Just Shut Up With Earnhardt vs. Gordon

By Mark Young

Dale Earnhardt is my hero.  I loved his tenacity, his whatever it took to win attitude, and not until after he died did I learn to love his big heart.  I have embroidered his number on my shoulder forever, named a dog after him, and patterned my professional focus after him.  Hell subliminally I named my only daughter after his Taylor Nicole.  I didn't agree with everything he did, like wrecking LaBonte to win at Bristol, or some of the other things I have heard he did off the track that weren't "politically correct", but then again we are all human.  With that in mind I also loved to see Jeff Gordon do poorly, he was Dale's alter-ego with his "aw shucks" attitude and, at times, his perceived fake exuberance. But Jeff dealt with sub-par performances in the post-Evernham era to persevere and show he has what it takes to win in NASCAR.  I don't know a single person who claimed to be an Earnhardt fan to root for Gordon, it was considered blasphemy, BUT I am going to set things straight, to all of you people out there bitching and complaining about Jeff doing a tribute lap after winning and tying Dale for 76 wins with a #3 flag victory lap, I have one thing to say.....JUST SHUT UP!!!

U WANT SOME?  I DARE YOU!

Any person who can win 76 races in NASCAR's modern era where the level of competition, all be it massaged to some extents, that is much more an equal level of competition than it was in the days of Petty, Yarborough, Pearson, and Allison deserves every ounce of credit they have earned.  Any 3-time winner of the Daytona 500 and 4-time NASCAR Champion has deserved it, deal with it.

Last Saturday night Jeff Gordon won a race at a track he has never won at before, there are now only two yet to conquer.  He also tied Dale Earnhardt for 76 total wins, more than twice that of the next active driver (Mark Martin with 35).  Yet people were stupid enough to throw beer cans at him on his victory lap.  How many of these people claim to be racing fans?  Did people throw beer at Cal Ripken, Pete Rose, or Walter Payton when they broke prestigious records?  If they did they are just as ignorant as the ones who threw stuff at Jeff.

What people don't understand is that Dale never had a real beef with Jeff that I am aware of.  Did he ever say anything negative to the press about him?  I dare you to show me.  I sat on Monday morning at work listening to Sirius radio and TR.com's own David Poole's show listening to people complain that Jeff disrespected Dale by doing that lap and had to turn it off.  GROW UP!! You are not real racing fans.  Jeff knows his NASCAR history and what it means to tie Dale.  Did any of you see Junior in victory lane congratulating Jeff?  Did any of you hear Junior on his radio saying it was "cool"?  You were probably too busy being ignorant and childish.

This is the second time in my life I can honestly say I am embarrassed to admit that I am a fan of Dale Earnhardt.  The worst part about this instance is that this time Dale had nothing to do with it.  Thanks a lot for ruining a great piece of racing history.