NASCAR is a tough sport as, unlike most motorsport events in the world, the drivers are given a bit more leniency regarding hard racing. This has made some label NASCAR racers as athletes without etiquette, which is far from the truth. Despite having the opportunity to race hard, the NASCAR racers often race clean, as they should.
But over the years, as the new generation started climbing the sports ladder, there have been certain changes to this culture. Increased safety, funding, and low precautions make young racers take more risks. While this change does increase the close racing, it also produces scenarios that should be avoided.
The former NASCAR champion and co-owner of SHR, Tony Stewart, has recently addressed this drop in clean racing. He pointed out that unlike the sport’s pioneers as recent as Jeff Gordon, the current generation of drivers don’t care about etiquette. He also named the veteran who taught him how to race clean.
The things that always made me mad and all the blow-ups and everybody thought I was off my rocker; it wasn’t about wanting to be mad. It was about etiquette…It was about what Dale Sr., Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, what all these veteran drivers taught me when I came into NASCAR. Then you got all these new guys coming in, and they don’t care about etiquette. Tony Stewart said via Hot Rod Pod.
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