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I Wasn’t Always a Dale Jr Fan – But Now I Get It

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It was the crowning moment of the career of Nascar’s most popular driver. The 2004 Daytona 500. The chosen son, Dale Earnhardt Jr, had won the race that his father tragically died competing in only three years earlier.

Reports of the day say that everyone in the crowd was on their feet, cheering. Grown men were in tears. It was quite the moment, they say.

Well, I can tell you that there was at least one person that wasn’t cheering. That’s because I was that lone defector.

Don’t get me wrong, I believed in the storyline. The death of Dale Sr. struck me hard. It even happened on my 20th birthday. The personal connection was undeniable. But starting as soon as the following race at Daytona following Dale’s death – the 2001 Pepsi 400 – I just wasn’t into it.

The reason was, the DEI cars were unbeatable at plate tracks. I felt that anyone could pilot one of those to victory lane. And that fact was proven by Michael Waltrip’s multiple wins through the years. Nothing against Mikey, who seems like a nice guy and all, but his record outside of the two superspeedway tracks – Daytona and Talladega – was less than stellar.

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Because of all this, I just didn’t get into the storyline as much as others did. I have that feeling about sports – when the team with the clear advantage wins the game, it just isn’t as exciting as when the underdog pulls it off. That was my issue. Due to the tragedy of his dad’s death, Junior was being put in this underdog-style storyline, yet the cars he was driving were clearly superior and couldn’t help but win.

Unfairly, I’d developed the opposite feeling of seemingly every other Nascar fan. I would root against the DEI cars every time a plate race came around. When Jeff Gordon won a controversial finish at Talladega and the fans pelted his car with beer cans, I was the one at home cheering. Things had gotten ugly between me and Dale Jr.

 

But somewhere along the line, things started to change. As the years went by, I started listening to the post-race interviews more closely. As Dale Jr. aged, and in many ways coinciding with the switch to Hendrick Motorsports, he became an amazing spokesman and great example to the future of the sport. There weren’t many drivers who were less controversial, thoughtful and overall well-spoken that him. His advocacy for the sport at time when attendance was waning was priceless. No amount of publicity could replace his very presence at the track.

Something became obvious to me – the sport needed Dale Jr. His father’s legacy fans were still coming to races, and he was embracing his role as the face of the sport. In the last few years, I actually found myself rooting for the man. And I did always respect his brand loyalty to Chevrolet, an original Nascar manufacturer.

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Unfortunately, just as things were coming around in our relationship that only I knew about, the concussions and subsequent recent retirement announcement came about.

Now, instead of wishing that someone could beat Dale Jr. on the racetrack, I was fearing what it meant when he could no longer win races. Just like his father’s death affected the sport forever, I wonder if Junior’s retirement will have a similar, albeit less depressing, impact on the sport.

With other fan favorites Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart exiting in the two years prior, Nascar is at a crucial crossroads. While you could argue the changing of the guard has happened before with the survival of the sport, this one feels a bit different.

The sport has no choice to be corporate these days, no matter how many changes Monster Energy and the powers that be make in the vein of “boys have at it.” But it seems that every change that is made, there is a plethora of fans via the mighty social media ready to bash the decision.

Do rising stars like Kyle Larsen, Chase Elliot and other have enough to keep Nascar afloat and going into the future? The emergence of electric cars and reduction of fossil fuels, along with increased popularity of and access to other racing series on a more local level has to be a concern.

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And maybe the sport will never quite be the same. We’ve all seen grandstands go away and attendance dwindle. Does the loss of Dale Jr. spell the same kind of doom? After all, while racers have come and gone, the top series hasn’t gone without an Earnhardt since the last 70s- because we all know Jeffrey doesn’t count. That kind of connection through several generations could make this scenario unique.

For now, I choose to immerse myself in this season, and soak up the Dale Jr. time. Come what may, the fact is, there will still be racing in 2018. How the fans react next year and in the years to come – and how Nascar reacts to them – remains to be seen.

 

Wes grew up around cars at the family business. He makes no attempt to hide his love of early 90s GM products, and still repents selling his sweet '94 Pontiac Sunbird a few years back. He is currently a managing partner at phantomcopy.com.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Shrek

    May 16, 2017 at 8:16 am

    Derp

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Ford Continues to Please Minivan-Skeptic Soccer Moms

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Ford Aerostar Minivan Exterior Does Ford Still Make

If the words Aerostar, Windstar and Freestar mean anything to you, you know that Ford is responsible for some of the best minivans ever made. Beginning with the first model Aerostar in 1986, Ford’s snub-nosed minivan set the standard of what would be created by automotive manufacturers in this class for decades.

The Aerostar was also the first minivan in the United States to feature upgraded, luxury packages. With an XLT package, and Eddie Bauer trim levels, the Ford Aerostar allowed drivers to bring passengers, cargo and more in style. For the first time, drivers could take advantage of the versatile and reliable minivan platform, without sacrificing comfort and convenience.

Does Ford Still Make a Minivan?

The Aerostar continued in the mid-90s as the Ford Windstar. The Windstar was a complete reinvention, shifting the drivetrain from RWD to FWD, and bringing the flagship minivan more in line with current minivan design. The Windstar became the Freestar in the early 2000s, lasting until the 2007 model year, with the final Ford “Star line” minivan rolling off the assembly line in December of 2006.

While we don’t know for sure what was behind Ford’s decision to discontinue their family-marketed minivan, we can take a guess. For starters, Ford has extended their reputation for reliable cars and trucks into the crossover market. With options covering a wide range of size and seating configurations (everything from the subcompact Ford Ecosport to the boxy family hauler Ford Flex), crossovers have become the new favorite for family vehicles.

Ford’s versatile crossover line has a vehicle that can meet almost any need. Do you have a small family? Go with the popular 2018 Ford Escape. Big family with lots of stuff to haul? The 2018 Ford Expedition has your back.

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Although crossovers and SUVs provide some distinct advantages (presence of AWD, higher ground clearance, and uni-body construction), the market for minivans hasn’t completely died, and neither has Ford’s commitment to providing drivers with a competent and compelling option.

Good News: Ford Still Makes a Passenger Minivan

ford transit connect passenger van in solar color_oAlthough Ford’s marketing has shifted toward promoting their incredible range of crossovers and SUVs as family choices, they still offer a more traditional minivan in the Ford Transit Connect Passenger Wagon. Utilizing the same body construction as the Ford Transit cargo van, the Transit Connect Passenger Wagon features up to 7 seats, and plenty of standard safety and comfort technology.

Lower ride height (easier in and out), sliding doors and greater visibility are among the reasons people still prefer vans for transporting their families. Additionally, the more contoured shape of most crossovers (not looking at you, Ford Flex) means that vans provide better cargo room! Family of four traveling cross-state with three suitcases? A Ford Explorer should be a great option.

Family of six, with a dog and 10 bags going cross-country, however, and the Ford Transit Connect Passenger Wagon starts to look a lot more up to the job.

Ford has a sterling reputation across the spectrum of vehicles they manufacture. Although the Transit Connect Passenger Wagon isn’t among their more well-known, it’s among the most competent and best value options in the minivan class.

 

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The Essence Of 90’s Chevy Truck Commercials

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If you ever watched television for more than an hour at any time during the 90’s, you probably remember Chevy’s “Like a Rock” commercials. They aired on just about every channel, so they were pretty hard to miss—and pretty hard to forget as well. Even two decades later the sound of Bob Seger belting out those now-famous words is still shockingly memorable. (more…)

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How Basic Is Your Car?

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Very basic.

2014 will certainly go down as the year the basic bitch rose to power, and as far as I’m concerned we are all better for it. You can scoff all you want at the brunch-Instagramming, scented candle-sniffing, about-yoga-raving women (and men) around you, but you know what? That bitch knows how to have a good time and isn’t ashamed of liking things just because other people like them. Yawn to that, anyway. So let’s embrace our inner basic bitch today (she probably smells like coconut shampoo and you know damn well you love that shit, too) and talk about cars. Maybe not the most basic bitch topic of all time, but bitches need transportation, too. The Starbucks window isn’t going to drive through itself.

Here are some signs that you’re driving a basic bitch-mobile:

  • It’s blue.
  • Your console area contains the following items: gum, a sticky air freshener thingy, and a hair tie for when you just gotta get that shit off your neck for a minute and you will probably use it to make a messy-on-purpose bun of sorts.
  • You get about 154 horsepower (but you don’t know that).
  • There’s a decal anywhere on it that you have and will continue to use the word “fun” to describe. If said decal is a stick-figure depiction of your family in descending height order, you are a basic mom bitch (your mommy blog is getting all kinds of traffic ever since your tirade about breastfeeding went semi-viral; your eldest child is very embarrassed about the whole thing and the other kids at school call her “boobytitter” now).

  • You are “so obsessed” with your heated seats.

  • Our recent article about Kim Kardashian’s car collection made you mad because you’re sick of people saying she doesn’t deserve to be famous. Whatever, they’re obvs just jealous.

  • Your key ring has a fuzzy thing on it. Or something pertaining to your zodiac sign. So Capricorn of you!

  • Somewhere in your car you have a separate pair of shoes because “you try driving in platforms.” Also you got that reference immediately.

  • One might use the word “zippy” when describing it. You certainly have.

To be sure, some of these pertain a lot more to the person driving it than the car itself. But such is the nature of the basic bitch, imbuing all aspects of her live-laugh-loving life with her basicality. You should see her bedroom. Adorbs!

If you glimpsed a bit of yourself in any of the above, there’s no need to be ashamed. Just like that thing you shared on Facebook this morning says: ~*~Love yourself first, and everything will work out as it should. ~*~

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