OK, I'll Lighten Up

Last week I inundated y'all with items from my newspaper and then I dissected them with my take. I suppose some were boring, but I at least hope one or two brought a few chuckles.

With that said, let's talk about Sunday's race. Well, actually there's not much to talk about. I held my breath for the entire race and I didn't watch the end. Yes, I walked away, especially when the last restart showed The Whiner coming on a little too strong for my tastes. Oh yeah, and that other one, the one who thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread. When I saw those two joining forces, I knew NASCAR did it again. Tony, you know you were right.



I'd like to talk about Tony and what happened recently. I truly believe he chose the easy way out when he bent over and apologized to NASCAR for things he said on his Sirius radio show. Always one for controversy, he made me laugh and I felt like he was getting better as a crusader, not so much against NASCAR, but to make them realize that the drivers and the fans felt they just weren't being fair. We all have wondered at one time or another the same thing Tony spoke about, more so this year than any other.

Throwing cautions near the end of the race, especially when a dominating car is far ahead of the others (unless it is a Hendrick car), sure as hell does change the outcome of the race. It tightens the field up giving NASCAR exactly what they want at almost every race this year. And that is close finishes. Maybe they can't manipulate in a way for a particular driver to win, but they most certainly can change the outcome with those "phantom debris" cautions. Funny how a caution flag flew when Jimmie Johnson was heard over his radio while talking to his crew chief that he was not going to make it to the end of a recent race. I saw that one coming. I like it when some cars won't make it on fuel. And by the way, Junior wouldn't have made it to the end either in that particular race.

So, Tony, thanks for opening many eyes, and also for taking some of the heat off of Junior's contract mess. And a note to NASCAR: wise up and take heed. I hope what Tony said doesn't get pushed by the wayside; the fans are irate. Attendance and TV viewing is down because they are sick to death of seeing Hendrick cars in victory lane week in and week out. Enough already. NASCAR without fans is like DEI without Junior ~ neither one will be successful.

So there you have it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Don't try and change my mind. It's too late for that. Have a good day.