Dear Diary,
In my first entry, I discussed what drew me to racing and what brought me back. One of the things I did not talk about was the drivers. Now I want to take some time to think back on the drivers I used to cheer for, and to pick my new favorite driver.
Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge
I mentioned in the last entry that I was a Ford guy. I really do not have any good reason why, other than my family had a Ford. When I started watching NASCAR in the late 90s, I knew of some of the drivers, but I knew I wanted to cheer on a Ford driver. I grew up cheering against the more popular sports teams like the Bulls, the Yankees, and the Cowboys. I liked cheering for teams that others (at least where I grew up) were not. So while everyone was cheering for Dale, I had to pick someone else.
The Drivers of My Youth
With Ford having my allegiance I started looking for my first favorite driver. Dale Jarrett was the first driver that stood out to me, so I started cheering for him. A couple of years in a young driver, Matt Kenseth started to rise, so I jumped on the Kenseth train. I stuck with Kenseth and Ford, but following the death of Dale Earnhardt, I began to pay closer attention to Dale Jr. As a Christian I would not openly cheer for a Budweiser car, but in 2007 Dale Jr started driving with Mountain Dew Amp Energy and now I could openly cheer for him. While I still cheered for Kenseth and most Ford drivers, Dale Jr was such a fun story to follow. The only Chevy driver I have cheered for was the 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Drivers of Today
There are only a handful of drivers still around that were prevalent when I stopped watching NASCAR eight years ago. I decided that I wanted to pick a newer Ford driver to support. I will still support Ford as a whole. The 2023 Champion, Ryan Blaney would be too easy, so although I like him, I do not feel I can pick him as my favorite driver. I narrowed it down to two options.
First is Josh Berry. Berry takes over for Kevin Harvick in the Stewart-Haas number 4 car. Sunny D will be a sponsor for Berry, and I like Sunny D. While I have not been watching racing, I have listened to the Dale Jr Download and heard a lot about Josh Berry and his career. With him getting his first full shot at the Cup level, I figure he would be a good driver to support, to get in on the ground level.
Second is Harrison Burton. Burton will be back in the 21 for Wood Brothers Racing. Having watched his father and uncle race, it kind of ties in the past to the present for me. He also races for an “underdog” team.
My New Favorite Driver is…
While I like Burton, it is not guaranteed he will be around too long. I have chosen to cheer Josh Berry on as my new favorite driver! Berry was born in Middle Tennessee, as was I. He has ties to Dale Jr and he drives a Ford.
I will still cheer for most Ford guys like Blaney, McDowell, Buescher, Keselowski, Briscoe, and more, but Josh Berry is “my guy.”
My next entry will talk about what took me away from racing, and what excites me about the upcoming 2024 season. I will also be hosting a NASCAR Super Show on Saturday, February 3 on the Belly Up Sports YouTube channel.
Vince is the host of The Sports Stove Podcast which airs live every Wednesday at 8 pm. Follow Vince on Twitter/X.
