2021 NASCAR thread

He's been saying more than the , let's go thing. He has been talking about the whole social media shit. "Woke" crap.

 

Also, only driver yesterday during driver introductions who carried an American Flag. Not sure if it was subliminal or not but he didn’t get a roaring ovation

 

Like I said, whether or not you agree with him or like him standing up for what he believes in, don't expect teams to want to put up with that when he hasn't established himself yet. My understanding is he has been offered multiple rides but doesn't want to eat the shit sandwich for a little bit first. Kyle Busch was shown the door at Hendrick for his antics. He proved himself at JGR which is arguably the main reason he still has a ride. (Let's not forget the season M&Ms dropped him for the rest of the year, forcing Interstate Batteries to pick up the remaining races).

 

He doesn't want to have to keep his mouth shut, on his patriotism and religious beliefs. I commend him for not selling his soul, just to drive a race car. Good for him.

 

Matty D has made enough money to do whatever he wants and say whatever he wants also. Fuck em if they can’t take a joke.

 

And thus why he is having a hard time finding a ride. Some things aren't worth it, yet. Sometimes you have to do the things you don't want to do to do the things you do want to do, later.

 

I think he knows he is done so he is giving the finger to NASCAR. And if in the process he catches the eye of an owner who shares his stance with sponsor dollars to back it, so be it. I mean I get you have to play the game if you want to play but really do you think he is not aware of this. Contrary to popular opinion. A whole lot of people agree with him. I would bet the majority of NASCAR fans do.

 

But, again, it doesn't matter if you agree with him or not. He's been offered multiple rides. He can stand for whatever he wants but if he doesn't want to play ball, he'll be doing it in the grandstands.

 

I don’t think he cares. LOL

 

Clearly not...

Shame because I like the guy but he's definitely not taking his career seriously enough.

 

I think you are looking at it all wrong. Why would he want to do something where he has to put on an act and buy into all this BS. If he can be who he is and do this then great. If not why should he sell his soul so that people who have never met him can be impressed. At some point even these companies will stop caring and at some point the outraged public will realize they are the minority.

 

I bet there are A Lot of Owners that that share his beliefs and opinion BUT they want the backing of a Sponsor and the Money the Sponsor brings with them. So they aren't going to show their hand and lose the Sponsor's Money.

 

100% correct.

 

Exactly what @MARSHBUSTER said. When your career involves you being the face of an organization that relies on other people/organizations for money you damn well better have proven yourself worth it before you decide to "stand for your beliefs" or you'll quickly find yourself in another line of work.

 

Why are you so invested in this? He does not need this line of work or any other. He and his family will eat. He has no reason to play the game. He has chosen to do it his way or not at all. This should not upset you as much as it seems too.

At some point all this will turn and people will stop supporting the companies who cave to the mass ignorance. When that happens they will cease to care also. Matty D had a much deeper perspective in NASCAR than any of us. I trust his judgment and perspective as it pertains to his future as it does not change the trajectory of my own.

Do you think Kyle Larson is any different today than he actually was two years ago? Fuck no, he just knows he has to bow to the masses or he will be removed. It’s all a game, play nice and get rewarded. None of these guys give a shit what any fan actually thinks. They just put in a show to get paid. Matty D has decided he is done with that. And for whatever that’s worth I can respect it.

 

But this goes for all drivers. It's getting harder for to find sponsors to back some of the teams for a season long sponsor. So before they don't want to statement or act a fool at the end of the race with a sponsors logo on their car. I am sure the Team Owner is looking at that and so is the Sponsor wondering if that is good press for them or not. Wondering if that's a good team for them to be spending their dollar with. Things aren't getting cheaper for any of us right now.

 

That is highly debatable. But "needing" is beside the point. I'm not the only one who thinks he's acting afool going about it this way, but that's his prerogative. Fact is he's a race car driver who has been trying to earn himself a ride. He's not proven being worth the possible controversy and clearly he doesn't care that much. Like I said, I like the guy and it's kind of disheartening to see him not taking the job seriously enough. But, again, that's his prerogative.

As for your second paragraph, this isn't a political discussion board so I won't get into that one.

As for Larson, he went above and beyond the minimum requirements he had to do to get back in. He learned a hard lesson and ultimately Rick Hendrick decided he was worth a chance. But let's indulge and say you're right and he hasn't changed but is merely putting on a face: he's doing exactly what it takes to do the job. He doesn't need NASCAR, he also has his dirt racing career. But he knows what he needs to do. I don't believe he's putting on a face, but you're more than welcome to believe whatever you like.

 

Yep! And this goes for drivers of any persuasion. So there's no need for folks to get bent out of shape about Bubba Wallace. If it's okay for Matty D to speak his mind then it should be equally okay for Bubba, though I don't think either of them really stand for anything beyond surface-level sloganeering.

 

That would be rad!

 

He could be the gate keeper there