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Aug012011

Monday, August 1, 2011 at 09:59PM

August 3, 2011

He belongs.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Paul Menard came through for his first Sprint Cup win last Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - his 167th start in NASCAR's premier series - at the second biggest NASCAR race of the year, the Brickyard 400. But for the 31-year-old driver from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, it was much bigger than just a first win. He not only carried his family's legacy at The Speedway with him (his father John, despite spending untold millions on Indy car racing sponsorships and even an engine program, never won the Indy 500), he carried with him the constant bleating from his fellow competitors that has been either ringing in his ears from statements made by them to the media, or the even more lethal form of murmuring that went on behind the scenes suggesting that he didn't belong. Either way it was always the same message: that he was there because of his billionaire father, founder of the hugely successful chain of Menards home improvement stores in the Midwest, and if it wasn't for that he wouldn't have a ride.

I always found this to be more than a bit disingenuous - even though to be fair his fellow competitors had grown of late to accept Paul more for his abilities rather than his sponsorship connection - because let's face it - a large part of racing isn't made up of the hard-scrabble stories like Jeff Gordon's, whose family sacrificed everything to move from California to Indiana so he could race against the premier competition available in hopes of catching the eye of team owners. Or a Tony Stewart, who honed his skills on those same Indiana bullrings to catch notice. No, the reality is that this sport more than any other relies often on deep-pocketed families supporting their kids in their dream to become racing car drivers. And it's not just a fact of life here, it's like that in racing around the world too, and it has been like that throughout racing history as well.

Racing is an obscenely expensive endeavor and to pretend otherwise or to pretend that someone will be discovered out of the blue or plucked out of obscurity to sit on the grid of a Formula 1 race is simply fairy tale stuff. Does it happen? Yes. Is it by any way, shape or form the norm? Not even close. So to have some people in the NASCAR garage whine to the media or in motor coach conversations criticizing or even questioning Paul Menard's racing credentials, or the fact that he brings his family sponsorship with him - as if that's a bad thing - is simply ludicrous.

I was happy to see the kid win. He drove a smartly calculated race and he had Jeff Gordon - one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time - on his ass and coming at the end yet he kept his cool. And that was the difference. And after the race you could see it all over his face even though he had a difficult time expressing himself. It was for his dad, the man who tried so hard all those years to win at The Speedway, and the man who never stopped believing in his son's ability. And more important it was for himself - even though his demeanor would never ever allow him to address it - because the not-so-subtle message he sent after winning the second biggest race on the NASACR calendar was simply this: "I belong."

So kudos and well done goes out to Paul, his crew chief Slugger Labbe, Richard Childress and the entire Richard Childress Menards Chevrolet team. And to John Menard as well, for all he's done for the sport.

And I'll let Paul have the last word: "I mean, we're winners in Sprint Cup. That's a big deal. To do it at Indy — even bigger deal," Menard said. "[You] can't change people's opinions. They're going to say what they want to say. That's fine with me. We'll celebrate this; we'll enjoy it."

He belongs.

(Ron McQueeney/IMS)
Paul Menard after winning the 2011 Brickyard 400.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Guards Trophy, Brands Hatch, England, July 28,1967. Frank Gardner gets lined up on the starting grid for a round of the British Saloon Car Championship in his Alan Mann-prepared Ford Falcon Sprint. Gardner, a very successful Aussie road racer, would win the championship that year, one of many in a storied driving career.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.