First off, let me say, it feels great to write another piece again. It has been a while. School has been my priority as I finish up my pursuit of my Masters in Business Administration. The plan is to start writing more in my free time again. Anyways, on to the topic at hand.
For anyone who has followed NASCAR this season, the racing with the new car has been sub par AT BEST. I know it is early with the new car, as does most everyone else. Denny Hamlin was asked and gave an honest response about the car after the Phoenix Sprint Cup Series race last week, saying they were hard to pass in, and that there was a lot of work to get the cars to where they can pass. He addressed tires, newness of the car, aero, and so on as the factors to it. He wasn't snide or disrespectful, just honest and to the point with no sugar coating or political correctness.
The Hamlin Interview
Denny was fined $25,000 for comments made in this interview by NASCAR for his comments which NASCAR found disparaging to the new, MUCH HYPED Gen 6 car. The response by the fans was nearly unanimous. #StandWithDenny trended on Twitter after the announcement, and MANY fans sent messages of encouragement to Denny on the social media site. Media and fellow drivers were very mixed and not nearly as supportive. Denny came out and said HE WOULDN'T TAKE IT and WILL NOT pay the fine. He is in the process of appealing the fine as we speak. For a series that wanted drivers to be honest and speak up and have personality, this is a total step in the wrong direction. Some have pointed out other sports fine players/coaches/others for similar things. My counter to them is simple. Is it right JUST because others handle matters that way? If there is something that NEEDS to be said, it SHOULD be said. I'm not saying someone should just go out and openly bash a series. State what an issue is, and be done with it. That is exactly why I, and many others, are irritated with NASCAR. I STAND WITH DENNY!! HE'S NOT GONNA TAKE IT!! Until next time friends, enjoy your racing on the dirt, pavement, road course, drag strip, short tracks and superspeedways.
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I'm right there with ya bud. Totally ridiculous! That's why other drivers weren't nearly as supportive because they are now afraid that they will be disciplined too! Those comments were not disparaging to NASCAR in any way. It is not like he said that there is no way that the car will ever be successful...he just stated that there are still some improvements to be made, which anyone can see, and like have been needed with anything new used in NASCAR. That would be like them fining a driver because they said there needed to be improvements made to safety features used at racetracks...that would be completely uncalled for, and this situation pretty much is uncalled for too. I am disappointed with NASCAR on this.
ReplyDeleteYeah. They want drivers to be more loose and natural with interviews. Hamlin was just that. He paid for it since it involved calling out an issue with the new car. I look for drivers to be a lot more shelled and PC because of this. Quite honestly, it sucks. No other way to put it. NASCAR really made itself look bad this time around in the eyes of the people they need to have a good image with, the fans.
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