CONCORD, N.C. — It’s time to show more appreciation for the current stars of motorsports and appreciate their skills and achievements while they are in the primes of their careers.
Like most folks who grew up as a race fan during the 1970s and 1980s, my love affair with the sport began with the legends of the sports — A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, the Unsers, Mario Andretti, the Allisons and so many others.
Bobby Allison was the latest of these heroes to have left us, as he died on Saturday at age 86.
Contemplating his loss and the fact that Foyt, Petty and Andretti are well into their 80s, observing the noticeable absence of Scott Bloomquist, who died earlier this year, during the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, could make one of a certain age wonder if the good times are over.
If you feel that way, there are two paths to take. First, you can yell at the top of your lungs about how racing was better back then, and today’s drivers don’t deserve the accolades they are getting and can’t be compared to the previous generations.
Or you can open your eyes and see what these drivers are doing on the race track, give credit where credit it do and enjoy the moment before it too is part of the past.
One needs to look no farther than this past weekend to see tomorrow’s legends today.
At the Dirt Track at Charlotte, Brandon Sheppard secured a record fifth World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, while his championship rival Bobby Pierce picked up his 38th dirt late model victory of the season. Pierce has won pretty much every big race there is to win this season.
Meanwhile, another of their contemporaries, Ricky Thornton Jr. picked up a victory during the World Finals — his 27th of the season — and also did double duty by getting his feet wet in the World of Outlaws sprint car division.
All three of these drivers are in their glory years as racers continually find new ways to manhandle the beasts that are dirt late models. Watching these drivers is worth the price of admission.
Also during the World Finals, David Gravel and Carson Macedo gave fans a glimpse of what World of Outlaws fans saw all season as the duo battled for the championship. Gravel held off Macedo to wear the crown for the first time after a decade of trying. Both drivers won a feature during the World Finals. Gravel won 16 races this season and Macedo visited victory lane 12 times.
Absent at the World Finals was Brad Sweet, who had won five straight series titles before this year. Sweet won the High Limit Racing title and 11 features this year, giving him six straight national touring titles.
These three drivers and young chargers such as Buddy Kofoid, Corey Day and Tyler Courtney, who won 11 races this season, including Saturday’s $25,000-to-win World Finals finale are only a sampling of why this generation of winged sprint car drivers are worth watching.
Once described as “Sliced Bread” by Hall of Famer Mark Martin because of his talent and bright future, Joey Logano became the 10th driver to win three or more NASCAR Cup Series championships.
Many are criticizing how Logano won the title but how he won it only matters in the now, when he eventually puts on his NASCAR Hall of Fame jacket, those three championships (and maybe more) will stand together and it won’t matter how he won them.
His teammate, Ryan Blaney, challenged him throughout and came, oh so close to a second consecutive title. These two battled for the title against, perhaps, the two brightest stars in the Cup Series, as Tyler Reddick and William Byron will contend for championships for another decade or more.
These are only a few examples of why it’s a great time to be a motorsports fan. Enjoy this generation while you can.