Published 01/15/2023, 3:04 PM EST
NASCAR has had its share of changes through the years. Some of their decisions, however, have not sat well with the loyal fanbase. Fans believe that the organization has taken many things that added to the essence of stock car racing out of the sport. One of those things is the pole board.
Back in the day, NASCAR used to have a board with the drivers’ speed and their signatures next to it. The board would sit in every qualifying session and be proof of the speed at which a driver went around the track. That is an incredible piece of NASCAR memorabilia—having the driver’s actual signature along with their speed.
Before the dawn of complex computing systems, it served to record the speeds. But now we don’t really need these features. Yet the fans want it back because of its significance and appeal.
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Recently, ESPN journalist Marty Smith shared a photo of the pole board on Twitter. The photo was captioned, “This pole board with every driver’s speed and autograph is fabulous. @NASCAR bring this back. Auction them for charity maybe.”
It was not long before fans joined him and shared their interest in the idea. Their desire to bring the “good old days” back to the NASCAR tracks was evident in their responses.
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NASCAR will have a celebrity entry
Another interesting story to emerge in recent times is the entry of a celebrity to the stock car racing circuit this year. Every year a number of new drivers begin their NASCAR careers. This time, we have a celebrity entering stock car racing as Frankie Muniz, the Malcolm in the Middle star, announced his entry in the ARCA series. He wouldn’t be there for fun though, as he said in an interview, “I want to prove to people that like I’m here to take it seriously.”
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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 14: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 DoorDash Toyota, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series 63rd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/via Getty Images)
He added, “I’m not just here for a fluke. I’m not just here for publicity. I wanted this my entire life, you know what I mean?” Muniz will start his career at Daytona in February this year and aims to compete in 20 races in the 2023 season.
“I’m mad I waited 12 years after my last racing experience to get here. I want people to look at me and see me on track and go, ‘Wow, he belongs,’ and I’m ready to prove to everyone that I do. Hopefully I do.”
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So, do you think the actor’s start to his NASCAR career will be a good one? Or could it turn out that he never makes it to the three major series? Share your thoughts in the comments.