More on the Subculture of NASCAR

Ah, the 2009 season is underway. What a nice feeling to know that we can immerse ourselves into whatever facet of the NASCAR Subculture that fascinates us the most- be it the competition or the personalities- and forget about the pressures of the stock market or the phone bill. Seasoned fans and newbie's, read on with me to check into two more subjects that make up our oh-so-tangled web of racing.

Let's shine the spotlight on four time champion Jeff Gordon, otherwise known as 'Super G'. He's run very well in the first couple of races... Is he back, stylin' and high profilin'? That would be awesome, as he is a big part of the subculture of our beloved sport.

He generates tons of attention (good and bad) from the fans. There are two kinds of NASCAR fans in the grandstands... those that love Gordon, and those that loathe him. He is the active driver with the most wins, at 81, (at the time this article was written) which puts him sixth on NASCAR's all time wins list. He has the second most number of Sprint Cup Championships at four, behind only greats Richard 'The King' Petty and Dale 'The Intimidator' Earnhardt, both having earned seven apiece. So, you ask, what's not to like?

Let's first tackle the question of why his fans love him. He's a very personable man, generous and generally polite. He donates a lot of money to charity every year. He's a very talented driver- a hard charger on the racetrack- and as his statistics show, very successful. DuPont Automotive Finishes has their logo emblazoned on the hood of his racecar, which is one of the longest driver-sponsor relationships in NASCAR. He drives for the epitome of successful car owners in Rick Hendrick, which is also one of the longest driver-owner relationships in the sport. And this will continue on, as he is one of the very few drivers (if the only one) who has a lifetime contract. He achieved success at a very young age; which at the time he started driving in NASCAR, was unusual. He does whine a bit when stressed, but he admits it. He is married to a model and the father of an adorable baby girl.

So...back to the reason the other half of the fans loathe Jeff Gordon. Could it be the afore mentioned hard charging or the whining? A lot of the loathing stems from the fact that he came onto the scene at the time one of the biggest icons of the sport, Dale Earnhardt, was driving at his peak. Fan favorites Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace were also having success on the racetrack. There were epic battles between the previously mentioned legends on the track every Sunday and fans loved it. Then along comes Gordon, a fresh faced kid from California. While his first season was not too legendary, he really turned up the heat from his second season on. He had seasons where he won more than ten races. He became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500. He won on all types of racetracks, from short tracks to superspeedways to road courses. Basically, he was kicking the collective butts of NASCAR's biggest stars.

As you can imagine, their fans did NOT like it! Their hatred of Jeff has been handed down through the generations. There is nothing that can be done about it, and Jeff has embraced this legacy knowing that he has a huge fan base of his own. He is perennially the second most popular driver in the sport behind his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Whether the fans in the grandstands boo him or cheer for him, as long as they're making some kind of noise, Jeff Gordon is happy. Where do you stand? If you are new to NASCAR, tune in to a race and see what you think. Or better yet, attend a race this year. You'll definitely spot the haters and the lovers of Jeff Gordon, as they don't hesitate to show where their allegiances lie.

On to the second topic for today... the estimable and much respected Jayski. Every NASCAR fan, driver, crew member, reporter and writer knows and loves this legendary icon of the internet.

In 1996, the mysterious man known to the world as 'Jayski' (not his real name) started collecting bits of news and information and putting them on the internet at his "Silly Season Site" so that everyone could access NASCAR news on one website. He also began collecting links to articles all over the web and listing them all on one page so you only have to peruse one place to find everything you want to know. His website grew in both size and popularity as the years flew by. Now part of ESPN, one of the largest sports content organizations in the world, Jayski's website attracts a half a million page views per day and has over 1500 pages of content. (Honestly, it was getting that much traffic before the merger with ESPN. It's probably busier now.)

Any statistic you will ever need to know can be found on Jayski's website, making it an invaluable resource to fantasy racers, reporters, writers and trivia buffs alike. The site is well organized and you can have your info in seconds just by following his easy to read links. Jayski also catalogs paint schemes for the Sprint Cup cars, the Nationwide cars and Camping World trucks. (Each of NASCAR's top three divisions has its own section of the website.) A separate page lists links to articles all across the rest of the internet. And, on qualifying day, Jayski posts his own semi-live qualifying page that lists who qualifies where only seconds behind real time. This is heaven for all of us that have day jobs and can't be home to watch on television.

How does Jayski's website differ from NASCAR.com? Don't get me wrong, I like NASCAR.com and visit that site frequently. But there, you'll only find content by a few writers and news that is screened by the sanctioning body...in other words, you see only what they want you to see. At Jayski's, you'll see all the news, all the time...as soon as he collects it. Every so often his site is so quick that news is posted before the people involved are aware that they are in the news.

Jayski's website is the glue that holds the web of NASCAR information together. A place where all the different intricacies of the NASCAR Subculture collide, sort themselves out and are archived for the world to enjoy. It's a sanctuary during the off season where fans can ease their withdrawal symptoms by reading through Jayski's volumes of content. He may not be out on the racetrack with Super G or Dale Jr., but he's an icon of our sport.

Visit his website at www.jayski.com! I promise you won't be disappointed. Well, it's time to end this article, seeing as it's qualifying day and Jayski has his grid up and ready to roll. Stay tuned for the next installment on the NASCAR Subculture, where we'll discuss some racetracks that have personalities of their own.

Sources: www.Jayski.com, 'About Jayski'; Team Pages, 24-Gordon
www.NASCAR.com, 'Drivers-Sprint Cup Series-Jeff Gordon'