THE EVOLUTION OF NASCAR HAS PUT NEW PRESSURES ON THE DRIVERS

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Some critics complain that the evolution of NASCAR has resulted in a sport sanitized for network television.

They point to last year’s victory-lane incident at Talladega, Ala. NASCAR fined Dale Earnhardt Jr. cash and championship points after he used a vulgar word during a live television interview.

To second-generation driver Johnny Sauter, it simply means NASCAR has grown up.

"Obviously, you can’t do the things you sometimes want to do, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing," he said. "I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews. Kids and people look up to these guys, no different than football players or baseball players.

"People can tell you what to do all the time, but you lead by example."

Sanitized or not, drivers agree the demands on their time have increased significantly in recent years as the sport has advanced.

"The sport’s changed a lot in the 25 years I’ve been involved in it," former series champion Terry Labonte said during a recent test session at Bristol Motor Speedway. "The biggest differences are all the people pulling on you in all the different directions – all the obligations you have sponsorship-wise – and the schedule."

Labonte plans to run a reduced schedule for the next two years and retire after that.

"I can remember when you didn’t even make an appearance for sponsors," he said. "We started getting sponsors, and you’d make three or four appearances a year. Now it’s a lot different with all the things the sponsors require you to do.

"When you look around, there are so many different sponsors on the cars, so the drivers stay pretty busy. The schedule is pretty hectic today." More>>>

   

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posted by ADMIN @ Monday, March 28, 2005