Father’s Day on the NASCAR circuit is an interesting time. Most drivers in today’s Sprint Cup Series got there in large part because their fathers supported their racing from the beginning and in many cases paid for the race cars their sons drove to attract the attention of big NASCAR teams.
But when a driver reaches the top levels of the sport, there are few places for dad.
Some, like Joey Logano’s father, Tom Logano, are very visible at the track and remain a big part of their son’s racing. But that can be problematic, as illustrated by the controversy surrounding the elder Logano’s participation in a postrace incident at Pocono Raceway between his son and Kevin Harvick. Tom Logano appeared to be urging his son to confront Harvick, and some say he shoved a TV reporter. It’s not the first time Tom Logano has been involved in a postrace pit-road incident.
Other dads, such as Tony Stewart’s father, Nelson Stewart, are at the track most weeks but go out of their way to stay in the shadows. Nelson Stewart can be as fiery as his son, but he now realizes his best place is on the sidelines.
Others rarely appear at the track.
While meeting with reporters at Michigan last week, Logano defended his father’s role in the incident at Pocono the week before.
“My father, I love him to death, and he’s there for me,” he said. “So I think that’s something that’s really cool, and a lot of people don’t have that.
“He’s always been by my side my whole life, and maybe it was a position that maybe he shouldn’t have been there, but he’s a father, and I bet 99 percent of the fathers would’ve been there anyway.”
Harvick, not surprisingly, saw it differently.
“His father needs to stick back and act like all of the rest of the dads, and be happy that his kid’s here,” Harvick said. “This isn’t Little League baseball anymore. He just needs to stay away.”
Harvick said his own dad is supportive, but others can offer him better advice on dealing with the challenges of being a Sprint Cup driver.
“That is where I think my family sits,” he said. “They’ve never experienced anything at this level, and it’s hard to take that advice from people who haven’t ever experienced anything like that. ...
“For me, I was fortunate to have Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett and those guys. They were always able to give me advice and do things. When I needed things, those were the guys.”
In addition to being a Sprint Cup team owner, Eddie Wood has been a racing dad to his son, Jon, but for the most part, he has stayed in the background.
“When Jon was playing ball and my daughter, Jordan, was playing volleyball and soccer, I wouldn’t even sit with my wife because she was always yelling,” Wood said. “I tried to use the same [hands-off] approach in racing.”
Wood served as a spotter for his son in some Nationwide races, but that didn’t work well.
“I got him spun out at Atlanta,” he said. “I cleared him, and he wasn’t clear. I retired after that.”
Wood said that when his son races, he generally sits in the grandstands and listens to the team radio, but doesn’t hit the “talk” button.
“I still have the same emotions,” he said. “But you wouldn’t ever know it.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
