Conway: Smart, sensible… but brave?
IndyCar, IndyCar commentary — By John Lingle on September 14, 2012 11:50 am*
Brave — v. To face or endure with courage. (Webster’s dictionary)
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I like Mike Conway, and I agree with his decision to no longer contest races on ovals, a style with which he is obviously uncomfortable. It takes a big man to admit one’s shortcomings, and Mike has done so by walking up to one of the most revered tough guys in the sport in AJ Foyt and giving up his seat for this week’s MAVTV American Real 500 at Auto Club Speedway just two days before the event.
But I have to question how the resulting public opinion has been so vehemently divided between those citing Mike’s “bravery” and those resorting to such awful name-calling that it doesn’t bear repeating.
As with most arguments, the answer in this case lies somewhere in the middle.
Conway showed resolve in admitting his fears after Wednesday’s test day at Auto Club Speedway. “I’m truly sorry for putting the team and our sponsors in a difficult position, but this is the hardest decision I have ever made in my racing career,” Conway said. “I’ve come to realize I’m not comfortable on the ovals and no longer wish to compete on them. I want to stress that I am not finished racing and to this end, I would love to continue with Foyt Racing, but that’s something we need to discuss in the future.”
Mike is to be commended for voting his conscience in this matter, but it hardly merits being termed as bravery.
Bravery in racing is Mario Andretti driving with bandages covering his burned face and winning at Indy in 1969. Bravery in racing is Niki Lauda racing in Formula One six weeks after having surgery to reconstruct his eyelids after suffering severe burns at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Bravery in racing is Mel Kenyon racing with a special hooked glove he latched to the steering wheel after losing some three fingers on his left hand in a fire at Langhorne Speedway.
And bravery in racing is Alex Zanardi recovering from losing both legs in a horrific CART crash at the Lausitzring in 2001 to win two gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games; then professing his desire to return to INDYCAR to drive in the Indianapolis 500.
Mike Conway’s decision was a lot of things. It was the right one for him and his family. It was probably the end of his INDYCAR career. It was a reminder to fans of just how dangerous racing still is. It was also the start of a great opportunity for Wade Cunningham and a clean slate for AJ Foyt Racing going into 2013.
But as far as racing goes, brave is one thing Mike Conway’s decision was not.
Tags: Mike Conway
I could not agree less. There is more than one form of bravery. You cite all very valiant, very courageous physical challenges met by injured driver (of which we could certainly include Mike Conway’s return from his terrible 2010 accident, by the way), but that is not the only way an act can be brave. It takes a different kind of no less valid courage to admit it is time to walk away, and to be as honest and forthcoming as he was in the matter. Few have the stones to do either.
I have to agree with Zachary, Stef. Facing one’s demons instead of giving in to peer pressure or ridicule is one of the bravest things a person can do. Intimidation and fear are the currency of forcing people to act against their better interest. It does not become you to demean Mike’s bravery.
For the record, this post is by our newest contributor, John, not by me. The views expressed by our contributors do not necessary reflect those of the editorial staff. 😉
Mike- I welcome any opinions on the article, but I wonder where you get the idea that I somehow demean Mike Conway? I disagree with the use of the word bravery in this situation, even thoughyou I usehave some otherof complimentary terms, but I do so in a respectful way and acknowledge that there are those on both sides of this fence. will disagree with me. I think Mike made the right decision and a very tough one at that. I’ve also read Zachs article and appreciate his point of view , even though we differ on this topic. That’s just a natural part of healthy discussion and debate. I don’t ask you to agree with my opinion, but I would ask you not to categorize the article as something it’s not. And what it is not is a piece that is meant to belittle or demean Mike Conway in any way.
I agree with you, John. I was somewhat amazed at the spectrum of emotions on Twitter. Some praised Conway, while others vilified him. As you say, reality is somewhere in between. This was not something that occurred to Conway on Thursday morning. This had to have been brewing for a while. The problem I have with it is the timing. Perhaps the time to come to that conclusion was while he was recuperating, or after the ill-fated Las Vegas race – not a couple of days before the last race of the season. he left his team scrambling and his sponsors in limbo.
I don’t feel that Conway deserves a public lynching, but I certainly will not go out of my way to praise his announcement yesterday as a sign of bravery. Bravery would have been to get in the car and race, regardless of the fact that he was scared to death to do it – just like practically every driver on tomorrow night’s grid will do.
While I largely agree, I hate it with a passion when someone quotes a dictionary definition to make a point.
A: Language is nuanced and fluid, B: dictionaries are tools for understanding words, not rigid, empirical boundaries, and C: this isnt a grade 9 book report.
Do you have bad memories from 9th grade Skippy? 🙂
Just kidding, thanks for reading the piece and commenting.
What Conway did wasn’t bravery. Bravery is running to a crisis that others are running from.
It also wasn’t cowardice. If something is too much for you to handle the only honorable thing to do is step aside. It’s just too bad he didn’t realize his limitations as a racecar driver either last year or after his big crackup at Indy two years ago.
I see your point John, but I disagree.
Conway waved farewell to Europe and has spent the last five or so years carving out an IndyCar career. He’s fought for and clinged to drives in the face of massive crashes and competition from others with bigger chequebooks.
For Conway to then say to himself, ‘you know what, I don’t feel comfortable racing on ovals anymore’ isn’t the brave part; as you say, that’s just sensible. With the path to speed found by dialing out stability, the last place a driver lacking confidence should be is in the cockpit on an oval.
The brave part is knowing his decision cuts him out of a full time ride with anyone and could effectively end his IndyCar career. There can’t be too many owners that would consider a driver for a part-time road schedule. And where else could he race if not IndyCar? Back to Europe probably isn’t an option. Sportscars? Maybe, but with the merger I reckon there’ll be a lot more drivers than seats kicking around at the start of 2014.
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