There was rain. There were floods. There were even tornado’s in Atlanta. But for the second time in modern history, NASCAR ran on a Tuesday morning.
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[/media-credit]The story that came out of the race was not the Chase points. It wasn’t those that clinched and those that lost all chance of making it. It was the story of persistence. It was the persistence of the fans that stayed and weathered the storm literally. It was the persistence of a 4-time champion who refused to quit. It was the persistence of a 2-time champion who was down and out who lady luck seemed to have forgotten. It was the story of a young man who has seen the bottom over four years and suddenly has found the spark. Persistence was the story of the day.
The race weekend in Atlanta began on Friday. It was hot and humid to the point of being miserable and 87,000 people were there. On Saturday the weather was the same and the fans were still there. On Sunday the skies opened up and delivered a tropical torrential down power and the fans were there until NASCAR finally lost the track about 9 PM. Because of the weather warnings local authorities requested the race be rescheduled for Tuesday morning. Tuesday Morning 16,000 people were in the stands in the cold and damp and endured the on and off heavy mist. The cost of their perseverance was probably very high with 2 missed days of work or more for most. But their dedication to the sport and their favorite drivers was strong and their loyalty unwavering. Their persistence was rewarded with being witness to history being made.
Through the delays there was a burning light. It was a light that had been burning since 1976 in Rio Linda California at a track called Cracker Jack Raceway. A fire that never dimmed and reach heights of greatness that the man it burned inside of only had dreamed of. The 4 time champion had struggled the last 2 years with a long winless streak broken in Texas last spring and punctuated by a crew chief change this winter. It was only two short years ago the media and the fans were talking about Jeff Gordon retiring but he didn’t. Instead he drove hard and on a rainy Tuesday in Atlanta Georgia, Jeff Gordon won his 85th race and secured third place on the all time win list. He continued to forge ahead, believing in himself and his Hendrick Motorsports team and keeping his eye on the prize, another championship.
Two time champion Tony Stewart has been through the gamut of emotions in the last two years, from becoming the owner of his own team, to winning his first race in his own cars to struggling to get out of his own way this year. Smoke’s luck reached rock bottom with an uncharacteristic 30th place finish 2 laps down in Bristol last week. Smoke proclaimed in Michigan that they didn’t need to make the chase if they couldn’t perform any better than they were. “There is no use in being in the chase if you can’t challenge for the win.” He said. So when the white flag flew at Atlanta and Smoke made a classic sprint car dive to the inside of Kurt Busch in a Hail Mary move for 3rd his fans held their breath. Smoke’s talent had never been in question but his luck that was something else. But Smoke held on to the Office Depot Chevrolet and made the move work looking more like the two time daring, devil may care champion that his fans have grown to love. He never gave up. He was frustrated. He was down. But he was never out. He pushed himself and his team harder than he had ever pushed before and he made the decision to succeed and to continue on to the chase.
In June, Dale Earnhardt Jr sat 3rd in the points and was a picture of consistency. But lady luck would not be on his side. A string of bad finishes and misfortunes hit at absolutely the worse time, the end of the race for the chase. The media began doubting he would make the Chase. The slide was terminal they hinted. Even with all the improvement in the driver and the team there was still something missing. Pit stops were slow. The car had no speed. The qualifying efforts were poor. The race results slipped to top 20 finishes instead of top 10 finishes. The nay sayers pointed their fingers and the negativity flowed like water from a tap. But this time something was different about Dale Jr. This time he didn’t give in to the negativity. Instead he said we are working on the problems. He was honest. He was upfront but he never lost his swagger or his confidence. In Atlanta even with a bad car and handling problems, Earnhardt Jr held on to 9th place in the points. Going into Richmond he would only have to pull a 20th or better finish to secure his Chase spot. “That is the job we got, so we will try. I feel confident and you don’t stop trying until it’s over.” Earnhardt said after the race. And that is the secret after all to his being there isn’t it? He never quit trying. He pushed on and in doing so he found that his goal was within his reach.
All of these situations have a common thread. People took control of situations that were not in their control. The fans took control to outlast the weather and show their devotion to their sport. Jeff Gordon took control of his abilities and over came a slump by refusing to accept anything less than being a championship contender. Tony Stewart took a string of bad luck and in true Smoke fashion man handled it until it became something he could out drive. Dale Jr. dug deep inside and reached out for a new voice on the radio and found his confidence and belief in his talents.
All could have walked away. All could have said it was a great ride but… Instead they persisted through the storms, the trials, the bad luck, and the negativity. They reached back and found the time tested and true adage of racing…It ain’t over until the checkered flag waves and the check clears the bank. When they did they found the truth in racing. Persistence equals success every single time.
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Congratulations to Ron Hornaday on his Camping World Truck victory. It was awesome to see the champ in victory lane again.
Congratulations to Carl Edwards on his Nationwide Series win.
Congratulations to Jeff Gordon on his hard fought victory in the Sprint Cup Series and a historical 85th win to take sole position of 3rd on the all time win list. Not bad for a kid whose mustache use to be penciled in with eye brow pencil.
Kudos to Tony Stewart for one of the most incredible Hail Mary passes the sport has seen in a long time.
That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.
Well done!