This week I was looking forward to seeing the latest penalty report from NASCAR.
I wasn’t waiting with baited breath or anything like that.
But I was definitely curious about what it would include.
I didn’t care at all about what penalty was in store for Chris Buescher‘s team after he lost a wheel and tire Sunday (March 3) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And I definitely didn’t devote any mental energy to lug nut penalties from the Xfinity or Truck Series.
No, I wanted to know if Tyler Reddick would be included in it.
“But Daniel, Reddick didn’t do anything wrong last weekend.”
Oh, I agree.
But there were undoubtedly some people out there in the universe that clutched their pearls when Reddick let slip a little four-letter word during his post-race interview on Fox.
It came when Reddick was lamenting 23XI Racing’s ongoing saga of pit road mistakes.
“Same shit, different year, said Reddick. “It’s kind of frustrating.”
Come Tuesday, Reddick wasn’t on the penalty report.
Why would I care?
OK, kids. It’s time for a history lesson and the obligatory “back in my day.”
The year was 2004. Which was …. *sigh* 20 years ago.
The track: Talladega Superspeedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. — my favorite NASCAR driver growing up (and to this day) — was in the middle of the best season of his Cup Series career.
He entered the EA Sports 500 third in the points standings, behind Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch.
But 188 laps later, Earnhardt had his fifth career win at Talladega, his fifth win of the year and the points lead.
The points lead lasted two days.
How does someone lost a points lead on a Tuesday?
Well, in 2004, you did it by cursing in victory lane while celebrating a victory.
After emerging from his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, Earnhardt was interviewed by NBC’s Matt Yocum
Yocum capped it off by asking the jubilant Earnhardt what it meant to win his fifth Talladega race.
And then, well….
“It don’t mean shit,” Earnhardt declared. “Daddy’s won here 10 times.”
Now, here are some things to remember.
It was 2004. Just six months earlier was the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Google it. You had to be there.
As a result, TV…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …