NASCAR Race Car Drivers - Attitude Adjustment a Pit Stop

Not often, just every once in a while, there comes along a driver with a holier-than-thou attitude. He probably means well and may be honest, but there is this thing called an attitude adjustment. That is the adult way of saying NASCAR has to take him out behind the woodshed and set his mind straight. And no matter what you think at times, the sport is not going to hell because of a driver, or several drivers. It has been there and done that, and handles it well.

Kevin Harvick felt the sting of NASCAR's paddle in April, and by now I would venture to say that he has straightened up considerably or is racing Saturday-night events on some outlaw circuit, chasing the $200 winner's share of the feature purse. Harvick seemingly tried to embarrass NASCAR at Martinsville in the Saturday preliminary race. The sanctioning body parked him after he spun another driver. Harvick parked his racer in NASCAR's front door and went to his motorhome where he figured the cushions were more comfortable than in the NASCAR office.

NASCAR got his attention. The sanctioning body fined him $35,000 and would not let him drive in the Winston Cup event on Sunday. The following week at Talladega, he remained unapologetic, saying he did not think he needed to apologize to anyone. He did say he learned a lot about NASCAR's disciplinary style. I bet he did, but it's obvious there are things Harvick does not realize about racing but will learn if he graduates to the next level. If he fails, it is bye, bye-out of sight, out of mind.

Some of you may not understand what I am talking about, and then, when I explain, you probably will not believe me because it will sound so unbelievably old-fashioned and disorderly.

There is this story about a top NASCAR official who threw a party for some of the sport's top drivers several years ago. There were cocktails, and late in the evening when some were well into their cups, two or three of the drivers began questioning why NASCAR did this and why it did not do that. Finally, the official listened until he had enough, at least all he was going to take.

"You guys really don't know as much about racing as you think you do," he said. "Let me explain something to you. Listen carefully, because I will not repeat myself. We have flags, as you know. We have a green flag to tell you when the race begins and to go fast. Then we have a yellow flag to let you know there is a problem, probably a wreck, and you should slow down and get behind the safety car. We have a blue flag with a stripe that we wave to tell you to move over, that a faster car is coming up behind you and you should let it pass. We even have a red flag that we wave when we want to stop the race. It usually means the track is blocked or it is raining too hard to continue.

"We hold up two flags crossed so you will know it is the halfway point of the race. I'm sure you are all familiar with the white flag. It means you only have one more lap to race. And then there is the checkered flag, so you will know when to quit and you can go home. That, gentlemen, leaves us with one flag-the black flag. It means get off the track because we are not going to score you any longer. The president of NASCAR holds that flag every day of every year, and he can wave it when he wants to and point to anyone he so desires. And that, my friends, is the story of NASCAR racing. Don't ever forget it."

The story of racing's most successful sanctioning body has not changed with time. It does not matter what your name is, where you are from, or what you have accomplished. The results are similar-you will obey the rules or look up and see the black flag waving over your head.

NASCAR can be your friend, or the nightmare you will never ride. The sooner you realize this, the better off your career. It's like the fraternity ritual. There is forgiveness, but do not let your candle be blown out too often.

Benny Phillips lives in High Point, North Carolina, and has covered stock car racing for nearly 40 years.