Don’t Turn Right Here!

The excitement I had built up for the opening season for NASCAR has disappeared, faster than Jeff Gordan going around a quarter of a mile track. If you planned on tuning in to watch the Daytona 500 for the intensive driving don’t bother. Tony Stewart, who won the Nextel Cup championship last year, is “crying” because he thinks the “bumping and banging” is out of control. He failed to mention that last year he used this method to win a couple races. NASCAR agreed with Tony and Nextel Cup officials said they would be policing bump drafting. I’d hate to be the official who tells Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who might be in third or fourth at the time, has fresh tires, and only having fifteen laps to go that he’s been penalized for bump drafting in a wolf pack of cars just to gain positioning. Nextel Cup officials say that the penalty could range from driving through the pits to being parked. I guess the officials forgot what racing was. I remember what the crew chief for the movie “Days of Thunder” said. Cole Trickle’s crew chief said, “Rubbing is racing.” This new ruling is not going to enhance the excitement of racing. If this rule sticks the demand for a ticket to watch dirty racing is going to fall. The opportunity cost for the extra safety of Nextel’s driver will be a decrease in the fan base. Do you agree that if NASCAR imposes this rule the demand to watch races live or on television will decrease? Also, if they find out that this rule causes revenue to decline will they get rid of this rule before they lose sponsorships?