Where have all the great characters in Stock Car racing gone?  They sure as shootin' don't drive Cup cars.  Has there ever been a group of drivers assembled that are more bland and politically correct than the bunch we have now?  Even worse, the guys who do show a little bit of wild streak...are considered to be ####-holes.

One of the things that I've always loved about NASCAR were the flamboyant personalities that drove the cars.  They had cool nicknames like Fireball.  You never knew what was gonna come out of their mouths.  They were fun and interesting.  Fisticuffs in the pits, and on the track, were commonplace.  No pushing and fingerpointing...they just smacked ya upside the noggin.  Wives did not go to the track.  The trophy girls were nervous and didn't do much bending over.  They didn't have a long list of cliches to fill up interviews with...instead they told you exactly what they thought.  And tough noogies for you if you didn't like it.

There is only one current driver that I can think of who would fit in with those guys...Tony Stewart.  Smoke.  Instead of being considered a loudmouth neanderthal as he is today...he would've been considered rather tame back in the day.  Dale Jr, as popular as he is, can't compare in personality with his old man.

Drivers today have media coaches.  They are trained to NOT be controversial.  They can't P.O. NASCAR officials without fear of reprisals, and no one wants to say anything that would make a sponsor uncomfortable.  So we have a bunch of automatons who all look alike, sound alike, and drive alike.  Is there any one of them who has a set of big brass cajones?  I don't mean compared to the rest of today's drivers...I'm talking about compared to drivers from all eras.  Where's a Buddy Baker or David Pearson?  Where's Cale?  Heck...where's Tim Richmond?  Those guys were just as entertaining off the track as they were on it.  And they were all hard as nails.

All I see today are soft pretty boys who are walking billboards.  They give bland, dull interviews.  And they pretty much drive the same as they interview.  If I hear another "AW, I feel bad for them guys that we gathered up in the wreck.  Just one of them racin' deals.", I think I'll puke.

Has anyone thought of training Pro Wrestlers to drive race cars?  NASCAR is already scripting the races...might as well go the rest of the way.  NASCAR seems to be looking at ways to increase revenue.  Call Vince McMahon.  That guy would have NASCAR raking in billions in no time.  And there'd finally be some characters and personality(albeit fakes) back on the track.  And steel cage matches in turn 3.  And ring girls with lap count cards.

Yeah, I'd watch that.

COY--Car of Yesterday

I took my hot rod out to a friend's camp.  It was way back in the mountains.  The sun was shining and I had my camera along.  Folks say I should become a pro photographer, but I don't think I'm there yet.  Here's one that I think would warm Dale Sr.'s Chevy Heartbeat.  What do you think?