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Bob Pockrass: Is fighting in NASCAR really needed?

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Saturday, October 11, 2008

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CONCORD, N.C. – I’ve heard it a bunch of times about how the Kevin Harvick-Carl Edwards shoving incident – from all accounts there was just one shove – wouldn’t have been a blip on the screen 20 years ago.
 
I heard that’s the old-school style, old-school emotion that this sport is missing and that we should celebrate it and encourage more of it. We need a good fight to keep things interesting.
 
And in a way, that makes sense. Conflict increases debate about the sport, gets highlights in sportscasts and engages the fans.
 
But in a way it seems silly to think that fights are good things, that we should encourage drivers to be shoving one another – or even going further and throwing haymakers every time they have a beef with the way someone else drove into the corner.
 
I understand that emotions run high and that it’s because of the drivers’ competitiveness that push comes to shove, and then shove can sometimes lead to punches. These drivers excel because they have passion and it’s not something they can turn off when confronted by an angry competitor.
 
But NASCAR, and all of us, need to be careful what we wish for. We need to be careful because what kind of message does the sport send to say that pushing and shoving and fighting is OK if you disagree with the person you’re arguing with? When is it OK to cross the line from being critical of someone else to the point of physical altercation?
 
Would we want our kids every time they’re at the bus stop to push and shove each other because they disagree over who gets in what seat on the school bus? And if that’s OK, is it fine when they get older and are in a meeting at the office – or at home with their family – and they don’t get their way that a little push here, a little shove there is just harmless?
 
If NASCAR drivers pushed each other and fought every week, it would get old real fast. It would be like hockey, where a fight is exciting only if it really gets brutal.
 
It seems to me that the best way for NASCAR to be physical is on the track. It would be best to keep the pushing and shoving to the cars as they try to make passes and fight for position.
 
If we want to see fights, should we just put a boxing ring up, let them throw punches and then do a 20-lap heat race at the end of the day?

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Comments

10 responses to "Bob Pockrass: Is fighting in NASCAR really needed?"
  1. 1
    PB said:
    Oct 11, 2008 at 11:57 AM

    Give me a break Bob, All drivers know that its an unwritten rule with teams that another Teams Garage and/or Pit Area is off limits. If you are going to go into someones garage or pit area and argue you are on thin ground. Then when the guy you are arguing with turns to walk away and you put a hand on him if you don't know what is coming then you are indeed an idiot. Believe me I am not for fighting as a way of solving anything but if someone came in one of my teams pit areas and did the same thing the result would probably be the same and ASA doesn't link it any better than NASCAR. Look at it this way Bob what if someone came in you backyard while you were barbecuing and started arguing and then put his hands on you this for all intents and purposes the same thing.

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  2. 2
    marian mcclain said:
    Oct 11, 2008 at 12:48 PM

    I agree PB. Stay on your on turf and act like a man.

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  3. 3
    Helen Varga said:
    Oct 11, 2008 at 1:03 PM

    I agree. Carl Edwards is agressive off and on the track and that's why I just don't like him. His charisma as some call it is a facade - hiding a deeper, more disturbing personality issue. I don't know what that is, but it's not good for NASCAR.

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  4. 4
    jerry swiatek said:
    Oct 11, 2008 at 2:44 PM

    Pockrass you need help, there is boxing, Wrestling, strong man, and all them other mean to win things on TV. so you think an occasional shoving, yelling, punching, is going to cause your kid to be untreated at the bustop because they learned that from Nascar Racing?? Let me help you as in teachin you can use bad examples, do as I say son, not as you see, but always hold your ground and protect your beliefs!

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  5. 5
    chris welch said:
    Oct 11, 2008 at 3:40 PM

    do you really need to ask this question? if someone has a problem, then they need to settle it like MEN and not with racecars.

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  6. 6
    bill thompson said:
    Oct 12, 2008 at 7:34 AM

    I'LL RENT THEM THE RING AND BE THE REF

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  7. 7
    Melissa Van Drew said:
    Oct 12, 2008 at 9:26 AM

    It's obvious Pockrass doesn't understand this sport. No, fighting is not "needed". It is, however, part of the sport. It always has been. Is it there by choice? No, it is a by-product of the personalities of the people who are drawn to driving. Do you think it is just men? Check out Danica Patrick's rep for going into others pits with the same attitude. Also, I just don't define "shoving" as fighting, nor "grabbing uniforms" or yelling and poking each other. Give 'em a break. If Harvick and Edwards wanted to "fight" one guy wouldn't have been able to break them up.

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  8. 8
    bill thompson said:
    Oct 12, 2008 at 5:06 PM

    exactly ,harvick was afraid to fight, he only flaps his jaws and hides behind his crew. hey DW can harvick have your nickname?

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  9. 9
    Adam O'Donnell said:
    Oct 13, 2008 at 3:37 AM

    I see where you're going and I can agree that we probably don't need actual fighting every week, but I think we could use some real rivals. A couple of guys who really can't stand each other and love to tell anyone who will listen. I don't know that we need Harvick and Edwards to punch each other every week, but if there was some actual drama around them - a few snarky words every week that had the potential to carry over to the track - I think that would spice things up. Look how many people got excited over the Edwards/Busch. (Too bad Kyle dropped out of the Chase picture.)

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  10. 10
    emily bagwell said:
    Oct 14, 2008 at 8:01 PM

    They can't wreck, they can't fight---what can they do?? Hold in their emotions until they explode or maybe write a dumb note like Carl!! duh!

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