The field was set last night for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup during the final regular race of the season at Richmond International Speedway. Who exactly is in the Chase, along with how they got there, is another story.
If you watched the video above, Clint Bowyer, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing 15 car, spun out during the race. Unfortunately, this brought out a caution that ended Stewart Haas Racing's Ryan Newman's chances of getting into the Chase. Whether or not the spin out was intentional is a matter I would rather not voice my opinion on. But, the ability for the media-- like Nate Ryan and Bob Pockrass-- and NASCAR fans to voice their opinions is another thing all together.
Blake Shelton, NASCAR fan and friend of Clint Bowyer, made it obvious that he believes that Bowyer spun out in order to help MWR teammate Martin Truex Jr. make the Chase. The outrage on Twitter by NASCAR fans is obvious.
While Patrick McDowell is obviously upset about the controversy from last night's race, NASCAR Twitter parody accounts like NASCAR Wonka, The Catch Fence and The Orange Cone have decided to take a more humorous approach to voice their opinions on the Clint Bowyer "Spin Gate". 
While we may never know for sure if Bowyer interpreted the code from his spotter as a signal to spin out or if NASCAR will look any further into it, social media has changed how fans respond to the sport. No longer do supporters of the sport-- or fans of any sport or celebrity, for that matter-- have to be content to sit by the water cooler and complain about the many injustices that they have witnessed. Instead, these fans can take to Twitter and voice their opinions among thousands of fellow fans, write blogs about what they think has really happened or even directly contact the person in question to tell them in real time exactly how they feel. 
While these Twitter users may not have actually tweeted at Clint Bowyer's account, a quick search of his name will bring these tweets up. While the grammar and spelling may not be the best, the message is still clear: the fans are not happy and they want somebody to know it. Fans expect a better explanation than the one Bowyer gave at Richmond. They want NASCAR to give a statement on how this will be prevented in the future. Simply, they want answers.
Do you believe that social media and technology has changed the way we interact with celebrities? Has it changed how we express our displeasure with them and the organizations they associate with?
Do you believe that social media and technology has changed the way we interact with celebrities? Has it changed how we express our displeasure with them and the organizations they associate with?
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