Dateline: 08/16/01

The first half of the season is history and it looks like the tight race for the Winston Cup Championship is going to come to an early conclusion, at least if the last two races are any indication. What just a few weeks ago was a dead heat has now stretched to a triple digit lead for Jeff Gordon and there doesn't seem to be anything to stop the #24 Dupont Chevy from giving him his fourth Winston Cup.

I know that statement will anger a lot of fans, and heck it doesn't make me too happy either, since my favorite driver is fading fast, but let's face facts. There are two factors working to give Jeff the advantage at this point. First, he's hot. Pure and simple, Jeff Gordon is the hottest driver in Winston Cup today. Secondly, everyone else in contention is having incredibly bad luck. I mean, how many trips to the Watkins Glen gravel pits can Dale Jarrett make in one day?

If my observations are true, what does that mean to NASCAR as it seeks to hold the fan interest that tended to wane with the death of Dale Earnhardt? The Intimidator captured the attention of everyone in the stands. I've heard numerous fans say that no matter what, they always looked for that black Monte Carlo. Without it, they've told me they've lost something that can't be regained. Then, as the season progressed, they found a new focus, the battle between Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd. From week to week, they traded positions, even having to go to a tie breaker to determine who held the points lead.

Now suddenly, that is all gone. Alone at the front of the pack is Jeff Gordon and he's pulling away. Will those fans who almost left after Daytona stick with it now that the race is becoming so one-sided? After all, in the fall there's a lot more to watch in the way of sports on a Sunday afternoon. Even King Richard feared a run away when he said in his column at NASCAR.com, "... betting against Jeff Gordon to win the NASCAR Winston Cup championship this year probably wouldn't be the smartest thing you could do... " and he's one who should know.

What will it take to keep those fans, especially those who can only watch a race on television, coming back week after week? In my opinion, the answer has already been found. By changing the tech rules, NASCAR has opened the door to a potential "wolf in sheep's clothing" to sneak in and make a contest out of the Cup again. That sheep, or should I say Ram, is Sterling Marlin and the Coors Light Dodge. The front end extension that NASCAR allowed might just give the edge to Marlin, who has the best shot of any of the Dodge Boys, and the race for the Cup could suddenly gain a lot of interest, especially for those of us who were MOPAR fans in the past. It seems to me that NASCAR's given up on the early leaders being able to dethrone Jeff, so why not throw a monkey wrench into his title hopes and give Dodge a chance to regain its past glory? It might be a long shot, but it also might be the only shot that anyone has to overtake Jeff Gordon. At any rate, the next few weeks could be critical to NASCAR's bid to hold fan interest as the competition from baseball playoffs and NFL games unfolds and viewers are forced to decide where their loyalties lie.