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While both drivers and their teams are losing healthy paychecks (reportedly $32 million for Hendrick Motorsports and $12 million for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing), they are also losing a great partner but both NASCAR and IndyCar are losing a great partner. In honor of National Guard's lengthy commitment to both series, they deserve a fitting farewell.
Back in March, Rahal attended the NASCAR race at Fontana and emerged was the idea of a ride swap between him and Earnhardt, Jr. With the National Guard about to bow out of motorsports, the time is ticking on the swap becoming a reality.
To say goodbye and thank you to the National Guard for their support in NASCAR and IndyCar, the ride swap has to happen. The manufacture difference should be put aside. I don't care that Earnhardt, Jr. drives a Chevrolet and Rahal drives a Honda. It shouldn't matter. Such a trivial thing should not prevent a great idea from coming to fruition. We saw Kurt Busch finish sixth place and win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in Honda despite driving a Chevrolet in NASCAR. Great things can happen when juvenile excuses are put aside.
With the IndyCar season drawing to a close and NASCAR's Chase beginning in a month's time and Earnhardt, Jr. having locked up a spot for the Chase, any ride swap would have to occur after the NASCAR season ends and that would be better for all involved. RLLR would get a little rest after a grueling, non-stop season and Earnhardt, Jr. would get to do it with a clean slate, the NASCAR season in his rearview and a few months of vacation ahead in his windshield.
The NASCAR season ends late in the year meaning the windows and locations for a possible ride swap are slim. There is one weekend and place that make sense. The ride swap should be tied into NASCAR's championship celebration and awards banquet in Las Vegas and the ride swap should be held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The event would hold two purposes. One, the celebratory ride swap of the National Guard's two drivers and serve as a farewell event for the National Guard's support of motorsports. Two, burying the hatchet. It's going to be three years since Dan Wheldon lost his life at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In hindsight, the aftermath of Wheldon's fatal accident was handled poorly by both IndyCar and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It's time to realize both were wrong at the time. The DW12 chassis has been the next step forward for racing safety and the aero package has turned mile and a half tracks from pack racing where all you have to do is stand on the throttle and not blink to drivers having to use skill to drive the cars through the corners on tires that degrade quicker than in recent memory.
We all miss Wheldon but letting any animosity toward the track, series or anyone involved for Wheldon's end should be put aside. It's not healthy, nor will it bring back the $40,000 smile forever associated to the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. A lot of people were upset after that autumn day and it was understandable but it's time to go back to the place and face the demons, not bottle them up and act like they don't exist.
It would only be fitting the hatchet be buried by the car named after and developed by Wheldon. The National Guard sponsored Wheldon for two years and tying their relationship into a final farewell would be more than fitting.
It's times to let go of the anger from three years ago. I'm sure Wheldon would want it to be that way.
