Later that year, in June
at Pocono Raceway, another race ended under caution. One fan was so outraged that he threw his own cooler at one of the flagmen
in the flag stand.
Lately when Gordon wins
there aren't as many cans thrown at him as we saw in '04 at Talladega or again last Sunday, but there are usually a few, even
after he won his 76th race two weeks ago at Phoenix, as he saluted Seven-Time Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt by flying his infamous
black No. 3 flag some beer cans were flying.
Following the Phoenix
race, NASCAR and most of their higher-ups, including the FOX Sports commentators, called any action like that detrimental
to the sport, and said that anyone who does that are not considered "fans".
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who
thought that Gordon's flying of his late father's flag was "cool", suggested that if anyone was going to throw anything, let
it be toilet paper. That way if it didn't reach the track, it wouldn't hurt any fans in the grandstands. He also voiced his
displeasure of the fans who did toss items onto the track surface.
Fast-forward to Sunday,
when Gordon won his 77th career win. Grant Lynch, the president of Talladega Superspeedway, warned fans that if anyone threw
anything on the track following the conclusion of the Aaron's 499, they would be reprimanded.
Some didn't listen, again throwing
debris at Gordon and other cars around him. The track brought in extra security in case this very thing happened, and in all
14 "fans" were arrested. On Tuesday it was announced that the barbaric people will never be allowed into the track premises
again. While 14 does not account for the others that violated the track's policy, more security will be brought in the future.
The thing that these
people don't realize is that if this keeps up, you've got to be concerned of tracks that might start banning coolers of any
type into the track. Fans would then be forced to pay an arm and a leg for something that may only cost $2 outside the track.
It's something to consider
the next time you bring a ton of beers to the track to enjoy a race.
Here's another thing
-- NASCAR has always been known as a sport that revolves around "Rednecks". Lately, the sport has become more mainstream with
huge TV contracts and big corporate sponsors getting involved in the sport.
It seems that lately
people's opinion of NASCAR may have changed, but those opinions aren't worth much when they turn on the TV and see helpless
"fans" throwing beer cans onto the track because their guy didn't win the race.
Questions, Comment;
Email Jack
The views and opinions in this article are that
of the writer(s) and not necessarily that of SCR
2006 StockCar Review.
