I’ve been waiting for Tony Stewart to win just to see if I was correct and, as it turns out, I was.  Since my original theory has been somewhat validated, I’ll share it.  First of all, some history.  Back in 2002, I believe, Tony Stewart was accused of hitting a photographer and shoving a fan after a race.  These were two separate incidents, the first of which landed him on probation with NASCAR for the rest of the year.  That was also the year he earned his first championship. 

Reportedly Tony also attended anger management sessions and, for a great while seamed genuinely changed.  I was timid about accepting this change, however, but in 2005, who could help themselves.  Here was “nice” Tony, coming from a non-eventful start of the season to begin winning everything.  Best part, after the wins, he’d climb the fence “for the fans”.  As you probably know, Tony went on to grab his second championship that year.

At the beginning of the 2006 season, Tony emerged as the “elder statesman” commenting on camera about the dangers of “bump drafting” stating that someone was going to get killed.  Over the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Tony sometime seemed mildly annoyed at the media during interviews.  Along comes the 2008 season and, Katie, bar the door.  Tony’s in a Toyota and seems flat out pissed off whenever he’s on camera.  That is except when he’s talking about Stewart-Haas racing.  Now, I don’t understand that because just about everyone else, including his teammates has done very well in Toyota’s this year.  During interviews, he is rough on the media to the point of damn near calling them idiots.  Old Tony is back.

Well, after his win in Talladega last Sunday, he was back to being nice Tony in the post-race interviews.  Now, I don’t want to ding the guy too bad but after the two “big ones” no true competition was left to mount a challenge for the win.  Granted, they all count when they’re in the W column but who else was there to win?

The reason I point this out is, over the history of NASCAR, there have been some true “Class Acts” when it comes to drivers.  The one that comes to my mind first is the King, Richard Petty.  No matter how he run, he always seemed to have a smile and a good word.  Most recently, Carl Edwards seems to subscribe to the same philosophy. 

Fans are the lifeblood of these drivers.  A good bit of their income comes from merchandise and endorsements.  Positive public perception among the fans is paramount to doing well in both.  No one wants to buy merchandise from an asshole and, who wants to buy a product from a company that has a jerk for a pitchman?  Tony really needs to figure this out fast, especially since he’s formed his own team. 

What do you think?  Do you like the nice or the mean Tony or do you even care?

I know, it sounds far fetched but how cool would it be to see a Petty back in Victory Lane?  Do you know when the last Petty Enterprises car won a race?  Back in 1999, John Andretti won the spring Martinsville race driving the #43 STP.  I can’t really remember the details of the race but that’s a heck of a long time.  Shoot, I even had to look it up to find out when it was.

Now, you might ask, if we all agree that Petty in Victory Lane is far fetched, why did I even bring up the possibility?  Well, as we all know, NASCAR is a sport of momentum.  Last year, Kyle led 4 laps at Kansas.  Now, I don’t remember the circumstances but I did look up the stat.  So far this season, he hasn’t led any laps.  Most importantly, Kyle will be attending a press conference on Friday morning to discuss the progress of the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Kansas City.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anyone as passionate about a cause as Kyle is about Victory Junction.  Maybe Kyle’s passion for Victory Junction, combined with his past performance at Kansas can equal momentum.

I know all this doesn’t translate into a victory or even a top 35 finish but here’s where my mind is.  I have always been a huge fan of the Petty’s.  Both The King, Richard and Kyle, are on my list of people I’d most like to meet and sit and talk with.  Richard’s last win was in 1984 and Kyle’s eleven years later in 1995.  That was a whopping 24 and 13 years ago respectively.  Believe it or not, the King has been retired since 1992.  Thinking back, it only seems like yesterday but the current fans have never seen a Petty in victory lane.  I would even bet that many don’t even know who Richard is and if they do, they don’t even know why he’s the King.  Shoot, I would even go further and bet that a great number of the fans today think that Jeff Gordon is the greatest driver ever.  Now before the hate mail starts, I know and agree, the greatest drivers ever are Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt,  I can actually name about 10 other drivers greater, in my mind, than Gordon.  Nothing against him but you have to look at the entire history of NASCAR when you consider the greatest drivers.

I am concerned that with Kyle sitting some races out, he may be getting ready to leave driving all together.  I personally can’t imagine a NASCAR without a Petty.  It would almost be like a Christmas without Santa.  Before that horrible thought becomes reality, I would like to see a Petty back in victory lane, even if it’s just one more time.  It would especially mean a lot for it to be the number 45 car in memory of Adam Petty with Kyle driving.  I’ll even take a pit strategy or fuel mileage win.  I’m not too picky.  If that ever happens, and you just happen to be near me, you might just see a grumpy old guy shed a few tears himself.

While we’re talking about it, please check out the Victory Junction Gang Camp and support it if you can.  It’s really an incredible cause.

(Photo credit: Worth Canoy of VPS Motorimages)