July 4, 2008
By Rebecca Gladden
Have you ever had a time when you went through the exact same experience as someone else, but viewed it totally differently?
Maybe you went to a party with a friend and had a blast, only to learn later that your companion thought it was a bust.
Perhaps you visited a new restaurant and raved about it, while a dining partner ranted about the very same food and service.
The reason for this disparity is that, while we may objectively be experiencing roughly the same event, each person brings his or her own personality and perspective to a situation.
We each look at things through a unique frame of reference.
I bring this up because I happened upon a pair of quotes today from two of NASCAR's top Cup Series drivers regarding this weekend's Coke Zero 400 (formerly the Pepsi 400) race in Daytona.
The two drivers in question are Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton.
The pair are ranked side-by-side in the Championship point standings heading into Saturday's race. Burton, second in points, is just 64 out of first, while Earnhardt Jr. is 144 back.
Each driver has one Cup victory this season, meaning each will start the Chase with identical points if neither wins again between now and the Chase cutoff at Richmond.
First, here's what Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to say about this weekend's Daytona race:
"It's a lot of fun. When I was a little kid, the greatest part of the summer was going to that race. That's what you looked forward to the most, being at Daytona and playing on the beach for a week, and the race was always fun to watch, and playing with all of your buddies. It's a points race, buts it's probably the least-pressured points race. It's halfway through the season, so you can afford mistakes and taking chances - but it's Daytona. It's the beach and the summer, so the attitude and the temperament all the way around the racetrack (is) really laid back. It gets pretty warm. I wish it wasn't so hot, but it's a fun race."
Now, here's Jeff Burton's take on the same race:
"We race for points every week - it starts at the Daytona 500 - but the reality of your situation doesn't set in until about this time of year. You've got a lot of people looking and saying, 'Oh my God, I'm 15th, I've got to find a way to 12th. You've got people that are third saying, 'Oh my God, I've got to find a way to stay here.' It's pressure for everybody. You've got the 35th-place guy wanting to stay there. It's pressure throughout the field. The hotter the temperatures get, the harder it is to make the cars handle, the harder it is to do what you need to do. And the pressure just builds and builds and builds. So this is the hardest time of the year, in my opinion."
Funny, isn't it, how two drivers in relatively the same situation - at least points-wise - talking about the same race, can have such diametrically opposing views?
And each appears to be speaking not only for himself, but offering his (very differing) assessment of the mood of the other competitors.
As far as what these two quotes say about the drivers, their personalities and present state of mind is a matter of opinion. But read the quotes again and take particular note of the way the word "pressure" is used.
I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
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