NASCAR really is like a family.
There's bickering. There's jealously. There are rivalries. There are cries of favoritism.
But heaven help anyone who attacks the family from the outside. Because that person will get savaged by the whole family, even the ones who don't like each other.
Rolling into Homestead-Miami Speedway, there was the usual amount of pissing and moaning by the anti-Jimmie Johnson crowd, tired of seeing the No. 48 about to win the big prize for a sixth time.
And, yes, the Haterade was consumed by the gallon in South Florida.
Until Friday night, that is.
That's when former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb proclaimed that drivers aren't athletes.
And that's when the NASCAR Nation went all medieval on him.
NASCAR fans know that drivers are athletes and no one works harder at conditioning than Johnson, a fitness fanatic.
But McNabb compounded his gaffe on Saturday when he Tweeted:
Glad to see that you are watching @FOXSportsLive. If you have any questions to what I said, look up the word and you will have your answer.
— Donovan McNabb (@donovanjmcnabb) November 16, 2013
Guess what? A lot of people did look it up.
And here's what some of them said:
@donovanjmcnabb @FOXSportsLive "a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise" PROFICIENT IN SPORTS. #BOOM
— Orange Cone (@TheOrangeCone) November 16, 2013
@donovanjmcnabb @FOXSportsLive also look up champion in the dictionary to lol it will have a picture of jimmie's soon to be 6 and you have 0— Timbo Slice (@Twitch3890) November 16, 2013
@donovanjmcnabb @pjchesson @FOXSportsLive You play 8 seconds a play then rest. Maybe 10 plays in a row rest again. 8 times a game? Athlete?
— M S (@CBREEZE_27) November 17, 2013
Early Monday morning, McNabb took a different approach and praised Johnson for his sixth title.
Congrats to @JimmieJohnson for putting himself amongst the best to ever do it. Enjoy yourself tonight you deserve it.
— Donovan McNabb (@donovanjmcnabb) November 18, 2013
How did NASCAR Nation respond? Pretty much the same.
@donovanjmcnabb @JimmieJohnson you fraud you bashed him the other day now your praising him #smh— Teflon Sean (@seancoachevers) November 18, 2013
@donovanjmcnabb @JimmieJohnson first you say he isn't an athlete then you congratulate him.. Like make up your mind!!! #idiot
— Nicole Evett Miller (@Nicolemil36) November 18, 2013
@donovanjmcnabb @NASCARONFOX @JimmieJohnson mcNabb still needs to take a ride at 200 mph with Jimmie...he will have skid marks in his shorts
— Tyler Partridge (@ty_p3) November 18, 2013
The lesson? It's best not to anger NASCAR Nation. They don't forget.
