NASCAR: Determining Which Hero/Villain Best Fits Your Driver
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Sometimes NASCAR drivers take on larger-than-life personas that are similar to that of our favorite superheroes and villains. Here is a look at some heroes and villains that drivers most closely resemble.
What if NASCAR drivers were superheroes?
Which hero would your favorite NASCAR driver be? Would your driver even be a hero? Maybe your favorite driver would fit better as a super villain as opposed to a superhero.
We here at Beyond The Flag took 10 of NASCAR’s most popular drivers and linked them up with their superhero (and in some cases villain) counterparts. Be sure to let us know what you think of the matches by commenting below. Also, if you think we missed one or if you have a better pair, let us know that as well.
Courtesy of Marvel
Spiderman – Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski and Spiderman have a couple of things in common. Both of them are known for their sarcastic comments and smart-aleck personalities. They are also both known for being a bit reckless and over-confident. On the race track Keselowski sometimes takes chances and risks that a more calculating driver would not take. His fans call his driving style aggressive while his critics call that style reckless and not needed. Spiderman has been known for getting himself into some situations that are a bit over his head while fighting the bad guys simply because he believes that he can sometimes handle more than he actually can.
There are also some anti-Spiderman fans that don’t care for him because they find him to be annoying or whiney. Much of the same can be said for many of the NASCAR fans that do not like Keselowski.
Courtesy of DC
Aquaman – Kasey Kahne
Let’s be honest her for a second okay?
When you were little (or even now) and you and your friends were watching Justice League, what did everyone think of Aquaman? He was just the dude that talked to fish. Now don’t get me wrong, as kids we would have given our left arm to be him because he is a superhero and he is a part of the Justice League. However, Aquaman is never the first choice when it comes to deciding which superhero you want to be the most.
Enter Kasey Kahne.
Kahne is the Aquaman of Hendrick Motorsports. Sure, he is a good driver and he is most certainly part of a great team. However, how many people look at Team Hendrick and wish that they could be in the shoes of Kahne as opposed to others first? It’s not a knock on Kahne and it’s not a knock on Aquaman. One is a legitimate superhero and one is a legitimate NASCAR driver and they both are part of a cool group.
It just so happens that both groups have members who are cooler than them.
Courtesy of Marvel
The Human Torch – Kyle Busch
The Human Torch is pretty cool. He can turn himself into a ball of fire and fly, nothing wrong with those abilities. He is also a bit of a hot-head (no pun intended) and his ego sometimes has a hard time fitting through the door.
Busch has the same fire and sometimes the same short temper that Torch has. Busch also nails the ego thing to some degree. I wouldn’t say that Busch has the same over-inflated ego that Torch has but he certainly does have an abundance of self confidence that he has no issue sharing with anyone.
The two men are also quite stubborn. Torch likes things done his way and isn’t always the greatest team player. Busch can be equally as stubborn on and off of the race track, just goes ask his former crew chief Dave Rogers about it. At least now Busch has more than a good reason to have the ego, winning a championship in 2016 the way that he did earns him the right to brag a bit.
Courtesy of DC
The Flash – Jeff Gordon
Back in the day Jeff Gordon embodied everything that The Flash was, fast.
Gordon dominated NASCAR in the late-90’s and he did so with pure speed. For those of you not familiar with The Flash, his game is all about the speed as it’s his only real ability. The Flash is also known on various platforms for his wit and one-liners. Gordon while not known like others in the sport for his one-liners often provides them when you least expect it.
Aside from being fast, Gordon also has that whole red thing going on currently. Gordon’s Drive to End Hunger Chevy is comparable to the shade of red that The Flash would wear on his suit. Even though Gordon didn’t win in the latter part of his career like he did earlier on, he still managed to take a few poles a win a race in his last season in NASCAR.
Courtesy of DC
The Joker – Tony Stewart
In the beginning I said there were going to be a couple of villains thrown in here and this is the first one. Whether you love him or hate him, Tony Stewart is The Joker and that’s just the way that it is.
The personalities of the two are similar while Stewart’s might be a bit more reserved seeing as how The Joker was kind of crazy. Stewart is known around the sport as being the king of pranks. Numerous drivers have shared stories throughout the years about prank wars that they have been in with Stewart or have witnessed involving Stewart.
Nobody loves a good prank more than The Joker.
Stewart and The Joker also have a similar sense of humor. They both seem to take pride in cracking jokes at some of the most awkward times. No Stewart fan will ever forget his interview a few years ago talking about how he didn’t feel that NASCAR crashed enough cars. Stewart and The Joker also have a darker side in which neither of them takes any crap. If you’re slowing Stewart down on the track he might give you a lap to move before he moves you himself. If you wrong Stewart on the track you’ll know it because he will be sure to let you know.
The Joker has himself Harley Quinn which is clearly the love of his life whether he admits it or not. Stewart’s version of Quinn is a bit different, it’s racing.
Courtesy of DC
Batman and Robin – Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson
The duo of Batman and Robin has thwarted countless villains on the streets of Gotham City. The duo of Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson is knocking on the door of winning their eighth NASCAR championship and has dominated the NASCAR world for years now.
I guess the first question is which one is Batman and which one is Robin.
If you ask me, Knaus has to be Batman in this situation and Johnson has to be Robin. The reasoning is fairly simple as Knaus has all the gadgets and tools that make the team successful much like Batman does when it comes to him and Robin. Knaus also has that ‘do whatever it takes’ mentality which is very much like Batman. Knaus isn’t afraid to push the envelope which is why many NASCAR fans will not hesitate to call him and Johnson cheaters.
Johnson might only be Robin in this scenario but he is still an important part of the team. Also, let’s not forget how important Robin is in the DC Universe; he does eventually become Batman after all.
The greatest thing this duo could do in 2017 is win an eighth NASCAR title.
Two-Face – Kurt Busch
This is the second villain to appear on the list and it’s quite fitting as Kurt Busch is very much like Two-Face.
Busch has himself quite the temper which has been seen throughout his NASCAR career. Busch has exploded on other drivers, crew members, teammates and ever reporters in the past. However, that is just one side of Busch. The other side is totally different as Busch also can be soft-spoken, respectful and highly intelligent.
Two-Face.
Before becoming Two-Face he was Harvey Dent. Dent was a well respected DA in Gotham City. After becoming Two-Face, Dent became one of the most feared villains in Gotham. As Two-Face he never lost his first side though. At times Two-Face is ruthless while at other times you can see that he is still highly intelligent.
Either way it’s not a very good idea to upset Busch or Two-Face because they are two people that you don’t want to be upset with you.
Courtesy of Marvel
Iron Man – Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick kind of has that Tony Stark aurora about him, minus the whole billionaire thing of course.
The comparisons between Harvick and Iron Man come in the fact that they are both ‘closers’ if you will. Iron Man always seems to be down and out but Stark finds a way to rally and have it all work out in the end. Harvick’s nickname is ‘the closer’ because of the way in which he closes out races. There have been times where Harvick will spend 95 percent of the race in the middle or back of the pack but be towards the front or win when the checkered flag waves.
The other comparison between the two is that they seem to be decisive-decision makers. Harvick’s decisions might not be life or death but they are still big decisions. Leaving RCR to start from scratch at SHR was a huge decision. Putting your crew on blast and getting a new one before the Chase in 2014 was a big risk as well. In the end it all worked out for Harvick like it usually does for Iron Man.
Wonder Woman – Danica Patrick
I know what you’re thinking, Danica Patrick has to be Wonder Woman because who else is she going to be if she is included in this list. Well I;m sorry to burst your bubble but you’re wrong.
There are plenty of other women out there like Storm, Cat Woman, Batgirl etc.
Patrick is Wonder Woman because she fits the mold. Wonder Woman is a strong role model for women and that certainly is something that Patrick is. She races in a sport that is dominated by men and that alone makes her a role model.
Of course there is also the other side of the coin.
Wonder Woman is indeed a superhero much like Patrick is indeed a NASCAR driver. However, if you ever needed a hero would you call Wonder Woman? And if you ever needed a NASCAR driver would you call Patrick? The answer to both is most likely going to be no.
Wonder Woman might be a hero but she isn’t all that cool when you get right down to it. She has an invisible jet which I guess is cool and she has the lasso of truth which makes you wonder how it is that she defeats and villains with a rope. Sure, she is from the Amazon so she knows how to fight but her fighting skills are mortal at best. Patrick is a NASCAR driver but at this point in time she isn’t truly all that great. She has had some success here and there but she is certainly not élite.
It’s cool that one is a hero and one is a driver but when you look deeper it’s not really all that cool.
Courtesy of DC
Superman – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
For the most part Superman is the face when it comes to the world of heroes and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the face when it comes to NASCAR. Superman annually wins awards for being one of the most popular heroes out there while Earnhardt Jr. wins the Most Popular Driver Award seemingly every single year.
When it comes to the fans, Earnhardt Jr. is literally Superman because in their eyes the man can do no wrong. It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses and it doesn’t matter if he wins a title or not because their feelings about him will never change. For all the Earnhardt Jr. fans there are an equal amount of those who don’t like him and that doesn’t rattle his fans either. Superman has one weakness which of course is Kryptonite, Earnhardt Jr. might not have a weakness.
No matter what happens in the rest of his career, Earnhardt Jr. will ride off into the sunset as a legend in the sport in the eyes of his fans. Whether he earns that status or not, that is how he will be viewed. Superman fans are much the same way. Superman detractors feel that Superman isn’t a worth hero because he is too strong and has too many abilities. Those people feel that him having only one weakness is breaking some sort of superhero code. Earnhardt Jr. detractors feel that he is only riding his fathers name to success and that he has never truly achieved success on his own.
Both are sharp critiques and yet neither matter to fans of Superman or Earnhardt Jr. because nothing will ever knock either from the top of the mountain in their minds.
The Punisher – Dale Earnhardt Sr.
The aurora that is The Punisher is something that lines up very well with everything that Dale Earnhardt embodied as “The Intimidator” in NASCAR. When those in the comic book world see The Punisher coming they know that they need to get out of his way otherwise the consequences are not going to be something that they are going to enjoy. As a NASCAR driver if you saw Earnhardt coming up behind you, you better hope that your car is fast enough to outrun him. If your car wasn’t fast enough then you better have made the choice to move out of his way otherwise he would have moved you out of the way.
In the comic world the idea of The Punisher was just this bad-ass dude. In the NASCAR world Earnhardt was thought of and is remembered in much of the same way. There has never been another driver like Earnhardt and there most likely never will be.
The Riddler – Clint Bowyer
Have you ever heard an interview where Clint Bowyer is excited or fired up about something? If not you should head over to You Tube and take a look at some of them. Then again, maybe you shouldn’t because you’re most likely going to have a very hard time understanding what the heck the man is talking about.
Bowyer is like The Riddler because he often talks in riddles. Bowyer has been known throughout his NASCAR career for making references that sometimes just don’t make sense as well as becoming somewhat unable to understand when his emotions are running high. Bowyer isn’t like The Riddler in the exact sense. The Riddler is obviously a villain which is something that Bowyer isn’t (unless you’re a Jeff Gordon fan, then you might feel differently). The Riddler also uses his riddles to purposely confuse and force people to think whereas Bowyer seems to stump people when he is just trying to have a conversation with them.
The two might not be exactly the same but they both do put an interesting spin on riddles.
Captain America – Richard Petty
One of the greatest American heroes in Captain America. Captain America’s time was during that of World War II and his comic battles during that time era are stuff of legend. More recently Captain America has reached a new audience with his recent Marvel independent films as well as The Avengers movie franchise. Given the background of Captain America there was once a time when every child who loved comics that didn’t want to be Superman, wanted to be Captain America.
The same can be said for all of the young race fans who wanted nothing more than to be Richard Petty. When Petty was dominating the sport and winning seven titles every NASCAR fan wanted to be him. It also helps when your nickname is “The King.” I mean after all who doesn’t want to emulate someone who is referred to as a king?
Captain America has the same thing going for him with the whole captain thing. Then again, he probably doesn’t need the whole captain thing seeing as how he is a freaking superhero.
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