The Definition of a “Good Guy” in NASCAR

It comes as no surprise that Dale Earnhardt didn’t win the most popular driver award voted on each year by NASCAR fans until after his untimely death. Dale was a winner. He would do whatever it took within the confines of “clean racing” to get out front late in a race and hold on, even if the car he was driving wasn’t the fastest. While Dale Sr. is the best example of the point I’m going to make,

other drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and more recently Kyle Busch have also spent time in the not too liked climes among NASCAR fans. Why? Well these guys are all winners and in NASCAR, when you consistently win you’re stepping on the toes of 42 other drivers, teams and their fans. So in a round-about way, winners are the “Bad Guys” and conversely all the drivers who are consistently also-rans are the “Good Guys”.

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season will long be remembered for the number of first time winners who have graced Victory Lane and for the variety (fifteen different winners to date) of drivers waving checkered flags. The “Good Guy” ranks have taken a major hit this year…

Marcos Ambrose, since moving to the US and NASCAR to pursue his passion for auto racing, has been considered a “Good Guy” for a lot of reasons, but in no small part it was due to the fact he had been winless in 104 starts at the Sprint Cup level.

Well, all that changed yesterday on the Watkins Glen road course. The two-time Australian Super V8 champion had finally tasted victory at the world’s foremost stock car racing level. Marcos thus joined Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, David Ragan and Paul Menard as a first time winner this season. That’s all fine and dandy, but boys you’ve all put your “Good Guy” standing in dire jeopardy. Since everyone likes first time winners, if you’ll all just calm down now and forget about winning again, you should be all right…

With four races left to qualify for the Chase, Marcos Ambrose has, by virtue of his first win, vaulted to 22nd in the 2011 Chase standings, only one measly point away from a three-way tie with Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex, Jr. for 20th place. If he shows well in these last four races, there’s an outside chance he could make the Chase if he happens to post one more win and improves his point total into a top twenty standing.

This is the beauty of the new Chase format. As it stands today, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Marcos and David Ragan all have one win and are either in or within striking distance of the top twenty. There should be a real scramble between these one-win drivers before it’s over.

Brad Keselowski now appears to be a lock for the Chase as his 1st place finish at Pocono (giving Brad two wins on the season) and now his 2nd place finish at the Glen have pushed the Blue Deuce all the way up to 14th in the Chase standings.

If any of this group of four happens to swipe another win (which would either solidify their position in the top twenty or get them into it) then that driver and team would almost be assured of a spot in the Chase and a chance at the championship. The problem is Menard, Ragan and now Ambrose will risk slamming their “Good Guy” rating into the dirt with that next win…