If you've known me for a while, you'll know that Denny Hamlin is my current favorite NASCAR driver. And you'd know that he's won every year that he's been a full time driver.
That streak is in jeopardy with one week remaining in the season.
And it's hard as a fan to accept.
Everyone who supports a team, or in this case, driver, wants their team to win. They know that their team can't win every game, but you hope that they can put enough together to win a championship.
Then there are years that even the best can't seem to find their groove.
In 1978, NASCAR's most successful driver, Richard Petty, failed to win a race for the first time since 1959. In that span, Petty won 185 races. Petty would end up with 200 to end his career, the last coming in 1984.
Similarly to Hamlin, drivers Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson, also very talented drivers, have not won in 2018. With only one race to go, at least two are guaranteed to not win a race, and it is quite possible that none of the three will go to victory lane this season. If you had told me in January that none of those three drivers would win a race, I would've laughed at you. Quite hard.
As a Washington Capitals fan, I suffered through many lows before they captured their first Stanley Cup Championship this year. I've been a Baltimore Orioles fan my entire life. I watched my Baltimore Ravens go from Super Bowl Champions to rebuilding, back to Champions 11 years later.
So why is this season so difficult to accept?
Hamlin will be 38 years old this week. The average age of a NASCAR driver has been dropping. Drivers used to run until their late 40's or early 50's. Now with drivers like Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jr retiring in their early 40s, and others such as Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, and Greg Biffle losing rides over the last few seasons, drivers are starting to lose rides sooner than later.
I guess it feels different because with NASCAR you get attached to a driver, not a team. If Tom Brady retires, people don't stop being Patriots fans (well, maybe a few), or if Bryce Harper leaves Washington (which seems like a possible scenario) people will remain Washington Nationals fans.
It's just difficult when your team (or driver) is having a rough year, and there's nothing you can do about it except hope that the next season is better.
That streak is in jeopardy with one week remaining in the season.
And it's hard as a fan to accept.
Everyone who supports a team, or in this case, driver, wants their team to win. They know that their team can't win every game, but you hope that they can put enough together to win a championship.
Then there are years that even the best can't seem to find their groove.
In 1978, NASCAR's most successful driver, Richard Petty, failed to win a race for the first time since 1959. In that span, Petty won 185 races. Petty would end up with 200 to end his career, the last coming in 1984.
Similarly to Hamlin, drivers Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson, also very talented drivers, have not won in 2018. With only one race to go, at least two are guaranteed to not win a race, and it is quite possible that none of the three will go to victory lane this season. If you had told me in January that none of those three drivers would win a race, I would've laughed at you. Quite hard.
As a Washington Capitals fan, I suffered through many lows before they captured their first Stanley Cup Championship this year. I've been a Baltimore Orioles fan my entire life. I watched my Baltimore Ravens go from Super Bowl Champions to rebuilding, back to Champions 11 years later.
So why is this season so difficult to accept?
Hamlin will be 38 years old this week. The average age of a NASCAR driver has been dropping. Drivers used to run until their late 40's or early 50's. Now with drivers like Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jr retiring in their early 40s, and others such as Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, and Greg Biffle losing rides over the last few seasons, drivers are starting to lose rides sooner than later.
I guess it feels different because with NASCAR you get attached to a driver, not a team. If Tom Brady retires, people don't stop being Patriots fans (well, maybe a few), or if Bryce Harper leaves Washington (which seems like a possible scenario) people will remain Washington Nationals fans.
It's just difficult when your team (or driver) is having a rough year, and there's nothing you can do about it except hope that the next season is better.
