It took almost exactly five months for NASCAR to flip-flop on itself. Remember back in January when Brian France told fans that the sport wanted to get back to basics and wanted to let the drivers show their personalities more?
Flash forward to last Friday at Michigan when drivers were all called into a meeting to get a lecture about their complaining about how they don’t like the new car, how they can’t pass each other and how they wish somebody would do something to make the racing better.
What that seems to mean is that it’s OK with NASCAR if the drivers call each other names and jab their fingers at each other so they come off looking like third-graders fighting over who’s “it” during recess. But it’s out of bounds when it comes to saying something bad about NASCAR.
I’d say that NASCAR can’t have it both ways but, for the love of Pete, that sure doesn’t keep it from trying.
Race fans cannot possibly be as dumb as NASCAR’s top officials seem to believe they are. If they were, fans couldn’t find their way to the track if they lived next door. Some of the people at NASCAR actually seem to believe that if the drivers and the media weren’t telling the fans that it’s bad when cars can’t pass each other the fans would actually believe that.
When it suits NASCAR’s purposes, on matters like pensions and drug testing and liability issues, the drivers are “independent contractors.” But when NASCAR wants to control them, they act like they’re indentured servants.
I know, I know - it’s that whole having it both ways thing again.
Flash forward to last Friday at Michigan when drivers were all called into a meeting to get a lecture about their complaining about how they don’t like the new car, how they can’t pass each other and how they wish somebody would do something to make the racing better.
What that seems to mean is that it’s OK with NASCAR if the drivers call each other names and jab their fingers at each other so they come off looking like third-graders fighting over who’s “it” during recess. But it’s out of bounds when it comes to saying something bad about NASCAR.
I’d say that NASCAR can’t have it both ways but, for the love of Pete, that sure doesn’t keep it from trying.
Race fans cannot possibly be as dumb as NASCAR’s top officials seem to believe they are. If they were, fans couldn’t find their way to the track if they lived next door. Some of the people at NASCAR actually seem to believe that if the drivers and the media weren’t telling the fans that it’s bad when cars can’t pass each other the fans would actually believe that.
When it suits NASCAR’s purposes, on matters like pensions and drug testing and liability issues, the drivers are “independent contractors.” But when NASCAR wants to control them, they act like they’re indentured servants.
I know, I know - it’s that whole having it both ways thing again.
