Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: you write us with your best rant/joke/one-liner at nascarmail@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face. Today, we're talking Harvick/Busch, Regan Smith ? you know, the guy who actually won the race ? and Hail Mary Chase chances. Away we go...
I don't agree with your assessment on the penalties (or lack thereof) for KyBusch and Harvick. I agree both are instigators. My major problem is this: even if Kyle had no reverse gear, he DID have a steering wheel and clearly didn't use it as he plowed THROUGH the #29. If he had enough room to cause it to slam into Pit wall that hard, he had enough room to either steer around it or hit it a lot more lightly. He also had the option of MOVING from the entire time that Harvick climbed from his vehicle (or sooner), but he waited right until Harvick was at his window: just like what a punk kid would do when playing games with someone trying to get in a car.
You just can't do this stuff on Pit Road ? a slap on the wrist now, and what will it look like when someone gets killed because two adults are being 10-year-olds (fun to watch or no). I think my penalties are reasonable: 25 driver / owner points against Busch / JGR, with a $100,000 fine for both the NASCAR equivalent of "unsportsmanlike conduct" (Rule 12.4.TakeYourPick) and endangering lives on Pit Road. Levy a $50,000 fine against Harvick for the same unsportsmanlike conduct. Both on probation until 12/31/11.
I'd rather not wait until Menard's tire-changer, Gordon's gas can-man, or Billy Bad Butt get smeared on Pit Row before handing out a little more substantial penalty than what you've suggested.
? Nathan Bitner
Asheville, N.C.
Nathan sent this letter before the penalties were announced, so just let me say to my pal Nathan: HA! I was right, you're wrong! Now that the gloating is out of the way, let's consider his points. I've gotten dozens of emails on both sides of this issue, with the prevailing themes being 1. Kyle was a punk ("Busch tastes like chicken!" someone wrote, and I'll leave it at that) and 2. Harvick was only tough because his entire crew was running up the track at Kyle.
My take: we can't really apply reasoned analysis to a situation that's as fluid as the one that unfolded over two or three minutes there in Darlington. I don't think we can slap the "someone could have been killed!" argument on this situation without applying it, well, everywhere else in NASCAR. Seriously, pit road alone is insane; cars wheeling within inches of pit members who aren't even looking. I'm not taking a side for or against either driver. But in my estimation, Harvick (and his approaching crew) put Busch in an untenable situation: get pummeled or get away.
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I could not have been happier seeing a great guy like Regan Smith win at Darlington. While I think the Kyle/Kevin feud is WAY more interesting than a Montoya/Newman feud, I refuse to let Regan Smith's win be upstaged by Kyle and Kevin ... All I wanted from the 2011 Cup season was to see "non-regulars" win races and so far I am very happy with this year.� Seeing Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith win is exactly what I have been waiting for!� Next on my wish list would be to see Ambrose, Allmendinger and Montoya win on an oval.�� So far this season has been worth every lap I have sat on my couch to watch!
Now, if only a non-cup guy could win a Nationwide race ... that would be icing on the cake!
? Sue Bilger
Seattle, Wash.
We can all dream, can't we? Yes, it's a shame that Smith's win got upstaged, but hey, he'll be in the All-Star Race and he might have just gotten himself a promotion next year. I'm not actively rooting against a Jimmie Johnson win, but I will say that new blood at the top of the standings and at the end of races might be exactly what the sport needs to bring back some of the wayward fans.
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Jay, I'd like to divert from the Busch/Harvick talk for a minute to give kudos to Regan Smith and his crew chief for the winning call. I don't see why more crew chiefs don't roll the dice late in races like they did. I've seen so many times where the leaders pit, and everyone follows. If you're running in 11th, and the leaders pit, following them and taking two tires as well isn't going to win you the race. If I have enough gas to make it to the end, heck yeah I'm staying out.
If you ask me, everyone from about 6th on back should have stayed out. Maybe if this were Pocono or Indy with five laps left should you pit because you can lose a bunch of spots in that time, but Darlington, or Bristol or Richmond, give me the spot up front. There's too much follow-the-leader in this sport. I'd love to see the crew chiefs get more gutsy at the end of races.
? Daniel Prekopa
Portland, Texas
Statistical analysis has shown that the conventional wisdom in certain sports ? punting in the opponent's territory late in an NFL game, for instance ? is in fact not so wise after all. I haven't seen a complete statistical breakdown of pit road decisionmaking track-by-track; somebody could make an awful lot of money doing such a thing. (Cut me in!)
But there are two forces at work here, both of which you touched on: the potential for lost positions in the final lap of the race, and the inherent conservatism that comes into play when your job is on the line. It's one thing for us to call for a gutsy maneuver from outside the fence, it's another to pull the trigger if it's your paycheck at risk. (Consider how many times Steve Letarte was barbecued for that while chiefing Jeff Gordon.) That said, I think we'll see more of these kinds of pit calls later in the year as teams go for wins at all cost. Speaking of which ...
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In reading the WTWF for Darlington, point #2 ("Is it risk-taking time for some?") in the "3 Things to Watch For" section got me thinking. With two apparent wildcard slots to make it into the Chase and NASCAR's history of not� taking away wins under any circumstance, what do you think the chances are that some teams get desperate towards the end of the season and start "pushing the envelope" with respect to the rulebook to grab a win? What would NASCAR's position on taking the win away be at that point? My guess� would be severe enough points penalty to take them out of top 20 requirement� to qualify based on wins, but who knows when it comes to NASCAR and rules! BTW, I think your mailbag writers should be required to participate in Wednesday and Raceday chats and include their moniker in signature line!
? Donald "Emporer Zod"
Memphis, Tenn.
I've been pushing the Hail Mary Theory since the new points system was announced. I think this could be the most exciting July and August NASCAR has ever seen, because you're going to see teams going all-out for those precious wins. Now, the hypothetical you posit here is an interesting one, but after what happened to Clint Bowyer last year, everybody involved knows that their cars will get workovers right down to their DNA. If somebody's dumb enough to try something illegal knowing that, they deserve a penalty like you've suggested. More likely is the following scenario ...
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I think that at this stage, the top 10 are more or less already locked in for the Chase.� I don't see much switching happening as the top guys hold spots 1-10.� So now it's down to the wild card, which means everyone from 11th on back are competing for wins only.� I'm hoping this creates a lot of last lap bump-and-runs, gets a lot of people bent out of shape, and makes for an exciting last-lap race for the rest of the season.� What do you think? If I was Menard, I'd knock Busch out of the way to get my win if I had the chance.� Worry about revenge later, at least I got the trophy.
? Carl
Meadville, Pa.
Bingo, especially given the fact that NASCAR has gone light on intentional turning of late (Montoya, Busch). Now, turning someone on the final lap might be a little much for NASCAR to overlook, but short of that, there's going to be some insane chance-taking at Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond. I can't wait.
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You wrote last week that Carl Edwards may go to Penske (while talking about Kurt Busch). Why would he do that? I am one that happens to think money isn't everything. Look how Roush has ran this year, I highly doubt that Carl would be that competitive in a Penske Dodge, which would make more sense to me for Carl to stay with Roush. Your thoughts?
? Walt
Evansville, Ind.
I think you're right; somebody's going to have to make one hell of an offer to compete with Roush Fenway. And I'd point out that Kurt Busch's constant complaining, including how he hasn't had a top-quality teammate since Ryan Newman, is only sabotaging any chance of getting one of those top-flight free agents. Why would someone want to come to a team that clearly can't supply its best driver with the best equipment? So, yeah, odds are that Carl stays at Roush. Unless the Miami Heat decide to trade Chris Bosh for him.
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I think NASCAR needs to develop a penalty system. Almost every sport has one, and with the new scoring system, something needs to be done. Take for example Jeff Gordon's recent misfortune. He had at least a top-6 car in the Richmond race and ran in the top 3 most of the day.�He ends up with another DNF because of someone else's poor driving and random pit strategies that put him further back in the pack. Does it not make sense to dock the driver responsible for the crash some sort of points? It certainly would make drivers think twice about running around the track like a complete idiot.
? Johnny Dinla
Los Angeles
I get your point, but how does NASCAR enforce something like that? How do you distinguish between incompetent driving and simple mistakes? What if both drivers have some culpability, as with Harvick/Busch? How do you distribute penalties? I know it's not a perfect system right now, but that kind of uncertainty is part of the deal you make when you roll out onto the track.
Unless someone takes out Dale Earnhardt Jr. In that case, NASCAR has decreed that that driver's points shall be added to Junior's total. So let it be written, so let it be done.
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Well Jay, I thought I had seen NASCAR� big wigs do about all the stupid things possible, but I guess I was wrong.� Don't get me wrong, I think both Kyle and Kevin did things after the race which needed addressing, but for NASCAR to completely IGNORE the action of sending an unmanned car down pit row when it was still occupied with people is UNBELIEVABLE! This action cannot in any way be seen as an innocent "Have at it boys" action. It is simply by the Grace of God that no one was hurt or worse, and for Kyle to have done it in the first place shows he has no respect for human life. If this were done on a public street the person would have definitely been arrested and charged ( probably with attempted manslaughter). And if Kyle Busch fans think this is fair, it just shows what kind of people follow him.
?Joyce Keith
You hear that, everybody? Kyle Busch has no respect for your life! I will say this: NASCAR Media Group needs to stop making documentaries and start making some original programming ripped from the headlines. Tell me you wouldn't tune in to NASCAR drama — "Death at Darlington!" "Murder At The Monster Mile!" — during every off week. Shoot, go ahead and make your best pitch for a NASCAR thriller and we'll run some next week.
And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at nascarmail@yahoogroups.com, find us on Facebook right here, or hit us up on Twitter at @jaybusbee. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!
[That exceptional art above done by "GraphicWolf" of the Bump-Drafters group on DeviantArt. Go check 'em out; it's great stuff and we'll be featuring more of it throughout the season.]
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