COLUMN: NASCAR Not Dead

New news: NASCAR’s not dead.

Call off the ambulance. Send back the stretcher. Cancel that reservation at the morgue.

Yes, NASCAR still has issues. Yes, NASCAR still has problems.

But that gaping, bloody wound critics and longtime fans couldn’t help but stare at, point out and worry about the last two years?

It’s been bandaged up.

Nothing like a little controversy to stir up a dull party.

Say what you want about Tony Stewart. And think what you want about Stewart, Goodyear and the Tire War.

But it’s no coincidence that Stewart’s bell-ringing, reverberating comments deriding Goodyear’s once-hallowed product came in the same season that NASCAR has gone out of its way to promise die-hard fans a back-to-basics approach.

NASCAR’s claimed that it’s returning to its roots.

That’s debatable.

Stewart took a stand, spoke the truth, and tossed a little dirt.

That’s a fact.

And NASCAR’s fans have responded.

The sport’s TV ratings are up. Goodyear’s publicly traded stock is down. And as everyone from Dale Jarrett to Jeff Gordon was left to swim in Stewart’s wake this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, it’s obvious that Stewart’s no-nonsense verbal attack struck a chord.

Why?

Because he sounded credible. He sounded real. And he sounded like he meant it.

Drama: it makes the world go around.

Rumblings of a union have again been rolling around in NASCAR-land. And as drivers’ frustrations have mounted – aimed specifically at the Car of Tomorrow and the lack of a unified voice when dealing with what amounts to a dictatorship – so have those of die-hard fans.

Granted, it’s two different worlds.

In one world, you get paid a heck of a lot of money to drive a car around a track.

In the other world, you pay a lot of money to cheer on people who are driving a car around a track.

Yet the two separate worlds are also one.

Drivers feed off the support of their devoted fans.

And the fans believe in their favorite drivers.

It’s what made Richard Petty "The King." It’s what made Dale Earnhardt a legend.

It’s how NASCAR works.

Or, at least, used to.

Lately, NASCAR’s been walking high on a shaky rope. It’s been singing "Respect" to a rhythm of nothing but money.

NASCAR once took pride in its outsider’s image. It was rebellious. It didn’t conform. It was the bad boy in a straight, boring world. Yes, the drivers and teams sported corporate logos, took corporate money and engaged in corporate talk.

But NASCAR was still NASCAR.

It was racing. Pure and simple.

Then something changed.

After building, building and building the last two decades, NASCAR finally overexpanded.

And the sport, which once had all the quirkiness and charm of a mom-and-pop store, soon transformed into one of those character-less, big-box Goliaths that Stewart’s bright-orange No. 20 car now drives in circles to help sell.

Enter two years of declining TV ratings. Enter criticism. Enter the media, ready to re-assign NASCAR to the discount aisle.

Then came Stewart.

He spoke. Shook things up. And the people listened. And NASCAR once again has a buzz.

Stewart said he didn’t particularly want to be the "voice of the garage" on Friday afternoon in a rain-soaked press conference outside his trailer at BMS.

He also said he was "excited" to just get back to racing – the thing he does best.

Good for him.

Stewart shouldn’t have to be the sole spokesman of the tire generation.

But Stewart also understands that if no one ever speaks out, nothing’s ever going to change.

NASCAR’s got new life, thanks to Stewart.

But controversy applied as make-up only lasts so long.

And as the fans came out early Saturday morning, caught a quick glimpse of their heroes, and then endured the rain at Bristol Motor Speedway, it was also obvious that NASCAR still has a long, long way to go before it’s in the clear.

Drivers will tell you: it’s the fans that made NASCAR. And it’s the fans who are truly keeping NASCAR alive.

All the fans want is real racing. And the truth.

Right now, Stewart is giving them both.