The taming of Tony

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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Good interview on last nights Late Shift show, SIRIUS/XM 128, with Bob Margolis.

Do you remember when you never knew what to expect from Tony week to week? Knock a tape recorder from a journalists hand. Donate a million to VJC. Gordon -vs- Stewart, Watkins Glen 2000. What happened to that guy? Tamed by NASCAR? Now we know what to expect. Did he just grow up or was he called to the hauler to many times?

Where has the character gone in this sport?

Where are all of the 'bad guys'?

Feuds, feuds, feuds..... Rivalry is what is needed. Doesn't that drive many sports? It gets people watching. Just see how many people tune into the Vikings/Green Bay game this weekend.

Keselowski/Hamlin could shape up to be one for next season in Cup but after a couple of calls to the hauler, they'll probably be quelled too. Sad.

Blast from the past! This is the kind of stuff that's needed in this sport to generate some more excitement.

Gordon vs Stewart at Watkins Glen
 
Sorry, but I think this whole "taming Tony" thing is stupid.

For one thing, Tony needs to be more relaxed and in control of his emotions now. He's not only a driver, but he's an owner now too. He's the face of SHR. When he was with JGR, he could afford to mouth off, push reporters around, etc. That's because it was Joe Gibbs job to fix things on the back end. He was the one that would make the sponsors happy again.

So what happens now if Tony mouths off? Sponsors leave the team, and depending on what he does there could be fines/points lost. He's screwed. It also doesn't help moral for the team if he's back-talking to his crew, and he's also the boss.

Tony has a lot more at stake now being a driver/owner. As a result, he needs to watch what he says and does.
 
I think you're missing my point. I simply used Tony as an example. The sport has been tamed by the ruling body of NASCAR. Where's the excitement that that part of the sport generated? Drivers are becoming too vanilla.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I think you're missing my point. I simply used Tony as an example. The sport has been tamed by the ruling body of NASCAR. Where's the excitement that that part of the sport generated? Drivers are becoming too vanilla.
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I think you're also missing the point. Tony is a bad example to use because he's had a major change in his role in the sport.

As far as there being no rivalries, did you miss the Martinville race? What about the on-going fued between Kyle Busch and Junior? What about Montoya versus Gordon? What about Brad Keselowski versus the entire field in Memphis?

I'll agree with you that drivers reactions to on-track altercations are more vanilla. There's almost never any more fights, heated exchanges on camera, and drivers are too quick to say they're sorry. That's partly NASCAR's fault for cracking down on it, but also because drivers have more to lose than they did 20 years ago. NASCAR is a major sport now, and there's no lack of talented drivers who want to get into the Cup series.

There might be fewer long-term rivals, and NASCAR should ease up on that, but there's no lack of rivalries.
 
The old Tony was gone long before becoming an owner.

Kyle Busch has been disappearing right in front of us as this season has progressed.

Kyle Busch and Junior, I have to look hard just to see if they're on the track at the same time. There hasn't been any competition among those two. Fans maybe?

A rivalry lasts more than a 4hr time span on a Sunday afternoon.

The sport is nothing like it used to be when it comes to rivalries. There's not much emotion anymore. When there is a hint of it, it's tended to quickly.
 
You might want to try Major League Baseball or the NFL. There's no shortage of jerks there.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Kyle Busch and Junior, I have to look hard just to see if they're on the track at the same time. There hasn't been any competition among those two. Fans maybe?
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I think fans make the rivals. Look at Earnhardt and Gordon. They weren't rivals between themselves, but the clash of cultures of the fans is what made this a huge rivalry that has lasted even beyond Earnhardt's life.

dpkimmel2001 said:
The sport is nothing like it used to be when it comes to rivalries. There's not much emotion anymore. When there is a hint of it, it's tended to quickly.
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I agree with you there. The long-term rivalries aren't there, and nether is the emotion. I think this is partly because drivers aren't as aggressive as they used to be.

Two drivers who will fix that in a hurry: Montoya and Keselowski. Both of them made some new enemies over the weekend.
 
foehammer111 said:
I think fans make the rivals. Look at Earnhardt and Gordon. They weren't rivals between themselves, but the clash of cultures of the fans is what made this a huge rivalry that has lasted even beyond Earnhardt's life.

The long-term rivalries aren't there, and nether is the emotion. I think this is partly because drivers aren't as aggressive as they used to be.

Two drivers who will fix that in a hurry: Montoya and Keselowski. Both of them made some new enemies over the weekend.
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I agree with all of that and I hope that you're right about Montoya and Keselowski.
 
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