I’ve long maintained that truth is far stranger than fiction when it comes to NASCAR.
Who would have believed the first Daytona 500 in 1959 would end in a photo finish that wasn’t settled until three days later?
What were the odds that a last-lap crash and a fistfight between Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers in 1979 would thrust NASCAR into the national spotlight?
The triumph and the tragedy of the 2001 Daytona 500? A Hollywood script intern would have thrown that synopsis out after reading just the first paragraph.
Then there was the completely implausible scenario Kurt Busch would have a right-front wheel and tire come off his car in the last race of 2004, yet he would miss hitting the wall by inches, stay on the lead lap and win a championship in that same race.
Kyle Busch missing the first 11 races of 2015 and going on to become NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion? Yeah, right. You’d have to be delusional to believe that.
And right now, we have two fact-is-stranger-than-fiction stories going on in NASCAR.
The first is that in his final season, three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has recovered from his second serious physical injury in three years to likely make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The second is that if Dale Earnhardt Jr. can’t race in next week’s Brickyard 400, his former teammate Jeff Gordon will come out of retirement to drive the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Above all else, the single most important part of this equation, without question, is Earnhardt’s long-term health. Even if he never competes in another race, Earnhardt has created an impressive body of work over his career and can stand proudly on that.
Presumably, he’s financially set for life, too, which is a good thing.
But whether Earnhardt races in one week, one month, one year or never again, his legacy is established. What matters going forward is staying healthy. Period.
That said the possibility of Gordon coming back, even for one race, is as remarkable as it is intriguing.
My gut tells me that Hendrick would not have even announced Gordon as a possible replacement for the Brickyard unless the odds were pretty good that it will actually happen.
And it sets up an entire series of questions:
What if Gordon actually wins the Brickyard 400 for the sixth time?
What if Earnhardt is out for an extended period of time, maybe even for the rest of the season? Would Gordon stay in the seat?
How will Earnhardt’s passionate fan base react to seeing Gordon in the No. 88?
Would NASCAR create some kind of waiver or exclusion to let Gordon or Earnhardt in the Chase if the No. 88 wins a race — or even a couple of races this year?
It’s enough to make your head swim.
At this point, there are only two things to be said with any degree of certainty.
The first is that we wish a full and speedy recovery for Earnhardt. May this be the last time in his career he deals with a concussion.
And, wow, the Brickyard 400 just got a whole lot more interesting, no matter what happens. You see, in NASCAR, truth really is stranger than fiction.
