Here's another topic to debate with your buddies, just don't bet your next paycheck that you will have the winning argument. After all, it's easy to sit atop the fence post on this one and teeter either way.
I'm talking about parity in racing, or more simply, how equal teams are once the green flag waves. By the looks of things in 2001, parity has spread like Kudzu throughout the starting field. How else would you describe 19 different race winners in the Winston Cup Series season?
If you tuned in a Winston Cup race last year, chances are you saw Joe Nemechek pick up a win. Or Sterling Marlin. Tony Stewart. Jeff Gordon. Rusty Wallace. Ricky Rudd. Robby Gordon. Bill Elliott. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Michael Waltrip. Elliott Sadler. Steve Park. Jeff Burton. Bobby Labonte. Dale Jarrett. Kevin Harvick. Bobby Hamilton. Ward Burton. Ricky Craven. Whew! Let me catch my breath.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy seeing the reaction of a guy who finally wins after struggling most race weekends. Such was the case with Sadler when he won at Bristol last spring. And what about Robby Gordon, making the most of another second chance in Winston Cup by bumping his way to a win at New Hampshire (that's a bonus debate topic for you and your friends).
Were there any true powerhouses in 2001? Jeff Gordon had another strong year, enough to propel him to his fourth Winston Cup championship. But he didn't claim the title in the fashion he's won some past championships. At times Gordon ran more like a back marker than a point leader. And virtually no driver seemed able to solidify himself as the top challenger for the coveted cup.
I'm not looking for someone to win every race, but the sport of stock car racing is built on superstars. And you make superstars by winning. I'm talking about guys like Petty, Pearson, Allison, Waltrip and Earnhardt. Guys who would whip the field soundly and send other teams home to try again another day. Fans would buy tickets to races just to see if the superstar would fall that day.
Winston Cup racing isn't the only sport dogged by the issue of parity. Look at the National Football League. Teams have become equal to the point that making predictions for who will compete in the Super Bowl match-up is more like a crapshoot. Few teams resemble anything close to a dynasty. Who do you think you'll remember more, the dominating teams of the Cowboys, Steelers and 49ers, or the one-hit wonders of late such as the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams?
No race fan wants to see the rise of more superstars at the expense of close racing. No one wants to return to the days when laps usually separated finishing positions instead of seconds. Still, it would be nice to see a couple of more drivers stand the racing world on its ear.
As it now stands, fans know when they arrive at the track that Jeff Gordon often is the man to beat. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. Ricky Rudd? Tony Stewart? Rusty Wallace? Bobby Labonte? Mark Martin? Sterling Marlin? Dale Jarrett? They've all had great years, but too often look anything but extraordinary. It makes the void left by Dale Earnhardt that much more obvious.
So if you ask me, I'm looking for a little less parity in 2002. I'm looking for more dominators, guys who will take the sport to the next level and raise the proverbial bar of competition-guys who we'll look back on one day as legends, not the answer to some obscure trivia question.
Equality may sound like a grand concept. I just don't think it's always such a great idea with racing.
You can reach Editor David Bourne via e-mail at: bourned@primediacmmg.com, or by writing to: 5555 Concord Parkway South, Suite 330, Concord, NC 28027.
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