The Tooting Of One's Own Horn

There comes a time in everyone's life be they a driver, an owner, a crew member, or even a fan, that one does something they deserve they should get credit for. Sometimes it's something that goes unnoticed, and other times it's something that is noticed just not talked about. Some people choose to just go through life doing what they do, and others choose to go through life making sure that if they're going to do something, they ensure everyone not only knows about it, but will keep reminding people about it until they get the desired results. This is something that can often times be done without one even knowing that they are indeed doing it, and yet others know they do it and simply don't care.

Jimmie Johnson is one of those that seems to like to toot his own horn. Prior to the start of the season, there was a poll taken about who the favorite would be going into the season to come away with the Sprint Cup Championship. Jimmie Johnson even after winning three championships in a row, was not named the pre-season favorite. This is something that for one reason or another upset him, and not only did he respond to it, but did so publicly. He gathered up the press, and issued a statement how he was upset that he wasn't named the favorite to win the championship heading into the 2009 season. It was something that bothered me for a couple different reasons. The first being that it shouldn't matter to Jimmie if he's favored or not to win the championship as long as he goes out there and does his best to win four in a row. He wasn't favored to win it the first year that he won it, but alas he took home the championship. When Dale Earnhardt won his seventh, he wasn't picked to win it prior to the season starting, but yet he went out there and did what few thought he could do. It seems Jimmie almost values public opinion over performance, and that's a scary thought, because as we all know the public can and does change their opinions so often that one can never count on the public to carry them through a season.

Drivers aren't the one ones that are guilty of this though. We have seen team owners come out and talk about how they have dominated this track or dominated that track. We've seen them talk about how their drivers are running well, and they tell us this week after week after week. They talk about how they've had this championship and that championship and how people should be thrilled to driver for him or her, and how the fans should have more appreciation for what his or her drivers do on and off the track. This isn't something that owners should even be concerning themselves with as they have a hard enough time keeping teams running, drivers in sponsors, and teams from being short handed. Their priorities should be on their crews and their drivers, not on remind the fans time after time what they've done previously. One can only live on their past accomplishments for so long, but some tend to feel that since they aren't accomplishing anything now, they can relish in the past for a few more seasons before they're forced to do something.

We also see it in commentators, writers, and personalities. They will often go out of their way to make sure someone notices their work. They'll harp about something they've done, something they've written, or something they've said, almost to the point people become sick of hearing about it, and then they'll mention it a few more times just to ensure no one has forgotten. You'll hear someone get on the pre-race and they'll talk about an interview they conducted with someone years ago, they'll then show highlights of it, mention it several more times, and then bring it up again half way through the race as if people somehow missed it the first fifty times they were told. People will win an award, or a nomination, or even a promotion, and they'll be in your face making sure you have noticed it, and they won't stop until they're sure everyone has been made aware of their accomplishment. To them it doesn't seem that the work is enough, but instead they must fuel their egos by promoting their accomplishments time and time again instead of simply letting their work and accomplishments speak for themselves. It's almost as if they make it appear that they only reason they do what they do is simply an effort to see how much praise they can get lavished upon themselves, as if somehow just doing what they do isn't reward enough.

Then we have those drivers, owners, writers, commentators, and personalities that seem to just go about doing what they do and don't bother tooting their own horn. Never do you hear someone like Tony Stewart get on television outside of an interview and talk about how great his IRL career was, or how his R/C team is doing, or how he brought Eldora up from the ashes to the great track it is today. We don't hear Richard Childress get out there in front of the cameras and week after week talk about what he used to do as an owner with Dale or how well he ran with Dale, or how lucky he was to work with Dale, or how he's a multi-champion owner, instead he does what he's supposed to do as an owner and that is to ensure his current drivers have the best shot each and every week to be the first across that finish line in an effort to work towards the future, and to win a new championship. We don't see Jay Busbee out there sending alerts to his mailing list to make sure they read his latest article, or to bring attention to a comment he may have gotten on his article. He doesn't continue to remind us of awards he's received, and he doesn't harp on his past stories except in the case he uses it as a reference point. These are the type of people that simply do what they do because they love it. They aren't out there for recognition, awards, praise, applause, or even to be noticed. If the spotlight is on them it is because theyre doing something right, not because they're jumping up and down saying look at me, look what I did.

When you do something in life, do it to your best and take pride in your work. If someone lavishes you with praise or gives you an award, or hands you a promotion, then that's great and it's nice that you have been noticed for your hard work and effort. If for some reason that praise doesn't come your way, or your name isn't called for an award, or you happen to finish second to someone else, then just chalk it up to the way things go and continue on the way you have been doing things. You can't let someone's negative comments or the lack of positive comments prevent you from doing what you do, but you also shouldn't let positive comments and praise change how you do things. Do what you do because you love to do it, and eventually it will work itself out. If you simply do things in hopes of getting something in return, often times you will find yourself severely disappointed.