NASCAR, far more so than other sports, is prone to lame duck syndrome (speaking of lame ducks, how lame would Aflac, having already announced they were going away as a primary sponsor, have looked had Carl Edwards won the championship? But I digress) in that it’s not uncommon for drivers, crew chiefs and such to announce their plans for next year are at a different address than their current residence but they’ll still live there for a while, as in until the ongoing season goes on into the history books. It’s a well-rehearsed routine. Everyone puts on their business as usual face, says nice things about each other and gets back to work be it as, or for, the short-timer. Nothing to see here, move along. No really they mean that.
What said individuals are actually thinking is almost invariably more difficult to learn than who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp. In NASCAR, there are only so many jobs to go around, and given the current bloodletting… er, cost-cutting measures being taken by high profile teams such as Roush and RCR, the last thing anyone wants to do is publicly or even privately disparage a potential paycheck should one’s career path suddenly go boomerang. Yesterday’s employer is today’s ex-employer is tomorrow’s no longer ex-employer. Bridge burning is self-immolation. You don’t go there.
That all said, people are people and therefore respond differently to similar circumstances. In the case of knowing your future lies elsewhere than your present location, much depends on your relationship with the individuals and organization soon to be in your rear view mirror. Sometimes you mail it in, sometimes you go all out.
A different motivation is when you don’t know who will be signing your next paycheck, but you still have to finish your term with someone who’s just finished dropping off some empty boxes at your work desk. On one hand, unless it’s a mercy termination you’re not going to be overwhelmed with any intense desire to make the boss look good other than the satisfaction of leaving in a blaze of glory by making it clear how much you’ll be missed. However, the need to burnish the résumé while there’s still time is quite an incentive for peak performance. In motivation land, two out of three ain’t bad. Get in there and give it all you’ve got.
This comes to mind when considering the curious case of Darian Grubb. Informed by Tony Stewart prior to this year’s Chase that good (making the Chase for the third straight year) wasn’t good enough, as Stewart had not been a factor in the championship the previous two years, Grubb proceeded to turn in a performance for the ages, guiding Stewart to five Chase wins culminating in Stewart winning the championship via the most dramatic fashion possible. Of course Stewart’s you-can’t-do-that-oh-wait-he-just-did daredevil driving was the main element behind his triumph. But without the horsie, ya ain’t gonna be winning no races, and Grubb fine-tuned the synthetic oil office supply can to where Stewart could put on a show.
The awards ceremony this Friday will be interesting. Doubtless Stewart and Grubb will be effluent with glowing praise for each other. After all, they did win a championship together. This duly noted, one hopes that Stewart will leave enough space at the winner’s table during the banquet to accommodate the stack of job applications Grubb is presently filling out.
Only in NASCAR, folks.










