Loyalty, Part Deux

I just recently posted my perspective of the re-signing of Carl Edwards with Roush-Fenway Racing, devoting the post to the concept of loyalty. In a recent post by Mark Aumann on NASCAR.com, he opines that the continued association between Edwards and Roush wasn't about money, loyalty or leverage; it was about winning.

Well, yes... and no. There is no doubt in my mind that, had Edwards jumped ship for Joe Gibbs Racing, his association with a championship-winning team at JGR and championship-winning crew chief in Greg Zipadelli, he would have added plenty wins to his resume. And I'm sure most fans could easily see the possibility of Edwards driving towards a Sprint Cup Championship behind the wheel of the Home Depot Toyota.

But Edwards chose to stay with Roush. You can't tell me that there wasn't a huge dose of loyalty taken into consideration when Edwards remarked, "I talked to Jack on the phone and he said, 'Look, Carl. You do whatever you think is best for you'... That meant the world to me. It meant that I didn't have that pressure to do something for any reason than for what I thought was best..."

Loyalty has played a significant role with some of the most successful and popular NASCAR racers.

Dale Earnhardt has to be one of the greatest examples of loyalty. Even as he founded his own race team, he was still driving for Richard Childress, and there was no intention to jump ship, citing loyalty to Childress as a significant factor.

And it wasn't just the 6 Winston Cup Championship they had earned together. Earnhardt's last Cup championship with Childress and the #3 was in 1994. They remained together, dedicated to each other, right up until Earnhardt's tragic death at Daytona in 2001.

Likewise Jeff Gordon. How many NASCAR drivers do you know of who have signed a lifetime contractual agreement? Is it based in winning? Yes. Is it based in championship chases, past, present and future? You bet. Is it based in loyalty to his team owner? Unquestionably.

There are a couple other drivers that ditched loyalty to a championship-caliber team in hopes of doing something they'd been working towards, anyway (insert Tony Stewart here).

And then there's the sport's Most Popular Driver, whose loyalty was to his father, then to himself when the race team his father founded was wrenched away from him. Now he chooses to stay with Rick Hendrick, the man who gave him his second chance.



One of my all-time favorite movies is The Princess Bride, a wonderful tale of love, honor, and loyalty. Between the film and many of NASCAR's biggest stars, I remain optimistic that loyalty is not dead.

That's my two cents, your mileage may vary.

Loyalty Isn't Dead

I am elated by today's announcement that Carl Edwards has re-signed with Roush-Fenway Racing to continue doing backflips in 2012 and beyond. My excitement isn't simply because I am a big fan of Edwards, but because the renewal of his contract speaks greatly about a little-recognized personal attribute that I feel is all but forgotten in NASCAR today; Loyalty.

When questioned early on about his pending decision, Edwards remained vague; not showing his hand. He rightly reinforced the notion that he needed to make a decision based not only in performance, but what was the best for his family in the long run. Sure, this was most likely a significant bargaining tactic, but it was also a reflection of the responsibility any father / husband has to his family. After all, Edwards is participating in a sport that is always performed under the specter of potential death.

But, back to loyalty. Sure, Edwards had the potential to be just as competitive in a race car fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing as he has been with Roush-Fenway. Whether or not he would have jelled both personally and professionally with potential teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin would have been interesting to see. But he has an existing professional relationship with his fellow RFR teammates Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and David Ragan.

Jack Roush gave Edwards a killer opportunity, first in the truck series and eventually to NASCAR's top-tier Cup Series. Edwards rewarded Roush's belief in the young driver with a second Busch Series title. (Greg Biffle gave Roush his first.) Now Edwards is on the verge of giving Roush his 3rd Cup title, and the signing of this latest contract reinforces that dedication.

Edwards' decision reflects his belief that his relationship with Roush-Fenway will lead to many more shots at the Sprint Cup title, and the more shots you have, the greater chance of hitting that target. That comes through loyalty and dedication.

Okay, so what does this have to do with my novel, HIDING BEHIND THUNDER? (Notice how I snuck that in there?) Well, a significant facet of the story centers around the loyalty the young Davey Sutherland has to those who give him his greatest shot at rebuilding a life. This loyalty, however, isn't driven solely by the need to achieve more racing wins or championships. It's critical to the relationships Davey has with those who have accepted him into their hearts and lives. It's loyalty for his chance at redemption. It's loyalty built on a foundation of trust, and even love.

HIDING BEHIND THUNDER can be purchased through CreateSpace, downloaded to Amazon's Kindle reader, and purchased for downloads for Nook, Kobo, and many other ePub formats through Smashwords.com.