The days of Richard Petty and the Alabama Gang are long gone, and NASCAR racing isn't a Southern thing anymore. It hasn't been for a long time. Jimmy Johnson, the winner of the last five circuit championships, is from California. Plenty of other popular drivers aren't from Dixie, either: Carl Edwards (Missouri), Tony Stewart (Indiana), Jeff Gordon (California), Kevin Harvick (California), and Kurt and Kyle Busch (Nevada). At least Dale Earnhardt Jr. is from North Carolina, but he's in a Southern minority in a sport with distinct Southern roots. So it's nice to see an actual Southerner win Sunday's Daytona 500. Even though nobody had ever heard of Trevor Bayne, he's from Knoxville, Tennessee, and for a day at least, all those drivers from California are looking up to a Southerner again.
Also, good to see two old timers have a good day. Bill Elliott (Georgia) finished 12th and Terry Labonte (Texas) came in 15th.
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Daytona 500 goes Southern again
Reply With Quote
