Guest Column

By Cathy Elliott

Reprinted with permission

Jimmie Johnson fans groaned and fans of pretty much everyone else sent up a cheer when Johnson’s lead in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup was cut to 73 points over Mark Martin at Texas Motor Speedway on November 8.

Uncharacteristically, Johnson sounded a little defensive in his post-race interview, conceding that yes, his lead had been cut … before pointing out that with two races to go, 73 points was still a pretty substantial margin.

Still, that number seems to push the envelope of comfort for fans, who from experience know that in NASCAR, things can change in a hurry.

If you can imagine how we might be reacting if Johnson’s lead was only two points instead of more than 70, then you know a little bit about how it feels to be a Philip Morris fan.

Apparently someone told Morris this was supposed to be a record-breaking year in NASCAR. After winning his first two NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championships by just two points, in 2006 and 2008,

Morris stepped things up this year, becoming the only driver in series history to claim the title three times.

Over in the parallel universe of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, we’re all watching as Johnson also attempts to move into a seat that has forever been empty – to become the only driver in history to win four titles in a row.

The Cup Series is ultra-competitive. It is difficult to win a single race these days, much less go all the way to the championship stage. Records in racing rarely fall, and when they do, it is a very big deal.

For most of the drivers we know so well and support so ardently, short track racing is where the road to superstardom began. The Cup Series gets the lion’s share of attention, but all across the country, other drivers care just as much, and fight just as hard to win races, as those in NASCAR’s premier series.

You know these guys. You work with them. They’re your neighbors, your friends. They are the guys who leave work, go home and grab some dinner, then head straight out to the shop in the backyard to work on their race cars.

When the weekend rolls around, they drive those cars to the race track themselves, often loaded onto an open trailer, basically a larger version of what landscapers use to haul their lawn mowers and weed whackers.

Their crews are comprised of their brothers, their daughters, and their friends. They personify teamwork — which is really just another word for togetherness — in the best possible way.

Philip Morris is a stellar example of this. NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter describes the Morris family this way: “They are uniquely all-American. They love God, country, family, home cooking, and simple living; they have deep faith, great kids, and a true love story.”

If you’re not sure who Philip Morris is and think you have no awareness of the Whelen All-American Series, you may be wrong. Those tracks you see in the background of a current series of TV commercials featuring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers like Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Elliott Sadler may well be venues where Morris actually competes.

They are regional short tracks, and if you haven’t headed out to one on a Saturday night with a bucket of chicken, a cooler, and the family in tow, you’re missing a real slice of genuine Americana. Plus, it’s fun.

There’s not a lot of glory there, and there’s even less money, but like Kevin Costner’s fictional pitcher Billy Chapel in the movie of the same name, these guys do it for love of the game.

They may not have last names like Kahne, Earnhardt or Hamlin, but once upon a time they did. It wasn’t so very long ago that today’s Sunday afternoon superspeedway sensations were battling it out on their hometown Saturday night short tracks.

In fact, I remember back in the 1990s, my dad once saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. race at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway. After the race, Dad expressed some concern over Junior’s future prospects.

(For the record, my father is not known for his prognostication skills. Junior seems to be doing fairly well for himself.)

As everyone looks ahead to Las Vegas, it seems important to note that NASCAR hosts another Champions Week, honoring the various support series that prop up their better-known counterparts.

Their champions are Jason Bowles (Camping World Series West); George Brunnhoelzl III (Whelen Southern Modified Tour); Donny Lia (Whelen Modified Tour); Andrew Ranger (Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil

1); Ryan Truex (Camping World Series East, and yes, he’s Martin’s brother); and Philip Morris (Whelen All-American Series).

Mark Twain once said that if everyone were satisfied with himself, there would be no heroes.

These dedicated drivers, who do their best and give their all every week with little hope of great fortune or international fame, are the heroes of their own hometowns … and one has to believe they are well satisfied with that.