The Infield

Who should be the next Bud Man?

By Shirley J. Buttacavoli

Ladies, “This one’s for you!”

Remember the Marlboro Man? Or the Diet Coke guy?

After 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will no longer be wearing the Budweiser colors.

So, now, as loyal NASCAR fans, we have to help Anheuser-Busch determine who the next Bud Man will be.

Rumors are that Budweiser is considering Kasey Kahne as the new driver at Evernham Motorsports.

I don’t know about you, but if I was still a cashier at Publix Supermarkets, I’d have to card Kasey, because he doesn’t look old enough to drive a car, let alone purchase a six-pack of Bud. He’s adorable, but not Bud Man material.

But Elliott Sadler is a different story.

I can see him sitting at a bar ordering a round of Bud for everyone. I just wish I could be there!

If Anheuser-Busch decides to go to Evernham, I hope they sponsor the 19 not the 9.

Or, if Budweiser stays with DEI, maybe Teresa Earnhardt and Max Siegel should consider putting Mark Martin and Aric Almirola into the current No. 8 Chevy with Bud as the sponsor. Bud would have a proven veteran driver in Mark Martin, and a young good looking kid in Aric Almirola.

Two for the price of one. What could be better?

Elliott Sadler, Mark Martin along with Aric Almirola could be the perfect Bud Man (Bud Men) to follow in Dale Jr.’s footsteps. And I would buy as many cases of Bud with either of them as the spokesperson, as I did with Dale Jr.

Statistics show that 40% of NASCAR fans are women. It’s time we let Anheuser-Busch know who we feel the next Bud Man should be.

My first-place vote is for Elliott Sadler, with the duo of Martin/Almirola a close second.

What’s yours?

A Message to Buschwhackers: Pick on someone with your own ability

By Kurt Smith

The St. Louis Busch race was exciting, partly because Gateway is a great track, and partly because there were plenty of wrecks taking place. But most of all it was great to see some of the up-and-coming talent in NASCAR for a change.

Even if, as usual, a Buschwhacker won.

It’s time to start looking at limiting Cup drivers racing in the Busch Series. It has gotten to the point where the races are full of nearly all Cup drivers. Maybe 10-15 drivers that are going to be NASCAR’s future and need seat time are participating in Busch races these days.

The Aric Almirola incident in Milwaukee brought to light the problem of Cup drivers racing in the Busch series, accepted as the practice may be these days. It also exposed the reality that drivers’ opportunities are often driven more by finances than talent level. And some of that is preventable.

When a young driver in development enters a Busch race full of professionals coming down from another league, he’s not likely to have the finish that he could have, because his opponents are simply more experienced. Not to mention that he is likely to get a baptism of fire that he isn’t ready for, and that could seriously shake a young driver’s confidence.

Not counting Almirola (who didn’t actually win the Milwaukee race), exactly one non-Buschwhacker has won a race this season: Stephen Leicht. Two Busch winners in 20 races.

Part of this problem, I believe, is NASCAR’s “no more than four cars” rule. Jack Roush has five relatively young drivers in his Cup stable. He might as well have them all run in Busch cars, since sponsorship is easier that way, and there’s no point in developing anyone for the future who won’t be able to race for Roush. Rick Hendrick has a similar situation. He might as well put Kyle Busch and Casey Mears in his Busch cars.

Meanwhile, Danny O’Quinn, the Busch Series rookie of the year in 2006 (bet some of you didn’t even know who he was), can barely even get a ride with an unknown team. When a sponsor can get Matt Kenseth, why shell out money for a relative unknown?

The main reason why there are so many Cup drivers in Busch is because that’s what sponsors and their dollars want. And NASCAR can put their hand up and say “enough” to that. If sponsors want Cup drivers, they can sponsor Cup cars.

Ultimately, in Almirola’s case, it was a business decision, based largely on a sponsor’s wishes. Judging from fan reaction, that sponsor isn’t looking too good right now. Rockwell should have bitten the bullet and let Almirola finish the race. The whole debacle was a no-win for all concerned, but NASCAR could have prevented it by enforcing a simple rule. And that is that sponsors should not be getting Cup drivers for Busch prices.

You want to see Jeff Burton driving the car with your company’s name into Victory Lane? Then sponsor the #31 car on Sunday.

Another problem caused by Buschwhackers is the strain they put on struggling teams. If single car Cup teams have enough of a time competing against Hendrick and Roush, then how do single car Busch teams stand a chance, with inexperienced drivers in lesser equipment racing against the likes of Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick in top-notch equipment?

I’m not into punishing achievement, but there already is sentiment that deep-pocketed teams have an unfair advantage. This is only more pronounced in the Busch series.

In races where upstart teams would normally finish in the top fifteen at least, these teams are finishing 30th…behind 25 Cup regulars who have been there and done that. As a result, their meager winnings from the race make it very difficult to fund the team enough to continue. Where’s that “level playing field” that NASCAR is always talking about?

The argument for Cup drivers in the Busch series is that they put people in the stands and increases revenue for all. I don’t buy it. People would still go to Busch races with far fewer Cup drivers, especially to see four or five prodigies competing against each other.

Even if the increased revenue argument were true, it’s because NASCAR let the situation get out of hand, and now they’re dependent on the extra dollars for whatever reason. And as a result, talented development drivers like O’Quinn are getting screwed. And it didn’t have to be this way.

The higher ratings and attendance figures may increase the size of the purses, but what good is that when the already-wealthy Cup teams are winning the bigger amounts anyway?

Jason Leffler is currently the highest non-Cup regular in the Busch standings. He hasn’t made it in two tries in Cup. He’s followed by Bobby Hamilton Jr., another one who has also had a Cup opportunity and didn’t keep the ride. He’s followed by Leicht, who might have a Cup opportunity in the future if he’s lucky. Good drivers all, but very unlikely to be Cup stars tomorrow.

Where are the rookies going to come from in the next three or four years? F1? The Truck series? The Busch series is supposed to be NASCAR’s future. Instead it has become a place where professionals can beat up on unseasoned drivers who are getting few chances to improve. Maybe that’s entertaining to some, but not to this fan. Why would drivers at the top of their game want to race against upstarts?

The next Carl Edwards or Denny Hamlin…or Danny O’Quinn…is being deprived of deserved opportunities in this current system. Leave the Busch series to the future stars, so that they can become stars in the future.

‘Course, that’s just my opinion.

Racing back to downtown Detroit

By Ron St John

A visit to Belle Isle in downtown Detroit was the highlight of many of
my past summers (1950-67). Next to dirt racing and family gatherings, the many visits to Belle Isle (a beautiful island) included a trip to stops like America's oldest Aquarium and the Conservatory. The island covers 983 acres, making it America’s largest city park. It was bought in 1897 for the bargain price of $200,000.

Once on the island, you can get around by car or take a leisurely walk
along the many miles of trails, paths and roadways that connect all of
Belle Isle's points of interest. The island is situated on America's
busiest inland waterway and provides spectacular views of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, and freight traffic crossing the Detroit River on the huge Ambassador Bridge. The bridge links the two cities steeped in automotive history.

Back in those days, many families spent a Sunday afternoon riding around Belle Isle in a horse and buggy. They may have seen Henry Ford in his Model T. At the time that was the place to see and be seen.

And in the 1920s to 1950s, the AAA (American Automobile Association) ran "stock car" and "midget" races and a "Detroit 100"
at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, just north of the Isle.

In 1966/67 I attended the Gold Cup Hydroplane races. Back then, piston driven engines powered the boats, forming a 1/4 mile long and a 45 foot high "Rooster Tail". It was the first time I took a girl to a race and the first time I drank "wine".

In a few weeks, Belle Isle will once again have the sounds of racing engines racing around the park. The Grand Prix of Detroit will be there Sept 1st and 2nd.

In 1982 the US Grand Prix East was sanctioned by F1 and run on the
streets of Detroit. The winner in ‘82 was John Watson GB. Michele
Aboreto won in ‘83, Nelson Piquet in ‘84, and Keke Rosberg in ‘85, and
‘86-‘88 Ayrton Senna won three straight.

In 1988 a new road course was built in Belle Isle. But no agreement could be reached to have F1 race there. After the rejection by F1, and after the ‘88 race, the Grand Prix moved to Phoenix.

Champ Car moved to Detroit and for 3 years they raced the road course downtown. The road course was a 17 turn, 2.493 mile course, running around the new Renaissance Center with 2 tricky hairpin turns, a slow easy right hand turn tunnel, and something unique to racing, a set of railroad tracks. Emerson Fittipaldi won his first and last race in 1991, while Mario Andretti won in 1990.

In 1992, the race moved back to Belle Isle, and Bobby Rahal won. Afterwards names like Danny Sullivan, Paul Tracy, Robby Gordon, Michael Andretti, Greg Moore, Alex Zanardi, Dario Franchitti, all won until 2000. In 2001 Helio Castroneves took the checkered.

The course at Belle Isle was not the best. It was narrow, and hard to
pass. The paddock (pit) area was mostly grass which turned to mud, which made it hard for teams and vendors to get around. The crowds fell off and the races were abandoned. Around 2004 Ford Field was being built near downtown Detroit for the Lions, after Comerica Park opened in 2000 for baseball's Tigers. These replaced the Pontiac Silver Dome and old Tiger Stadium.

Roger Penske spearheaded the drive to get the "Super Bowl" to Detroit
and from that success, (they had off site parking and many other
amenities), Roger then started on a revitalization of Belle Isle, and
the voters agreed to redo many things on Belle Isle. And in 2006 it was
announced IRL would hold the "Detroit Grand Prix" on a new road course at Belle Isle.

Just days ago ISC (owners of Michigan International Speedway)
announced that the IRL race scheduled there for 2008 has been canceled. It stands to reason as the Speedway is only 60 miles from downtown Detroit.

Maybe in a year or two, I can go "home" to Belle Isle…pack some chicken, a bottle of my nephew’s "wine", and take my wife Nancy to her first trip to an IRL race and to Belle Isle. I am sure we both would enjoy it.

Tell me what you think.

A Wallace weekend

By Dan Sipocz

He’s known as the shy one; except for he isn’t very shy. It’s that reason that fans either love or hate Kenny Wallace. This weekend at Gateway International Speedway Wallace returns back home, near St. Louis, for the Busch race and he’s not alone.

Wallace steps behind the wheel of the Richard Childress Racing two car for a one-off deal. The deal is obviously a special deal, since Wallace drivers for the Furniture Row team on the Nextel Cup Series, but you already know all that.

“What it takes to be successful at Gateway is a good race team and I have a very successful race team with the RCR bunch. I’ve been there before when I thought I had a shot to win and it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to,” said Wallace.

“Turns one and two are tight and turns three and four are wide-sweeping. If you handle good, that’s a bonus, but you have to still have the horsepower. Gateway is a track that really takes both to be successful.”

What you may not know is that Wallace hasn’t won in the Busch Series since 2001. To his credit, Wallace has scored nine total wins in NASCAR’s second highest series in 383 starts.

Adding to the pressure of returning home with a strong team such as RCR will be the fact that there are very few Buschwhackers in the field on Saturday night. Most have elected to take the week off since this weekend is the final weekend of the Nextel Cup Series until the season finale in November.

Kenny isn’t the only Wallace in the show either. Steve Wallace, Kenny’s nephew and Rusty’s son, will be running Gateway along with Kenny Saturday. This family rivalry could really make the on track battle very entertaining. After all, Kenny has mentored Steve a little of the last year or two and has served as his spotter. Now that they get to race against each other, in Kenny’s hometown, it could very well be the most compelling part of the race, even more than Carl Edwards’ continuing domination of the series.

To make the weekend even more of a complete Wallace Racing weekend, Wallace is planning on running his dirt modified car at Tri-City Speedway in nearby Pontoon Beach, Ill. Friday evening before running the 250 mile Busch race Saturday night.

Rain saved the day

By Shirley J. Buttacavoli

Yep, for the first time in over 50 years, rain saved the day at Daytona International Speedway during Nextel Cup qualifying for the 2007 Pepsi 400.

A few years ago NASCAR decided to impound Nextel Cup cars after qualifying for the race.

Because the cars were impounded, teams were not allowed to make many changes from qualifying trim to race setup.

At that time there were not 50+ cars attempting to qualify each week as there are now, but there were more than the starting line up of 43. Thus the “top 35 rule” was created to guarantee high profile teams and sponsors would be in the race.

The impound procedure at all Cup races only lasted one season. Unfortunately the top 35 rule is still in effect.

However, NASCAR continues to impound Cup cars at the two restrictor plate tracks, Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway, along with Richmond International Raceway.

After hearing an explanation as to why cars are impounded at Daytona and Talladega, I have no idea why Richmond is included.

The inspection process at restrictor plate tracks is much more detailed and time consuming, thus the reason to impound the cars. With the teams unable to make changes to their cars, they only have to go through inspection one time prior to the race instead of a second time after qualifying and/or before the race.

What happened at Daytona Friday night during qualifying for the Pepsi 400 would not happen for the Daytona 500. Qualifying for the 500 is a week long process with the Gatorade Duel 150s setting the field.

I don’t remember the spring race at Talladega having an issue this year during qualifying, and who knows what to expect in October because teams will be running the Car of Tomorrow.

But this year at the Pepsi 400, the top 35 rule was certainly a factor along with impounding the cars.

A total of 53 cars were scheduled to attempt to qualify for the 400. Of those 53, 18 were outside the top 35 (aka Go or Go Homers) and were fighting for seven or eight positions, depending on where Bill Elliott qualified the Wood Brothers 21 Ford Fusion. If he qualified on time, there would have been eight positions available. If he needed to use his championship provisional, there would have been seven.

That put a lot of teams fighting for very few positions. This time around the two groups attempting to qualify became apparent - the group inside the top 35 and the group outside the top 35.

Because Daytona is a “handling track,” teams that were guaranteed a spot in the top 35 were not concerned where they would qualify and prepared their cars for race set up, hence making them slower.

However, those outside the top 35 set their cars up to go as fast as possible so they would have a better chance to make the race. It turned out those were the fastest cars on the track and would start at the front of the field.

There was concern that the cars on the first three or four rows would be fast, but unable to maneuver around the 2.5 mile track with a majority behind them ready to race.

Moments after Go or Go Homer Jeremy Mayfield qualified, a typical July thunderstorm arrived at DIS, qualifying was canceled and the field was set by owners points.

At the time, the first eight positions were occupied by Go or Go Homers. Of the 14 cars left to qualify, five were Go or Go Homers.

If it wasn’t for rain, there was a good possibility the cars that qualified 8th through 12th would have been sent home.

I know how fans of those drivers would feel, but how would the sponsors feel to be that close to having their logo in the Pepsi 400, but were sent home instead?

We’ll never know, because rained saved the day.

If all 53 cars would have qualified, who knows what would have happened with cars leading the field that were not set up to race.

I have this suggestion if NASCAR keeps the top 35 rule and insists on impounding cars, of which I hope the COT will eliminate:

Don’t impound the cars strictly set up for qualifying. Let them do whatever it takes to get their cars “race ready” so they won’t be an issue at the start of the race. There would only be seven or eight, so a second inspection for those cars could be possible.

Yes, that will give them an advantage, but for exactly how many laps? The cars behind them are the better teams, and more than likely will pass in a short period of time instead of being part of the “big one,” and another highlight for the networks.

Qualifying for the Pepsi 400 was the perfect example as to why I believe it is well past time for NASCAR to reconsider the top 35 and impounding any races. They are both outdated, and need to be buried in Lake Lloyd.

That’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Sponsor driven

By Kurt Smith

Sterling Marlin, to his great credit, understands the reality of his situation. As he says, it’s “sponsor driven”.

It’s understood by most everyone that sponsorship dollars are what puts the cars on the track. No question. But if a business is shelling out what is undoubtedly a large sum of money to put their brand on a car, they ought to be concerned more with the image they will present and less with whether the driver is racking up wins. Losing a solid driver with a name before his contract is up doesn’t look very good.

NAPA and UPS are showing great patience right now, and it makes them look magnanimous as sponsors, which in turn earns the fans’ respect.

Is Waste Management stepping in and telling Ginn: “Hey, you gotta get rid of this Marlin guy. He’s not running well and he isn’t young enough for us”?

Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek may not have had the biggest fan bases in the garage, but both of them were established veterans who had proven that they could run well in good equipment. Marlin challenged for a championship not very long ago, and Nemechek didn’t do much worse in the #25 for HMS than anyone else has since. I doubt these guys were the reason the cars weren’t finishing in the top ten.

But as they say, you can’t fire the whole team. Drivers are much like baseball managers. They are the ones who take the fall when the team isn’t performing, whether it’s their fault or not.

Does Waste Management think that Ginn firing Sterling Marlin is a good PR move? It doesn’t make WM look very loyal to their driver. Would a driver or team want that for a sponsor?

Marlin is being replaced by a relatively unknown young rookie, who doesn’t need that kind of pressure. On top of that, whoever gets put into the #14 isn’t likely to perform any better than the Fine Fish. There doesn’t seem to be any harm in having Marlin finish out the season at least.

There seems to be an epidemic of late of teams letting their drivers out of contracts early, or terminating their employment early. Often it is done to please a sponsor, and it’s coming across as a little distasteful.

Do contracts mean anything? Did not Waste Management agree to sponsor the #14 knowing Sterling was going to be the driver?

I don’t claim to know what’s going on at Ginn or that I’m a better businessman. Nor am I trying to put down Waste Management at all. They do a wonderful job in Turnersville. I’m just noticing how it looks from the outside. Yes, sponsors are paying big bucks for things, but sometimes they don’t look very noble with their demands.

In an upcoming blog I’ll say my piece about Buschwhacking, and how the situation put the screws to a good young driver in Milwaukee. These are similar issues, both for sponsors and for NASCAR. Maybe I’m being a purist, but the sport and the teams should be looking at how they can bring the top driving talent to the table, instead of the most marketable.

Elliott plan not working for Woods

By Dan Sipocz

Six weeks ago the Wood Brothers found themselves on the outside looking in. Their famed 21 Ford was not in the top 35 of the Nextel Cup Series owner points and therefore not guaranteed a position in the field every week.

The solution was swapping one veteran for another. Ken Schrader was taken out of the seat and Bill Elliott was put into the seat. However, Elliott hasn’t exactly gotten the job done either.

Elliott’s best finish came a couple weeks ago as he nearly scored a top ten for the Wood Brothers, but the fact remains that they are still well outside of the top 35 in the owner standings and anytime they close the gap significantly they don’t capitalize on the situation. Look no further than Loudon for evidence of this.

Now it might not just be the driver or the equipment the team is providing. As a single car operation the 21 team may well just be that far behind on testing. If that is the case, then the 21 team may not be around much longer; no matter how good of a driver and team you have, if you’re behind on testing in this sport you won’t last.

It would be a shame to see the 21 team fold up shop because of this.

That team has a rich history, as does Petty Enterprises, but that just doesn’t get it done anymore. The team has to figure out what is going wrong over there. It’s not from a lack of effort as everyone works hard in the shops and Michael McSwain is a hell of a crew chief.

For that reason I feel they are just so far behind on testing and technology that they could be in big trouble. They’ve got to find a way to catch up and I’m sad to say that having these two veteran drivers, Elliott and Schrader, behind the wheel isn’t the answer they are looking for.

Sure these two guys can still wheel the car well, but they’re not what they used to be. They’re old school. Maybe what the Wood Brothers need is someone that is a little younger.

Jon Wood and Kelly Bires are definitely not ready to go racing in the Cup Series as they both still struggle in the Busch Series. Bires though, has shown flashes of great ability. So the solution isn’t exactly easy, but Elliott’s past champion provisional is a solid plan for now.

I don’t think they will end back up in the top 35 of the owner standings because they haven’t been able to keep momentum going after good runs, but if the Wood Brothers can get caught up a bit with technology and testing I think things will begin to turn around for them.

They have a couple young drivers flourishing in their developmental program and a third, Marcos Ambrose, is learning a great deal this season while being a rookie. He’s impressively been in the top ten of the Busch championship standings most of the year and also could be ready to go in a couple years. Until then, there is a lot of work to do everywhere.

Hopefully, the 21 car is able to hang in there and rebound because it would be a shame to see a team with so much history behind it fall by the way side.

On a side note, I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Fourth.

Lets start all over again with the COT

By Shirley J. Buttacavoli

NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow is not turning out to be the disaster everyone thought it would be. The splitter isn’t cutting tires and the wing is staying attached after rear-end collisions. All in all, it seems resilient and the COT races at Phoenix and Loudon were better than in years past.

But I agree with Darrell Waltrip. It is U-G-L-Y – ugly! NASCAR really needs to do something to help the wing blend in with color schemes. That black wing looks totally out of place on Tony Stewart’s orange Impala.

With that said, I understand NASCAR lost control of the current car with teams twisting and turning the body every which way possible, and yet the templates still fit.

Instead of taking years of development and millions of dollars to create the COT, why didn’t NASCAR create a solid template (like the “claw” or “egg crate”) for the current car, and inform teams that all bodies must fit this template by February 2007?

NASCAR would have saved more of their valuable money, as would owners. There would not be hundreds of Fusions, Chargers, Monte Carlos and a few Camrys looking for a new home in 2008.

But as I’ve heard it many times - it is what it is. The COT is with us and it is not going anywhere.

Earlier this year, NASCAR informed teams - anyone that tampers with their car of tomorrow will be fined severely.

Why didn't NASCAR take this year with the partial schedule and use it as a "learning curve" for teams to learn what they can and can not do with the COT? Then during the off season, NASCAR could have taken the infractions that were found and create a rule book stating:

Unapproved brackets on rear wing - $100,000, 100 owners and drives points, 6 race suspension for crew chief

Fenders do not fit “golden” template - $100,000, 100 owners and drivers points, 6 race suspension for crew chief

Failed to meet minimum front car heights - $25,000, 25 owners and drivers points, approximately 11 week probation for crew chief

Considering the vast difference in the above penalties, I think owners, sponsors and fans would accept penalties in a more positive manner if NASCAR had given teams an opportunity to find the "gray area."

Stock car racing was built on teams finding ways to be better than their competitors. I don’t necessarily agree with the statement: “if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying,” but I do agree that teams should have the opportunity to build their cars to be the best they can be to put on the track.

We all know NASCAR’s rule book is written in pencil, but it would be helpful if the penalties were written in black and white.

NASCAR hasn’t totally missed the opportunity to let teams find the “gray areas” on the COT and learn what is and is not legal. They could void all penalties assessed to teams with the COT this year, or let them have the opportunity to work on the cars the second half of the season, and then crack the whip next year.

But that’s only my opinion. What’s yours?

Let the punishment fit the crime

By Ron St. John

The old joke goes: Two judges were caught after a party at the courthouse driving DWI. They decided to give each other a fair trail. The first judge pled guilty and threw himself on the mercy of the court. The trail judge fined him $5, no jail time and no points. The judges switched places and the second judge pled guilty and threw himself on the mercy of the court. The first judge accepted the plea and fined the second judge $500, 30 days in jail and 10 points. When asked later the second judge said: "in review of court records, this was the second serious offense today, and we had to put a stop to it."

Sounds a little like NASCAR!!!!

That said, let’s take a look at the season so far...

At Daytona, Michael Waltrip Racing was fined $100,000, 100 owner points, 100 driver points and the crew chief and car chief got indefinite suspensions. This became known as "Sterno-Gate".

At Bristol, Kyle Busch endeared himself to all "Chevy haters" when winning the first COT race where he proclaimed to the world that "this car sucks." No action or penalties were issued by NASCAR but, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports had the final say. Kyle will no longer be part of HMS in 2008, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is in. This became known as: "don't let the door hit you in the keaster on the way out."

At Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson won, but Jeff Gordon was all over the 48 doing everything but wrecking Jimmie. Jeff was heard “crying" as to how Jimmie knew Jeff had the fastest car and wouldn't let him pass him. Jeff should have issued "team orders" and made Jimmie slow so he could get past. This incident got two names: "HEY BUDDY! I am the guy who signs your check" and, “the Smothers Brothers moment - Mother always loved you best."

At Texas, Jr. and Kyle Busch ended up in the garage. Jr. had motor problems and Kyle with severe damage from a wreck. Kyle thought the car was beyond repair and left the track. The #5 team got Kyle’s car ready to race again and asked Jr. to take it back on the track, which resulted in the #5 moving up in points. After exiting the #5 car, Jr. was asked what he found out. At the time he said nothing but his comment should have been: "Just because I’ve got Cheez-It on the car, doesn't mean I’ve got Cheez-It in the car!"

At Phoenix, Tony Stewart finished second and left immediately after the race. He did not go to the media center, which is required by NASCAR; because he was afraid he would say the wrong thing. In doing so he would garner NASCAR's wrath. (Smart move at the time.) The next day on his radio show he compared NASCAR to professional wrestling. (A serious blow to professional wrestling in my book.). At the next race at Talladega, NASCAR would not let the 20 car unload until Tony came to a 6:00 a.m. meeting. NASCAR showed Tony the multi page entry blank where it stated the top three finishers were required to present themselves to the media center after the race. They fined him, with no loss in points or suspension. This became known as "the Georgia Peach Inspection scene" from the movie Days of Thunder.

And that makes me wonder if Aric Almirola will be fined for not being available to the press after his “win” in the Busch race at Milwaukee.

At Darlington, Jr. went through multiple inspections and before the race was found to have improper wing brackets on his car. The fine was 100 driver and owner points, a $100,000 fine and a six race suspension for the crew chief. This became known as: "HA HA! We used those illegal brackets and got a 21st place starting position."

At Dover, after an on track incident, Kurt Busch used his car as a weapon and had a crew member jumping out of the way when he stooped in Tony Stewart’s pit box with Tony still in his box. NASCAR put Kurt on the trailer and then fined him $100,000 and the 100 owner and driver points. In my opinion NASCAR missed this one. Roger Penske had nothing to do with the actions of his driver and Kurt should have been suspended at least one race. This became known as: “the punishment did not fit the crime.”

At Infineon, two HMS cars were found to fit the templates but had "body modifications" that created better front end down force and were parked Friday and were deprived of two practice sessions and qualifying, and placed in 41st and 42nd starting positions. NASCAR handed down a $100,000 fine to both the 24 and 48, 100 points from both driver and owner and a six race suspension to the crew chiefs. I call this: "over kill." The $100,000 to the team and the six race suspension I can live with. The 100 owner points for each I understand, because the owners are responsible for the actions of the crew chiefs. But the 100 driver points penalty to Gordon and Johnson seem over kill.

In my opinion NASCAR must use a “Wheel of Fortune” type device and spins it to determine fines. One space says $10,000 and all others say 100 driver/owner points and suspensions and probation.

What say you ???