I won’t say I am a genius or clairvoyant by any measure, but last Saturday’s race sure turned into Seperation Saturday in the Chase for the 2007 Nextel Cup Championship. To hear everyone tell it, barring a last minute “Hail Mary” by Clint Bowyer, this race has come down to two competitors: Defending Champ Jimmie Johnson and 4-time champ Jeff Gordon.
This is the funniest looking rivalry I’ve ever seen! I mean, you used to have polar opposites going toe to toe: Waltrip vs. Earnhardt, Earnhardt vs. Gordon, Yarborough vs. Pearson, Petty vs. the whole Alabama Gang, or Gordon vs. Stewart, but Gordon vs. Johnson? That’s like David vs. Jonathan, Magic vs. Isaiah, or the Labonte brothers vs……each other! These guys are best friends, and in many ways, have the same fan base.
Even when Junior comes over to Hendrick next year, many Junior fans will still despise Gordon and vice versa. Different drivers with different lifestyles and different fan bases. I mean this showdown is like Chevy vs. Pontiac! Gordo and JJ are both Californians, well-spoken, married, they’ve both won titles, so there’s no “underdog” factor here, and both are accused of being corporate robots by their detractors. It just feels weird.
Now I’m not saying we have fans up in arms over who to root for. As a Gordon fan, I’ll tell you I have no feelings for Jimmie, though I find him likable and respect his talents. By the same token, I definitely know Jimmie fans who’ll never root for the Dupont Chevy. It’s kind of odd, but the two really don’t cross over, so the fan rivalry is still there.
Yes, there’s still Clint Bowyer- champion of the underdog class, and new golden boy for the RCR crowd (who generally loathe HMS).
But “De- nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.” I’ll catch Haides for this one!
