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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR / Dale Earnhardt Jr looks on as he sits on the provisional pole with a top speed of 186.089mph during Sunday qualifying at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach. Three days later, he loses the pole due to a crash in practice and has to start 43rd.Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's most popular driver. So imagine how excited the fans were when he won the pole. That was taken away in practice Wednesday when he crashed.
He goes from the head of the class for Sunday's Daytona 500 to the back of the pack: 43rd.
With a repaved super speedway and a a new points system, how could the sport's brain trusts not have considered and changed this stupid rule, of all things on the 10th anniversary of Earnhardt's father's death on the same track?
Maybe former 76ers point guard Allen Iverson was right when he fired back at his coach through the media: "We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
Would Green Bay Packers super-stud quarterback Aaron Rodgers be banned from the Super Bowl until, say the final two-minutes of the game because he tripped in practice?
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?
Would St. Louis slugger Albert Puljos be banned from playing in the season opener because he committed an error in Spring Training?
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
Perhaps NASCAR should have taken a cue from former NBA Philadelphia 76er Allen Iverson who complained about coach Larry Brown riding him about missing practice. Here is a portion of Iverson's rant taken from a transcript from Sports Illustrated online, aka SI.com in 2002: "I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice," Iverson said. "I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game last it's my last but we're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
So NASCAR, how silly is it that on the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death in the Daytona 500, that his son would have to go to the back of the field because he screwed up in practice? In any other sport, except maybe professional wrestling, practice would not preclude a franchise player from leading the way to a Super Bowl, a World Series, a Stanley Cup, an NBA finals, a Master's or a Wimbledon.
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
Dale Earnhardt Jr., known as "Junior," is the biggest star on the planet to NASCAR fans, Bigger than Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali or Babe Ruth. And Daytona International Speedway with the 500 is Earnhardt hallow ground; not only for the father, but the love and idolization -- the torch passed on to the son.
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
NASCAR had to deal with the embarrassment of last year's Daytona 500 being interrupted because of a crumbling track and what ended up being the biggest pothole anyone not in a Nor'easter had seen. Then there were the sagging TV ratings. Jimmie Johnson won five consecutive Sprint Cup championships. What a yawner. So NASCAR changed its points system in hopes of shaking things up. There was so much promise -- so much hope. And then this.
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
Which brings us to Speedweeks and Sunday's qualifying to determine the front row for the 500. Who else, but Earnhardt wins the pole, joined by Hendrick Motor-sports teammate and second most popular driver, Jeff Gordon. Three days later and because of mandatory practice that meant nothing, Earnhardt crashes. And just like that, he has to start dead last. What a way to start a new season.
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
Even the drivers who claim the final five spots today in practice will start ahead of Earnhardt. And get this: Should Earnhardt finish first in practice, then the second-place finisher would get the pole for the 500.
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"
NASCAR could turn this whole thing around Sunday should Junior go from last to first, which is much harder than going from first to last.
"We're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"