This old video of a beaten up Chevy S-10 taking down a newish Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 in an oval race has taken on a second life on the web. People are outraged. Hang the S-10 driver! Ban him from the track! The reality is: it's the Jeeper's fault.
Watch the video, first, without any context. Pretty crappy move, eh? Knocking out a fellow competitor who was brave enough to bring his expensive and pretty Jeep to the track is poor form. The Jeep is clearly faster and the jerk in the S-10 Blazer is taking it out on him. Poor sportsmanship. Why is the audience cheering? It's an affront to all we hold dear.
Now, let's add in a bit of context.
This event you're watching is the "Days of Destruction" at Beech Ridge Raceway in Maine. As the name might indicate, the point is to destroy cars. Here's a bit from their website:
It's a jam-packed night of crash-thirsty drivers bending metal and defying danger. Treat the family to the Day of Destruction… you'll be talking about for months afterward.
Get it? And driver's apparently sign waivers stating they expect to be crashed.
So who is to blame here: The guy who executes a legal (albeit dick) move in a crappy old S-10 or the fella who brings an $50K truck to something called "Days of Destruction?"
(Thanks to everyone for the tip!)