Kahne Captures 4th Pole; Slugger Is Off Suspension.
Friday, June 16th, 2006 9:00pm CDT
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
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[thumb:169:l:s=1:l=x]In what’s been a rather slow week amongst the world of Nascar, we find ourselves at Michigan. Kasey Kahne took his 4th pole award home for the season, besting Jeff Gordon by 2/100ths of a second when he put down a lap time of 38.78 at an average speed of 185.644mph.
[thumb:348:r:s=1:l=x]In other news appearing at the track is the return of Slugger Labbe, fresh off his recent suspension for a violation last month at Richmond. Their appeal denied, Slugger sat out his time by keeping up with things at the shop. While a similar situation was lived by the #48 team, there was almost a hope that it would help stoke a fire under the UPS Ford as it seemed to be a benefit to the #48 team earlier this year. However the performance has been sub-par to say the least. What it makes you think about is Dale and the distracting situation he is currently in. People can say “we’re committed” all they want. In reality the team knows DJ’s a sitting duck, and that it is highly probable that their signature sponsor that has graced their hood for many years will be gone. In a similar situation as Casey Mears’ team, how does a team prepare for the future when one of the people playing a lead role in that progress is now basically an outsider? Can they share and test new theories and technologies that could be revealed to a competitor shortly down the road?
Most certainly we all want to believe that the integrity of the team members and the drivers in today’s sport is as of as stout character as in years gone by. However, that aside, it’s a dog eat dog world and fight for survival. While this is pure speculation, for such drivers in this position, is it completely unlikely that they’re making mental notes to draw from after they move on?
This is where the problem lies. As great of a person as someone is, the risk is potentially too great. Teams are in a position where they know they have to safeguard certain things. Just by allowing the risk, whether it is real or not, is something that simply can’t be ignored. Whether the person in question is the most trustworthy there is is irrelevant. In a situation like this, a team, an organization has to look out for #1. Whether they want to or not, it’s an unfortunate reality.
So now that even an infinitely small possibility exists, it’s in the back of people’s minds. Of the people making the change, of the people that surround the situation, of the owners. This is the ticking time-bomb that has the potential to turn people against one another, and for no particular reason other than a perceived threat. It wears on the mind. Sometimes the worst damage is done through the acts of best intentions.
Whether this plays into any current situation is anybody’s guess. It is however a reasonable assumption, even in part. The only ones who truly know are those in that situation. They know the real deal, the reality of what’s going on. Donnie Wingo has recently voiced his concerns, which touched this very subject. Through reading the conversation, there was a sense of reserve to his words. In such a media-based world, when one has to pay attention to perception that can be drawn from being in the public eye. A role that on any part calls for a conservative approach.
With the possibility of all that going on, and now in the public eye with only being two days away from the 15th race on a 36 race schedule, it’s no wonder that performance as a whole is slacking. For no matter how real the threat, it’s sometimes the perception that extinguishes the fire.
Filed Under: Damn Good Points, Nascar, Nextel Cup
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