It is funny how some things bother a person. I have touched on the subject of start and park entries recently, I have even managed to understand why a Joe Nemechek does it in order to help fund his Nationwide operation. I think it bush league, but I do not condemn the man for taking advantage of the rules in order to better do what he loves to do. However, after the Sprint Unlimited, I am finding that I am becoming less understanding.

Even a few days after the event, it still bothers me. 19 cars entered the exhibition contest, six got taken out in a single wreck early, while a dozen others continued running a second apart late into the affair. One entry, the #32 of Terry Labonte, parked after just two laps. The reason was due to a vibration, which for years has been code for the car being parked before it got marked up, to save on tires, to quit. While the others raced, it appears Labonte merely did a couple of parade laps then hit the garage. If indeed they simply quit, with no intention of actually racing, then I am starting to understand why a racer like Ken Schrader was replaced by Labonte just a couple of days ahead of time. Why go through the charade?

In 1997, hockey legend Gordie Howe made a one game comeback at the age of 69 to allow him to claim he played professional hockey in six straight decades. He played one shift. Still, the play continued on as in any game, Howe got in the action, even laid the lumber on an opposing player. No, he did not play well, but at least he did not just do a parade lap and leave.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe after two laps the car just shook, rattled, and rolled. Maybe. To be honest, I don’t knowif anyone noticed if Texas Terry was behind the wheel, his brother Bobby, Schrader, a Mrs. Labonte, or Rex the Wonder Dog. Does anyone remember their primary sponsor? Does anyone even care? Terry Labonte was too great a driver to merely provide chauffer service to parade a car around the track for a couple of laps in the middle of a race. You might as well sent out Ricky Bobby. Somebody should be ashamed.

Meanwhile, is it such a big deal that Danica Patrick won the pole for the Daytona 500? Yes and no. Yes, it is a validation of sorts to have this female driver be the first of her gender to manage the feat. No, in that Tony Stewart put her in one of his cars because she can drive, he is convinced of her talent, and that she belongs out on the track. Danica Patrick should be out on the track not because she is a female novelty but because she is a driver. She wants to race. I’m pretty sure that when they drop the green flag on Sunday she will do more than parade around for a couple of laps then park.

That is something I guess they leave to former two time Cup champions. Enjoy the race.

It was a beautiful day on November 5th, 2000. I remember that day very clearly. It was my FIRST ever NASCAR race. I was so excited. I was 8 years old and I had an obsession with rainbows, hence why I was a Jeff Gordon fan. I remember seeing all of the fans anxious in anticipation for the green flag to drop. I could hear the track announcer mentioning something about Rusty Wallace. I only assumed that he was starting on the pole, which he was.

There was so much action! There were at least 5-6 drivers that had a chance to win that race from the way the lead kept changing hands. Jeff Burton was the class of the field for most of the day, but guys like Jeremy Mayfield, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, and Ricky Rudd also had pretty solid cars. Unfortunately for Rudd, he had some sort of issue and wound up like 37th. It was my older brother’s first time at a race, and it was for my mother as well. She was really funny. She asked so many questions, but she would always ask me because of course NASCAR was and still today is my obsession. I’m in love with it. I thought it was annoying at first, but later on it would prove to be a defining moment in my life.

I had never had so much fun in my entire life. Wow! This is what it feels like to be a true NASCAR fan. I was sitting on the backstretch seats that Phoenix used to have and it amazed me at the representation of drivers you saw out there. I was so amazed that I saw the Labonte fans, the Gordon fans, and the Stewart fans for example. Bobby fans were booing Terry, and Terry fans were booing Bobby. I was like, “These fans are competitive as well.”

But nothing meant more than after the race walking back to the car. It was a zoo. That’s for sure. We were all in a pack with some other fans that were just leaving and no one was paying attention, but someone in a golf cart was slowly driving past us. It was Dale Earnhardt. No one even noticed him. I didn’t even notice him, but the person that I taught about NASCAR earlier in the race, did. That was my mom. She said, “Hi, Dale Earnhardt.” Everyone just stopped as if zombies had invaded the Earth, then everyone looked up and screamed at the top of their lungs. Dale was surprised and got all red and smiled that smile that so many people in NASCAR have had a privilege to see. I didn’t like Dale before that race. I thought he was just a dirty old man, but after that I realized that he was just like any other person. That was when I became a Dale Earnhardt fan. And it was on November 5, 2000 that I came face to face with the greatest driver that NASCAR has ever seen. Dale Earnhardt was a driver on the track, but the next day he was your next door neighbor.