The Price Of Being Human

No matter the outcome of a race, the first thing one usually hears with in a matter of minutes is someone complaining about the attitude shown by one or more drivers during any given race. It doesn't matter which driver it is, who won the race, where someone finished in the race, without fail there are always those that go out of their way to simply complain about a driver's attitude be it good or bad. Either a driver won but had too much attitude while doing so and either won via means that not everyone approves of, or they didn't win and showed too much attitude via their actions and comments after the race. Some even go as far to say that a driver doesn't even belong behind the wheel simply because they don't aprove of someone's supposed attitude no matter who they are or the reasons behind the public display be they physical or verbal. We have all seen people that do this, and it is not a one or two time event, but every week, after every race, there they are without hesitiation and often times without even thinking through things.

I wonder if they have ever taken the time to ask themselves a question, or even if those that aren't necessarily complaining have bothered to stop and ask themselves, what exactly is the price that the drivers pay for either showing what one thinks is too much attitude or even too little attitude. The first thing that people need to realize is that the drivers no matter who they are, share one thing in common with every single fan, and that is that we're all human. Yes a driver may posess a natural talent that few others can exhibit, and yes they are indeed thrust upon us in almost every aspect of our lives, but that does not take away from the fact that they too have emotions, faults, weaknesses, and difficulties just like each fan that has ever tuned in to a race or stepped foot on the hollowed grounds of Daytona. They climb in the car each week and often times leave a family behind at home, or sitting in the stands, with no real asurance that they'll ever see them again. They devote their entire lifetime to the sport of racing, often times sacrificing everything they love up to and including their marriages, their friends, their family, and sometimes even their lives. So after all of this, is it really that surprising that from time to time they do tend to show some emotions on the track be they good or bad ? Is it really that hard to fathom that eventually they have no choice but to simply be that which they are, human ?

There is of course a price that one must pay when they do show that human side that often times is done so at the most inconvenient times, such as in front of the camera, immediately after a race, or even prior to a race. Now what exactly that price is often varies from driver to driver, owner to owner, and event to event. Some drivers will show a horrible childish attitude at the conclusion to a race and will often times go unpunished by everyone associated with them, and other times someone can simply say the wrong thing and are immediately hauled into the trailer and handed a stiff penalty that often time will result in points lost and a bruised reputation. It isn't just those that show attitude that also pay a price, but often times has become those that show no attitude that can often wind up paying the greatest price of all.

When a driver is considered to have an attitude, it of course can vary from one extreme to the other, and often times will follow them around for a good portion of their careers no matter how many races or championships they win. We have seen some of the all time greats come across the starting line that have carried some of the most remembered attitudes. The late Dale Earnhard was known as the Intimidator for a reason, he had the attitude of someone who would do what it took to win a race and if you weren't going to get out of his way, then he was going to move you out of his way as no one was going to stop him from his goal of crossing that finish line first. There was a time when due to his attitude he was one of if not the most hated man on the track for many, many years. He was booed, jeered, had things thrown at him, was cursed at, threatened, and yet he just kept right on going and doing what he did best, winning championships. Earnhardt wasn't the only one that often times was hated, as some of the best we've seen have carried that same attitude with them. Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and even Jimmie Johnson have all in their own ways, carried with them the mentality of win at all costs. This thought process or "attitude" does indeed follow them around, and often times dictates the process by which they are dealt with. Some drivers who have a known history of the outward showing of emotion are often times not given the benefit of the doubt in a situation, rather they immediately become the person viewed at as the instigator. Usually however, they often times will not have any trouble in having their choice of owners in which to driver for, even with this supposed attitude issue.

You see, it's those same people that we view as having a little too much outward emotion, that are the same drivers that an owner can always rely on to give them the best possible chance at winning a championship. Yes these same drivers are often times an all or nothing risk, but that is a risk owners are usually willing to take if it gives them the best shot at the end result. They aren't left wondering at the end of the day what might have happened had they done this or done that, if maybe they had done something that they didn't do. They take every chance, explore every possibility, and leave nothing out on the track. When one brings to the table the ability to win on any given race day, they are given a little more opportunity to be who they are, at least by the owners and crew. Talent can often times be looked upon to help balance out any negatives that a driver may bring to the table from the owner's point of view. This often times doesn't carry over beyond the garage, but it is the owner and crew that must work with the driver on a daily basis and usually are the only ones who truly have insight to who a driver really is other than those who might know the driver off the track, but they are often times not first hand witnesses to the emotional meltdowns that owners and crews are exposed to.

Then there are those who seem to never show any outward emotion and simply just take things as they come. These often times are people that most would consider to be very respected drivers, and fairly talented drivers. Often times they are also some of the drivers with the most longetivity in the sport, and even have been known to string together great stretches of top finishes, such as Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, and even Greg Biffle. These are drivers that often times are given the benefit of the doubt when a situation arises, are usually never called into the trailer for disciplinary reasons, and tend to never be the recepient of a driver trying to get even on the track. Often times they will carry a rather decent sized fan base, and occasionally will get offered a good sponsorship deal that can place them in a better situation than they were previously. These drivers bring a lot to the table, and they too make great sacrifices to get where they are in the sport, but too often they are lacking one thing that many times can define a driver's career, a championship. For whatever reason, these drivers often posess the talent to win a championship, and will on occasion come close to winning the championship, but eventually come up short when it matters most. Now there are a variety of reasons and excuses that are given by the driver, the crew, the owner, and even the fans as to why this happens year after year, but ultimately there is only one thing that seperates the champion calibre driver from the almost made it driver, and that is attitude.

When you as a driver are strapped into a two ton machine capable of reaching speeds in excess of 200 mph., and are then thrown out on a small enclosed track with 42 other drivers who are in metal machines with the same capabilities, it often will come down to that driver who under any circumstances and whatever the cost, will stop at nothing to achieve victory. They will bump, push, rub, and crash their way around the track, and they will seek revenge on any and every driver that attempts to deny them of their win. Those without that win at all costs mentality are often the recepients of a bump telling them to move over, and too often they simply move aside and let others through else they may appear to have an attitude. Ultimately, it boils down to one of two things, either a driver can be seen as having an attidue with the ability to win championships, or he can be seen as the nice guy who finishes somewhere behind the winners.

For me, there is no choice between the two, if on their way to winning a championship a driver happens to show that indeed he is simply human and is deemed as having an issue with showing emotion and attitude, then that is something I am more than willing to put up with, as a driver isn't paid to be nice, a driver is paid to win. If someone can't win, then no matter how nice of a guy they might be, there is no place for them on the teams that are serious about winning. Yes it may seem harsh, and it may even seem cruel, but in this business, it is the truth. We as fans may not like when a driver shows attitude, and we might even verbally crucify him for showing that attitude, but when it's our driver that shows the attitude and follows it up with a win, we're more than happy to forget about the attitude. When it's not our driver, of course we're all too quick to attack the driver for his emotional meltdowns, but whether we choose to admit it or not, it's because we know that driver is too often than not, going to wind up beating our driver week in and week out. So next time you decide to take offense to a driver's attitude, ask yourself is it really his attitude you're upset with, or is it the fact that while your driver may not show attitude, or as some put it "throwing a fit", he's also not winning championships. Sure being the nice guy might prevent one from undue criticism, but at the end of the season, is it really worth it when you're sitting out of contention ?