Clint Bowyer

With all "crap" that has happened in NASCAR since last weekend, it's really hard to listen to all the commentary today and wonder what we're not being told. The looks that Nicole (ESPN) was giving to Rusty, Brad and Ray were something I would expect to see from a woman saying what she was told to say and hating every moment of it. And the way the guys were appearing to walk on glass around her was just hilarious. I might have been reading more into it, but I really do not think so. Everyone was so censored on what they were saying and personally, I think Nicole really did not like it. While at the NASCAR Contenders Live event last Thursday, I noticed that when Clint Bowyer came up on stage, she casually mentioned the elephant in the room. At this comment, all the drivers clammed up.

Of everything we heard about the last week, I think for me the most difficult was hearing about Clint Bowyer. I really like him. I like his sense of humor and his down-to-earth personality. Sure, he can drive a race car but that is not what caught my attention. What caught my attention was the fact he appeared "normal". About as normal as anyone could be who drives a race car for a living, but still, he is what I would consider normal.

He also has this infectious smile and this mischievous glint in his eye that lets you know he's up to no good.

Anyway, I posted on Facebook today that while watching him walk to pit road before the start of today's race in Chicago,I felt sorry for him. His usually confident, almost on the verge of arrogant swagger was gone and he just looked lost. From everything I read and heard, he was following team orders when he spun his car at Richmond. Now most of us would jump immediately to the conclusion that he was wrong and should not have done it. I, on the other hand did not immediately judge him.

I'm sure we have all been in a position where our boss tells us to do something that we really don't want to do. Perhaps it's morally or ethically wrong and yet we face a huge dilemma when deciding what to do. It's the damned if we do, damned if we don't scenario. Until we are in his shoes, facing his choices and dealing with his consequences, we really don't know what we would have chosen to do. Do any of us really have the right to automatically condemn him without truly understanding?

No, we don't.

I'm not saying I agree with what he did. No, I can't say that at all.

However, I can say that I don't think that one wrong is going to damn him in my eyes. I am going to choose to believe that he will learn from this situation and he will become a better person.

I'm choosing to give Clint Bowyer a second chance.

We all make mistakes. I think we will see Clint's true character by the way he chooses to race from this point forward.

So, here you go Clint... your second chance starts RIGHT NOW!