Why do Nascar fans spend more time hating a driver than they do pulling for their driver?

Question

And why do they always think that if someone other than their driver wins then the winner must have cheated or Nascar gave it to them?

Answer 1

I'll find out this weekend.

Answer 2

My opinion on the matter is that with all of the drama portrayed in the sport, the fans may get emotionally involved with a driver and become very passionate about that driver. When their driver is defeated by another driver, they take it personally. Then denial sets in. Their driver was cheated. Thus laying blame on their least favorite driver. No driver wins over half of the races in a single season. So hating seems to be the rule all the other many times their driver is not winning.

Answer 3

I dont know why they spend more time hating other drivers and their fans and less supporting their driver??? But I think that if they did spend less time HATING the other drivers and those drivers fans and More time SUPPORTING their own driver their driver might APPRECIATE that and feel good about that and could even do a WHOLE LOT better racing!! The drivers have computers and can read and see all this nonsense from the fans...They see the type of fan base they have...Is Your driver Proud to have you as a fan???? Nascar and the racing is great its the fans that suck!!!!!!

Answer 4

There are rivalries in nascar and it can go farther than JR and Gordon...there are other drivers and lots of other fans. Personally I root for my guy Matt Kenseth, and I still have time to gripe if I think it is called for...bottom line, we finish consistently most times and that is sweet. The last two races were other than the norm and the cautions added to a fire started because of 2 different factions. Stewarts remarks, and gordon-vs-jr fans...add the beer can tossing, and it was truly a mess. That fuels fights for the rest of the season, maybe the other drivers can get on with driving.

Answer 5

As for the Talladega race. It was Dale Sr. birthday and Jeff Gordon was going to beat Sr. race wins. So what. It gives no true race car fan any reason to throw beer cans. I don't agree with everything that goes on, but being the fan that I am, I would never throw things at a driver because I'm upset. Those kind of "fans" are just morons the sport does not need.

Answer 6

People do not like the truth.

Here is the truth: NASCAR has a high percentage of extremely ignorant people in its fan base (mostly in the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan base, as proven by the throwing the debris).

The reason why NASCAR closed down some deep south racetracks and expanded into Las Vegas, Phoenix, etc. is that they are trying to expand into areas of higher intelligence, higher income and people that can respect the sport.

Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon eptiomize the "new NASCAR", more educated, reared away from the "hillbilly" areas, etc. This is why they are hated so much--they are successful, good looking, intelligent, win races and are NOT rednecks.

This may sound harsh, but it is the truth.

NASCAR wants to become more mainstream, have a larger percentage of women fans, more intelligent fans, more international fans. The ignorant rednecks who throw debris (Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans) are not the type of people NASCAR wants. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not want these slobs to be in his fan base.

These people "hate" other drivers other than their favorite. Intelligent fans do not "hate" other drivers that are not their favorite but respect them. Again, NASCAR wants to grow this type of fan base, and hopes the ignorant redneck slobs (mostly Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, as proven by the debris episodes) leave the sport.

Answer 7

If your referring to the Gordon thing at Dega, I believe the Gordon hating started back when Gordon tied Petty with 13 single season wins (In the Modern ERA). This is also when the gay rumors started.

Most fans find a long term reason to hate a driver due to on track incidents. i.e Kenseth / Stewart after 500 incident. Harvick / Kenseth at Pocono.
Spencer / Busch at Bristol

When it comes to Petty and Earnhardt it's never forgotten. In some Nascar fans eyes their records should not be broken

Answer 8

I believe that main reason fans hate other drivers so much is jealousy of what he has accomplished. If you notice fans do not hate drivers who are not doing so well. It is the successful ones that get the criticism. A lot of fans also make their own opinions about drivers and talk about them like they are fact. A lot of the hate come from not knowing much about the drivers and the sport. I guarantee you that the drivers do not want you to hate their competition. I see a lot of competition, but like you said a lot of it turns into hate and that just does not make sense. Great question

Answer 9

Because most sports are team sports with lots of athletes in the spotlight thus there are more personalities on your team to talk about. In Nascar, you've got the driver and his crew chief, the crew is usually considered one player in a three player sport. Every week your favourite driver has 42 opposing teams, Most sports have 1 competing team per event.
Increased number of competitors, limited number of recognizable personalities on your team. It all makes for calling down the other guy.

Answer 10

I am a fan of Joe Gibbs Racing.Sure there have been questionable calls,cautions,orG-W-C finishes.Some of these helped some teams and hurt other teams.But to hate a driver because he beats your favorite.?Why waste time just wait until next week.
I've heard the "conspiracy"theory if this is so would the same be true for Petty's 200th win,at Daytona-President there?
So cheer for your favorite driver and if he does not win there is next week.

Answer 11

Maybe its the group you hang out with that thinks that, but I for one certainly don't.

What strikes me funny is while Jeff Gordon wins, the battle between Dale Jr and Gordon fans start rising. Same way if Dale Jr wins. Then you have Tony Stewart who races his heart out and borderlines the arguments with the Gordon and Dale Jr fans. All while this is happening, there is 40 other drivers out there that don't even get a mention unless one of them wins. Then no one knows what to say so the feud between Gordon, Dale Jr and Stewart fans starts all over again.

I don't hate any driver. I have a few that may be on my poopy list from time to time, but I don't hate any driver. Hate is such a harsh word. I save that word for when my wife puts Lima beans on my dinner plate :-)