This year's NASCAR season is drawing to a close. "The Chase" is on and there are parallels between the efforts of the #88 National Guard car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr, son of a legend, and the Presidential Campaign and Our efforts in the War on Terror, in Iraq and in Afghanistan, this year.
I should warn my non-NASCAR readers to execute caution when discussing drivers with NASCAR fans. Fan is short for fanatic and the longer version of the word more aptly describes those that follow a driver. But there is one driver that is (near) universally despised: Kyle Busch. What a shame that M&M's bought advertising on his car.
Kyle is the Harry Reid of NASCAR. No one defends him or his actions. Everyone loves to see him crash but as we entered "The Chase for the Championship," he was leading the points. He had many ill-begotten wins gained by rain, last lap crashes, and other such measures that while legal are not exactly embraced by Fans or reputable Drivers. His team would gladly be rid of him if it weren't for him giving them wins and TV time.
When Kyle had problems in the Chase opener, no one lost a tear. He dropped from running first to being back in the pack with little chance of winning. Problems struck again Sunday, the 29th of September, even as Reid was spouting hatred in Washington. Technically, he's still in the chase but reality is there isn't much of a chance.
Kyle's teammate Tony Stewart in the #20 Home Depot car is just ahead of him in the standings and has garnered much sympathy for it. The two started the season out strong and it was Kyle's grandstanding lack of teamplay that cost Tony the first race of the season in Daytona. They were running #1 & #2 as they entered the last corner but that wasn't good enough for Kyle who dove below Tony destroying the momentum and aerodynamics created in his bid to win, only to allow another pair of teammates to fly past. So maybe Kyle is more like Hillary or Biden but with less respect.
But our favorite, Dale Jr. has only a single win all year. He hasn't gotten into the chase by slacking off though. He has gotten there by being consistent. He's on a great team, 3 of 4 are in the chase which only includes 12 drivers. Teammate, Jimmy Johnson in the #48 Lowe's car is leading the chase at the moment and teammate, Jeff Gordon in the #24 DuPont car gained two places this week with his 4th place finish. They have a great team which has decided to cut a non-performer of the year and replace him with #8 Mark Martin who currently drives the Army car part time.
The team drives with honor and skill and earn the respect of drivers and fans alike, even if some fans don't like the other drivers on the team. There's particular distaste between the fans of Gordon and Jr. though great respect between the two drivers. But it's hard to find someone that would badmouth the Chase Leader, Jimmie Johnson.
Only 10 points behind Jimmie, because of their 1-2 finish Sunday, is Carl Edwards whose Aflac commercials have to be the funniest on television. He too garners respect, has a great demeanor, and one fabulous trick that endears him to fans: a backflip off his car door window in the winner's circle. He's a nice guy. This could be our analgous Obama, but nicer. Even when Kyle commits immature acts, Carl maintains a calm and respectful demeanor, even when he's visibly annoyed by the unsportsmanlike conduct of Kyle, he tempers his words.
But Carl is a good speaker, without a teleprompter, so maybe he's not so much like Obama. He almost won Sunday with an audacious move in the final lap swinging hard left underneath the #48 car of Jimmie Johnson, before losing his traction and ending up in the wall, but still good enough to finish 2nd.
And Jimmie would be like General David Petraeus, consistent, respected, respectable, delivering wins and strong finishes. He's leading the team for America. His Lowe's advertisements demonstrate his willingess to help others and his ability to fix things. He has championships in the last two years and is certainly a contender for this years.
And Jeff Gordon could be our Sarah Palin. Women love him and he's well-spoken. He has some championships but no wins this year. He's running strong with fans loving him based on his record or hating him based on his popularity and looks. He's still in the chase and climbed a couple of spots this year but still needs to come through. At 143 points behind the leader, he has some serious work to do but is far from out of it.
Dale Jr, of the #88 National Guard car, has a strong demonstrated loyalty to Nation and service. He honors our Troops, is a team player, and has a legend of a father, much like John McCain. He has a win but needs several more. At 190 points behind the leader, he's the underdog, but that's where he's always felt comfortable. He's still in the chase and on his way to Alabama. He ain't giving up, it's not over until November.
The National Guard will continue to demonstrate strength and resolve. It'll never give up, no matter who wins. It'll demonstrate respect and team play, pulling for the Nation rather than its own interests alone. It'll be back in the race every week until the politicians end the season.
Hopefully we'll know the winner of the Presidential Campaign before we know the winner of the NASCAR Championship Chase which in all liklihood will be settled in Homestead, FL around 6:50 PM on the 16th of November 2008. Once again, it'll be won in the South, in places like Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, but Arizona and Virgina will have a role.
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