love
and/or respect.
During
that discussion, my partner, Jim Fitzgerald, posed a question that actually
took the discussion in a somewhat different direction, and that is the
direction we'll take today.
Have you ever
noticed that NASCAR fans are the only fans who feel the need to qualify
themselves with tenure?
"I've been a
NASCAR fan since 1986, and this is the silliest thing I've ever
seen!"
"I watched
Richard Petty win his first Daytona 500 and I tell you there's only one
King!"
I listen to people
talk a lot, and that usually how it starts!
Hmm... yes
Jim, I have noticed that, and I sadly have to admit that the greatest offenders
in that regard are those of my generation, aka the old pharts.
As I said earlier, I saw my first Grand National race in 1955... and my second, some 30 years later. There is no badge of
honor earned or claimed there; it's simply fact.
This
scribe is 75 years old and makes no bones about it. That makes me older than
most of the living race fans (or drivers) I know, so I think one would safely
describe me as an "old fan", or just plain old if you like. If it's
all the same to everyone, let's just skip the usual game of "Can You Top
This" played by so many folks of a "certain age." There are old
folks out there that will never change their minds about what is or isn't
racing... all of it run in yesteryear is and anything you might have
watched later, even if it was 30 years ago, isn't.
Got
that? Even more descriptive is when venue becomes involved. If your racing
wasn't done in a state ending in Carolina, then it wasn't real racing, though an
occasional exception might be made for a race run in Virginia, providing it was
run on a dirt oval of 1/2-mile or less in length. I've long since learned to
nod in agreement, then walk away with a sigh, shaking
my head imperceptibly. My definition of a race fan is not someone that was once
involved but now goes out of his way to put down, defame, denigrate and/or
disparage all that is new or different. The person I happily recognize as a fan
is that man or woman, boy or girl that sees something of value in every race,
old or new, North or South, East or West, short track, road course or long oval.
That person looks forward to it all and says with a smile, "Let's go
racing!"
But
fandom (Is that even a word?) isn't the only thing to be held in disdain by some
of the old purists that know racing simply because they're
older than you are. Also sneered at are
the new as opposed to old race broadcasters, or
talking heads if you will. This new quarrel (Oh, I want to say the
"B" word SO badly here) about the quality of someone else's
livelihood comes in a couple of varieties. Either the age of the broadcaster
him or herself is in question or the age of the racers he or she is talking
about rubs someone the wrong way.
What can
be gleaned from conversations among those Good Ol' Boys is that all racing
shows should be done by folks that remember and can speak with authority on
such gentlemen as Red Byron, Lloyd Seay, Roy Hall, Curtis
Turner, Herb Thomas, Lee Petty, all brothers named Flock, Fireball Roberts and
anyone else that was a contemporary of that era, namely the 1950 and early
1960s. That apparently makes one old enough to be worthy of some unnamed
distinction and it's what makes up a racing show worth listening to.
Never
mind that the only ones around that remember those racers are my age or older,
and there aren't a whole helluva lot of us left. I
have no idea to whom they would like to listen. Ken Squier is long retired and
not coming back. Chris Economaki checked out a couple years back for that big
racetrack in the sky. Bob Jenkins and Ned Jarrett fit the same description as
Ken Squier, being simply too old and not at all interested in doing that again.
The current crop from FOX generate emotions ranging
from extreme dislike to outright hatred, despite pleadings to the contrary. That, gentle readers, sometimes reaches alarming proportions.
Mike
Joy, a gentleman for whom I have the utmost respect and regard, is seen as a
bumbling fool that simply can't get his facts right, though the facts according
to the Good Ol' Boys are always accurate beyond reproach. Larry McReynolds, a
man that definitely does know how to work on, fix or even build a racecar, is
demeaned for poor English, meaning he speaks "Southern", which though
many of them do as well, is somehow equated with "stupid" when uttered
by Larry. And then there's Darrell Waltrip. Gentle readers, I will admit that Waltrip's voice is annoying to a fault, and has been since
his racing days. (Consult Cale Yarborough about "Jaws") He knows that
and frankly, he doesn't care. I will also concede however, that he and I suffer
from the same affliction. As children, we each opened our mouth and neither has
ever been closed again. When looked at in that light, I guess it's only to be
expected that neither Darrell nor I will ever win a popularity contest in that
arena. The open hatred heaped on Darrell though, is disconcerting and unwarranted;
though I'm quite sure Darrell isn't too upset. He is a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee
with 84 Wins, 276 Top Fives, 390 Top Tens, 59 poles
and three Winston Cup Championships to his credit... and his critics have
accomplished... what?
Has any
of that answered your question Jim? Yes, I've noticed it and no, I really can't
account for why it seems unique only to stock car racing. Perhaps old football
fans see the value in rules changes and safety equipment that make the game safer today than it was in yesteryear, while
old race fans merely see it as change for the sake of change, wrought by interlopers
not known as "Big Bill." Vince Lombardi isn't around anymore either,
but the game goes on. One thing I know is involved is a degree of bitterness
seldom seen in any sport, but I'm at a complete loss as how to explain it since
I don't begin to understand why it exists.
Were the
good ol' days really that good? Is racing today really that bad? Are the
announcers today really ignorant and uninformed? I'd answer, "Not just no,
but Hell no!" to all those questions. Racing today is actually far more
competitive than it was in the 1950s or 1960s. Once again, you're invited to go
to http://racing-reference.info/ and check any race of that period, on any
track, or all of them if you have time. Look for how many cars are on the lead
lap... competitive with the winner... and how many laps down were second,
third, fourth, fifth places, etc. There is a difference between racing and
driving fast, but for some inexplicable reason that cannot be explained to the
same folks that glibly say such things as, "Second place is just the first
loser."
And
now, a word or two for my gentle readers. Everyone seems to be loving
the Classic Country Closeout, and that makes me happy, as I can never get
enough of good Country music. BUT... we're really here to talk about NASCAR
racing, and there has been a drastic fall-off in comments on that score. The
racing conversations we have here are more for the benefit of the good folks at
NASCAR than anything else. That's the whole point of an interactive column...
and I'm betting that if all we talk about is music, no one but that entry level
scanner is ever going to read it but you and I. Comments on Twitter fall into
that same category. Please, bring them here to the articles, where they can be
shared by the folks that matter. Thank
you, from the bottom of my heart.
Choosing
which song to play next is quite a problem, as I want to play them ALL! Last
time, we had Red Foley, so it's only fair that this time,
we have his friend Tex Ritter. For the younger folks, Tex was the father of TV
comedian John Ritter best known for his role in "Three's Company."
Tex was truly a man for all seasons, having done many Western movies and sung
songs of many variations, some sweet, some of love, some comedic and some for
children. He was a supreme story teller and obviously a man of many talents. The
song I've chosen today is truly a "golden oldie", recorded by hundreds
of artists over many years, but in my estimation, this version is far and away
the best. Please enjoy Tex Ritter singing, "Jealous Heart."
Be well
gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good on you!
~
PattyKay