NASCAR needs a guts transfusion

Sporting News, The, July 12, 2004 by Lee Spencer

At times NASCAR officials must feel a bit like Rodney Dangerfield. But respect has to be earned, and the suits in Daytona have done little to earn the respect of competitors or fans in the past few weeks.

To discuss how NASCAR used Nextel Cup races at Dover and Pocono as dress rehearsals for new methods of determining track position would take an entire column. So instead, let's just focus on NASCAR's penal system.

When NASCAR parked Kevin Harvick in 2002, it seemed like it was ready to walk the walk. Slapping Tony Stewart's wrist after his meltdown this year at Sonoma--he leaned into Brian Vickers' car and grabbed him--proved otherwise. After NASCAR chairman Brian France called Stewart's actions "unacceptable" and "a big deal" the garage perception was that Stewart, a longtime offender, would finally get his due.

Instead, NASCAR fined him $50,000 and docked him 25 points. Stewart should have been suspended. PERIOD. That's the only punishment that could have gotten his attention. But France didn't have the nerve.

Forget the money. To you and me, $50,000 is a lot. To Stewart, that's not even the down payment for his girlfriend's house at the lake.

And 25 points? That was the unjust price Dale Earnhardt Jr. paid because he admitted he intentionally caused a caution at Bristol. Earnhardt did not maliciously attack a fellow competitor. When Jimmy Spencer--who was provoked--punched Kurt Busch, NASCAR sidelined him for a week.

So why not Stewart? If it's because Home Depot is an official sponsor of NASCAR--which speculation points to--then the problem could become more endemic.

Ryan Newman jokes that the newest reality show coming out of the garage should be NASCAR Court TV. Considering all of the repeat offenders, one wonders how a stock car judge and jury devoid of sponsor influence would enforce justice in the garage. Newman says parking repeat offenders is "a good place to start."

"The repeat offender deal is what gets to me," Newman says. "The same drivers keep doing the same things year after year.

"The financial fines are negligible. It's the point fines that make the difference. ... When something is obvious, something other than probation must be done."

When Newman was on probation in the Busch Series, he says it affected his driving style, adding some drivers "tried to take advantage" of the situation. But to others, such as Stewart, probation is a joke.

Things were different in The King's day. When Richard Petty was racing, there wasn't the media attention or as many fans in the stands or viewing on TV. Petty points to "different people running the show and different people in the show" adding that there was one certainty: If a driver continually crossed the line, his days in NASCAR were numbered.

"We weren't paying fines and stuff like they are today," Petty says. "There were no suspensions. (NASCAR) just brought you in and said, 'If you keep doing this, you won't be with us anymore.'

"We knew that NASCAR was the only game in town, and if we wanted to play in their ballgame, we had to play by their rules, and whatever they said, went. We didn't try to buck the system. We knew we could argue with them, but we didn't try to buck it."

That's the biggest problem. A firm hand does not exist in NASCAR, and the competitors know it. As long as the drivers can get away with whatever they please, NASCAR will continue to be a doormat.

If NASCAR wants to prove it has the legitimacy to be among the stick and ball sports, those suits in Daytona must take stronger stances and not make bush-league calls. Then, perhaps, NASCAR will gain respect it lacks.

TSN's POWER POLL

                            TSN points:        TSN          Nextel
      Driver               last 10 races      points      Cup points

 (1) Jimmie Johnson            1,257        1,859 (1)     2,545 (1)
 (2) Jeff Gordon               1,165        1,694 (3)     2,313 (3)
 (3) Dale Earnhardt Jr.        1,050        1,800 (2)     2,518 (2)
 (4) Bobby Labonte               830        1,238 (7)     2,164 (6)
 (5) Ryan Newman                 749        1,256 (5)     2,112 (9)
 (6) Michael Waltrip             704          845 (17)    1,822 (18)
 (7) Tony Stewart                683        1,232 (8)     2,203 (4)
 (8) Mark Martin                 652        1,057 (13)    1,939 (14)
 (9) Matt Kenseth                645        1,374 (4)     2,189 (5)
(10) Jamie McMurray              623        1,067 (12)    1,944 (13)

Through race No. 17, at Daytona. For a complete TSN Power
Poll rundown and a points system explanation, go to
msn.foxsports.com/name/public/NASCAR/Cup/PowerPoll.

SPEED READS

* It's hard to believe two decades have passed since Richard Petty scored his record 200th and final victory, at Daytona. It's an accomplishment that never will be matched. The wealth of technical information that is shared among many teams makes today's competition too close for one driver to be so dominant

* Hendrick Motorsports has ramped up horsepower for its teams and improved on fuel economy. But the advances have come with a price: blown engines. Terry Labonte had his second broken engine of the season at Sonoma. And title contender Jeff Gordon could be chasing his fourth straight victory, but his engine failed at Michigan, where he led the most laps.