Why Do Earnhardt Fans Hate Gordon?

Nail · 05-01-2007, 08:00 AM

A beer can bounces off the hood of Jeff Gordon's car after he won the NASCAR Aaron's 499 auto race, breaking a tie with the late Dale Earnhardt on NASCAR's career victory list, Sunday April 29, 2007, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala.

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Accept it, race fans: Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon were buddies. The old man respected the kid and took time to help him adjust to NASCAR's politics. Earnhardt recognized Gordon as a huge talent and cherished their on-track battles, knowing each victory was a win over a driver destined to go down as one of the best.

It's fact, yet many Earnhardt fans choose to ignore it.

They pretend the two drivers were bitter rivals, two very different men with nothing in common. No matter how hard he tries or what he accomplishes, Earnhardt fans are adamant that Gordon simply does not stack up against The Intimidator.

Turns out, though, that Gordon is a whole lot more like Earnhardt than anyone imagined.

Gordon proved it Sunday with career victory No. 77, which pushed him past Earnhardt for sixth place on NASCAR's list. It came at Talladega Superspeedway, where the crowd is virtually all pro-Earnhardt, and on the day Earnhardt would have celebrated his 56th birthday.

The feat was met with a shower of beer cans thrown from the stands.

The record book will show that Gordon took the lead with three laps to go and then won under caution during overtime. But the victory seemed destined hours earlier when he made an Earnhardtesque stand in the prerace drivers' meeting.

NASCAR warned the drivers that there's a fine line between skillfully bump-drafting and aggressive driving. Gordon respectfully disagreed. In a room packed with his peers, he spoke with NASCAR president Mike Helton about the dangers the drivers were about to face.

"I absolutely don't think there is a fine line," he began. "We're not able to mandate it ourselves. You guys have to mandate it because we've got the adrenaline flowing. We're competitors out there trying to win. And we see one guy push another guy, it allows us each to continue to do it more and more and more.

"And, yeah, obviously, you can't do it in the corners, but we still do it. Even on the straightaways, it's about judging the speed, and we're still wrecking on the straightaways. I don't think that should be happening at all. We can make a great, exciting race out there. And no offense to your warning, but when you drop the green, I guarantee we're going to be doing it."

And that, Tony Stewart, is how to make a point.

Days after Stewart exposed the sport to ridicule by comparing it to professional wrestling on his national radio show, Gordon calmly made a point to NASCAR that benefited all 43 drivers in the field.

For a guy who has resisted replacing the voice that was lost when Earnhardt died in 2001, Gordon certainly appeared a perfect fit for the role Sunday.

He insisted after his victory that too much was being made of his stand - even though the race was much tamer by Talladega standards and might have been because of his comments.

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing," he said. "I wanted to go see (NASCAR) before the drivers' meeting, and I didn't get a chance to, and something sparked inside of me and I just had to say something. I don't know if that made a difference or not, but (the race) was one of the best.

"But it had nothing to do with trying to set an example for others of how you go about it. I always try to go about saying things to NASCAR as gingerly as I can to try to get my point across, but not put anything down or take away from anything or anybody."

Former series champion Kurt Busch said Gordon has "always been the lead guy to be politically correct with NASCAR."

"Gordon is very selective with his words," he said.

Teammate Jimmie Johnson said the prerace comments were something most drivers would not have been comfortable making.

"If many other drivers would have spoken up and said what Jeff did in the drivers' meeting, it would have come off wrong and people would have laughed," Johnson said. "It wouldn't have come off the same way. But Jeff is at that spot in his career and he's so well spoken and comes from a fair place when he's speaking about those things, that people are listening."

The garage has lacked that presence since Earnhardt's fatal accident. Gordon insists he doesn't want to fill that void, and Stewart proved last week that while his message may be valid, his delivery lacks the finesse Earnhardt perfected.

"I know that Jeff doesn't want to be Dale," Johnson said. "He wants to be himself and do things his own way. I know he doesn't want to be in this position to be the voice of the drivers, but he almost has this responsibility that's developing for him whether he wants it or not."

nuhusker24 · 05-01-2007, 06:48 PM

here is my cents.

talladega - If they are going to act like this then I suggest nascar take one of their races away and give it to a city that would love to have it and treat nascar, it drivers, & fans with the respect it deserves. also you can't honestly think that jeff wasn't going to pass dale. I agree that dale is a legend in his own right. Even me not being a gordan fan, when it is all said and done his name will most likely be atop the list for career wins.

As for tony. I would have to agree with him. only been to one race and that was the allstate 400 last year. you can't tell me that it was happen stance that a caution came out for debrie(sp) on the track with 20 laps to go when Jimmie was too far out in front for anyone to catch. The mysterious crap that shows up on the track when a driver gets too far out front. come on now. it sure is funny how tony changed his tune after his 6 am meeting with nascar friday. Then again when you are told shut it or there is the door he doesn't have much choice.

yoz2000 · 05-01-2007, 08:26 PM

Earnhardt is the Babe Ruth of NASCAR. He was a man of the people and the true base of the NASCAR fans could relate to him. He earned his reputation and cut his teeth living in a dump, not making millions when he broke in to NASCAR.

Gordon is, what many of the core fan base feel to be, the face of the "Selling out" of the sport. Since 2001 the sport has been marketed to the Wal-mart country boys and is leaving the core fans in the dirt. Unlike the NHL, NASCAR has taken the sport to the next level-some thing in spite of the core....ditching Winston as a sponsor- going to the more Pollitically Correct Nextel as the Banner Sponsor, going to more upclass cities, taking poorer locals off the schedule, bringing NASCAR to Mexico........and the most TABOO for southern rednecks....a TOYOTA in NASCAR......Jeff Gordon is the Jeter of NASCAR...the golden boy kid who came up with the best team, had the best ride and the best equipment.....sure he has all the talent in the world...but it flies in the face of the Legend that was Earnhardt and the image that the fans grew to love.

braves4life1025 · 05-02-2007, 12:24 AM

dont know why..iman earnhardt fan and i HATE jeff gordon for some odd reason...

streicher187 · 05-02-2007, 07:43 AM

I look at Nascar like a scripted tv show, It has been obious for a few years now that Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson receive "special" treatment.. It became obvious again this year when everyone got nailed at daytona and Gordon cheated and it was ok he just had to go the the end of the longest line..

There are more "mystery" cautions when it benefits Gordon and Johnson(see the race a few weeks ago) it seems any time gordon is about to go a lap down or run out of gas they throw a caution..

This past weekend they throw a caution and then let it go forever causing the challangers to run out of gas or low so they cannot compete against gordon..

I thought the field froze when the caution came out? Why when stewart was the 5th car in line when the caution came out he finished almost 30th place?

You will NEVER see them call out Jeff Gordon for cheating or doing anything wrong when guys like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick etc. get fined and called out for every little thing..

I am a ryan newman fan and that is why I can not stand Jeff Gordon, at least 1/3 of his wins were with help from nascar..

nuhusker24 · 05-02-2007, 06:47 PM

You will NEVER see them call out Jeff Gordon for cheating or doing anything wrong when guys like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick etc. get fined and called out for every little thing..

First of all I like mark martin and am not a gordon fan. you will NEVER see this becuase no matter how bad everyone will refute this next statemen it is true. EVERYONE and I state EVERYONE comes to the race track and turns on the television to see Jeff Gordon. You either watch hoping he wins or you watch hoping he wrecks his car, blows a motor, or gets knocked out of the race. He name is a household name when you talk about racing. Everyone knows who he is. Unfortunately he brings too much money to nascar in order to touch him. Here shortly Dale Jr will be in the same boat. the almighty buck wins again.

patonyfan · 05-03-2007, 10:16 AM

Quote:

you will NEVER see this becuase no matter how bad everyone will refute this next statemen it is true. EVERYONE and I state EVERYONE comes to the race track and turns on the television to see Jeff Gordon.

There is no way the above statement is true. Yeah they may never come down on Gordon, but not everyone goes to the track or watches the race to see what Gordon does. I am a Stewart fan and i could care less whether Gordon wins or finishes last.

FrankMcdee · 05-03-2007, 01:04 PM

I will answer the question posed.. why do Earnhardt fans hate Jeff Gordon? Its simple actually: Dale Jr was embraced by the fans of Dale Sr. Junior does not win. Gordon wins very often. Junior is the Atlanta Braves of NASCAR. Decent budget, comepetitive but not good enough. Gordon is the Yankees of Nascar. Wins all the time, always in the hunt. Best staff, best crew and best drivers on the team. You either love or hate a winner. Fans of Dale Sr and Jr. simply choose the latter.

**dlong1** · 05-03-2007, 09:47 PM

Jeff Gordon was always a cry baby. Even when he raced here in Michigan in his pre-NASCAR days. That is the #1 reason that people hate him. #2 is that he has a pretty face and the women love that.

As long as NASCAR has a golden boy, they will do what it takes to make him shine and pack the crowds at the track and TV air time. Dale Sr was and always will be "The Man" period!!

Dan

sctiepipn · 05-16-2007, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankMcdee

I will answer the question posed.. why do Earnhardt fans hate Jeff Gordon? Its simple actually: Dale Jr was embraced by the fans of Dale Sr. Junior does not win. Gordon wins very often. Junior is the Atlanta Braves of NASCAR. Decent budget, comepetitive but not good enough. Gordon is the Yankees of Nascar. Wins all the time, always in the hunt. Best staff, best crew and best drivers on the team. You either love or hate a winner. Fans of Dale Sr and Jr. simply choose the latter.

Well put and agreed