The 30 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All-Time - Elliott Kalb [62]
Usually, I would think that most cheating would be exposed in this sport because so many people are involved. When crew members eventually have a falling out and leave a crew, they are the ones that rat out the cheaters. In this case, though, that hasn’t happened. In fact, Earnhardt, Jr. has won other restrictor-plate races since, including the 2004 Daytona 500.
I see this as looking more shady immediately after the race, but like with Jeff Gordon’s 1994 Brickyard victory, time has a way of showing us that the storybook finish was logical. After all, Earnhardt (and the other racers at Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) do have some intangible edge in restrictor-plate racing. I believe the edge was on the level.
2004 DAYTONA 500
If the 2001 Pepsi 400 victory by Earnhardt, Jr. wasn’t emotional enough, how about his victory at the 2004 Daytona 500? It provided one of the most memorable outcomes in the sport’s history. Earnhardt, Jr. won the prestigious race six years to the day his father won it—and three years after the crash at the race that killed his father. In the 2004 Daytona 500, there were more whispers of a conspiracy concerning the controversial son. This time, it seems that he was not only helped from above (NASCAR officials), higher above (his father), but from other drivers as well. Did Tony Stewart allow Junior to race by him in the final laps?
Stewart was quoted after the race as saying, “I’m just flat tickled to death. Normally, I wouldn’t be this excited about second [place]. He outdrove us and beat us, plain and simple.” Stewart took the lead at Lap 175, with twenty-five laps remaining. Earnhardt took the lead from him on Lap 181. The race lacked any real drama after that. Bloggers were incensed. They wrote that NASCAR wanted Earnhardt to win. They wrote that it appeared only one person was racing that day. That it was not a race so much as a foregone conclusion.
MY OPINION
Superstars get favorable calls in all sports, and in modern sports, there is a disturbing (to me) tendency for athletes to glorify or revel in their opponents’ good fortune. How dare opponents congratulate Mark McGwire when he hit record-setting home runs? How dare opponents hit Michael Jordan up for autographs before games, and acquiesce to him during play? It’s happening more and more lately. The Chicago Bears were not thrilled about losing Super Bowl XXXXI, but at the same time the Bears and their coach were happy for opposing quarterback Peyton Manning and head coach Tony Dungy, who had each won their first Super Bowl. That’s crazy to me. Now, I realize that in this case Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart had a history of working together, and the entire sport is made up of individuals needing help from opponents to win. It’s not a conspiracy theory, but a fact of life. Athletes not only root for themselves, but they have their favorite opponents that they root for, too. It’s just that when those opponents pass them, sometimes they look a little too happy. Especially someone like Stewart, who is known for being an intense competitor. My opinion is that there was not a fix, or foregone conclusion.
1984 FIRECRACKER 400
The crowd in Daytona Beach for the 1984 Firecracker 400 included, for the first time ever, a sitting president of the United States. Ronald Reagan was in attendance, in large part hoping to see history (and appeal to the millions of NASCAR fans who would reelect him five months later). Reagan was the president, but to race car fans, Richard Petty was The King. And forty-seven-year-old Petty was attempting to win his 200 race.
It was a perfect scenario. With the president there and the advantage of a big engine, Petty