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StumblePublished Saturday, March 29, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | 2:14 p.m.
Jeff Gordon wears Prada. He admitted to his expensive taste in designer shoes in a recent article in Men’s Vogue magazine. Hey, Jeff’s a rich guy and it’s a free country, so he can wear whatever brand of shoes he wants. But is this a lifestyle that a NASCAR fan can relate to?
NASCAR has a new plan to bring back core fans, who have become disillusioned with the sport, by allowing the drivers to be more open with their emotions. Well, being free with their emotions may not be what’s needed. What are needed are a few drivers who are made from the same mold as the veteran drivers who used to drive the popularity of the sport.
Can middle-class fans relate to drivers who try to act like the common man in one breath and then in another describe how they love their $100,000 sports cars, exotic vacations, Manhattan apartments and shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive? Gone are the days when drivers looked like the fans, talked liked the fans and had the grit that comes with experiencing the same hard knocks in life that many fans had experienced.
It’s time the lobster-eating, Ferrari-driving, multimillionaire drivers make an occasional visit to Wal-Mart and pick up a pair of flip-flops. Maybe that could help the core fans begin to feel more comfortable with the sport they love.
I just hope I never see the day when I hear Jeff Gordon say, “The Prada Chevrolet was awesome today.”
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Mr. Smith,
You are a lower middle class snob! So what if Jeff Gordon wears designer shoes? I follow NASCAR and I don't have a problem with him dressing nice, having a home in Manhattan or taking exotic vavations, heck if I had half the money he does I would do the same. I don't shop at Walmart and I think flip flops look sloppy except at a pool or the beach.
Get real, not all NASCAR fans are redneck hicks who think that WallyWorld is the best store ever opened.
I agree with you not ALL fans are "redneck hicks."