Sunday, July 24th 'What If' Question

Oh, it just won't die. It's one thing when non-NASCAR fans start spewing about how it's not a sport and NASCAR drivers aren't athlete but it's entirely another thing when adults and other athletes make that statement.

The argument, are NASCAR drivers athletes, just won't go away. It's never going to either. But the discussion has gotten quite heated the last few weeks after Seattle Seahawks player Golden Tate tweeted during the ESPY's "Jimmy Johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticism." His tweet came after seeing the nominates for Best Male Athlete, which Johnson did not end up winning.

In addition to Tate's spelling of "Jimmie" it was clear that he knew very little if not nothing about the sport and its drivers. He was quickly pounced on by drivers, fans and media about his opinion. After tweeting a few more ignorant comments, Tate reversed course and not only apologized but said he did research and felt he had a better understanding of the sport.

It didn't stop the comments from the NASCAR world though. Johnson has invited Tate to a race and a ride along, saying he wants to show him what drivers do. Tate acknowledged he'd like to do that. Then Denny Hamlin stepped up with an offer that many are not only intrigued by but eager to see happen. Hamlin tweeted, "I would like to challenge @showtimeTate at any neutral sport. Basketball, tennis, golf, baseball, hockey. Best of 3 wins. Lets go."

Tate has not yet acknowledged that tweet or responded to Hamlin's challenge. Everyone has since started to move on from the incident after Tate appeared on Sirius NASCAR radio to talk about his comments and Johnson and others talked to the NASCAR media about it last weekend in New Hampshire.

But ...

What if Golden Tate took up Denny Hamlin's best of 3 challenge in basketball, tennis, golf, baseball or hockey, better athlete is..? #NASCAR

@Debbie_Str8Away He would still have splinters from sitting on the bench LOL

@Lady31RCR I think Denny wins the what if question FOSHO!!

@4xLeft Tate played football and baseball at ND. @dennyhamlin would probably take golf, but I'd put my money on Tate in baseball and basketball. Don't know about tennis or hockey.

Mark Eckhart (via Facebook) well isn't Denny a pretty good basketball player, so he'd probably win that if chosen, and he's probably been golfing quite a bit as a racer so I'd take Denny

Thursday, July 21st 'What If' Question

Some say if you aren't cheating you aren't trying. Others say it's what the sports about, trying to find the loophole and beat your competition in every possible way.

Other say that cheating has no place in the sport and cheaters shouldn't prosper. In NASCAR there have been plenty of cheaters, although their fans might say it wasn't intentional or illegal. But, every team in NASCAR has been busted for something whether they were the first to the finish line or the random man picked out for inspection.

Some of the most recent controversy has surrounded some of the biggest names in the sport. Clint Bowyer won last year in New Hampshire but was then fine and docked 100 championship points. Carl Edwards won at Las Vegas in 2008 and failed post race inspection and was also fined and docked points. A few of Jimmie Johnson's wins were followed by failed post race inspection.

They aren't the only ones. What they did have in common was that they won the race and then were deemed to have cheated. While they were monetarily fined and docked championship points, crew chiefs and other players might even have been suspended, the win still stood. One thing that NASCAR will not do is take a win away, which some don't agree with.

This past weekend in New Hampshire Ryan Newman won a NASCAR modified race before his machine failed inspection. In a surprising move his win was taken away and it has prompted the discussion of why that doesn't happen in NASCAR's top three series. There's the argument that the integrity of the sport and competition calls for it.

Or that the only way to keep the teams on an even playing field is to make sure they're all playing by the rules and the rules are enforced. Should they break those rules they should be severely punished. Cheaters shouldn't be winners. Newman's win though came not in one of NASCAR's top three series where the wins will always stand because as NASCAR says, when fans leave the racetrack or the broadcast goes off the air, everyone should know who the winner was and see a post race celebration.

But ...

What if #NASCAR took away wins in Truck, Nationwide & Cup Series, would teams be less inclined to cheat/bend the rules?

@smokinace88 Yes because you take a win away from someone its gonna make them think twice

@Lady31RCR I think so...I think they should do that!!

@GoDuke4382 Nope. They don't race for the record books.

Tuesday, July 19th 'What If' Question

Raise your hand if this time last year you thought Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would ever win a race and compete for the Nationwide Series championship?

What a difference a year makes. After struggling early in 2010 in his No. 6 Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing with wrecks, not qualifying and not making any progress, Stenhouse Jr. was benched by team owner Jack Roush. He watched while others drove his car and he did his best to learn from the sidelines.

For Stenhouse Jr., learning by not driving paid off. When he came back a transformation was apparent, it seemed a different person was behind the wheel. Stenhouse Jr. started knocking down top 10 and top five finishes, including a third at Daytona in July. Soon he was climbing through the point standings and competing for Rookie of the Year honors.

At the conclusion of 2010 it was clear that Stenhouse Jr. did indeed have the talent and deserved to be behind the wheel of the No. 6. He finished 16th in points and won ROY and suddenly became a driver to watch. Now a year later he's a driver that continues to impress and gain supporters.

Stenhouse Jr. won his first career race at Iowa early this year and has been in contention for many other wins. After finishing second to his teammate Carl Edwards in Michigan, Stenhouse Jr. was told by his spotter "a year ago people wouldn't even put you in the same sentence as Carl Edwards. Now you're racing him for wins."

Something that many never would have thought of, maybe even Stenhouse Jr. the way things were going last year. In may he made his first Sprint Cup Series starting while filling in for the ill Trevor Bayne in the Wood Brothers No. 21. Stenhouse Jr. finished 11th in that debut in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Back on the Nationwide side he sits third in points, after having lead for a few weeks, and looks toward not only winning more races but contending for the championship down the stretch.

But ...

What If Ricky @StenhouseJr wasn't taken out of the car last year then brought back, does he still make the turnaround he has? #NASCAR

@MattEmbury That stunted his growth a tiny bit, but not enough to make too great a difference. #NASCAR

@cruetten i don't think so. he saw what will happen if he doesn't perform, and i really think that his "timeout" just added to his desire to run well

@ladybug388 yes and the turnaround may have sooner because its welcome due to more experience though u could argue the other way also and say he wouldn't had b/c being out of ride made him appreciate it more

@JoJo_6040 No. Nice wake up call. I think it was good for the kid to realize the opportunity he's bn given. He has the talent

@HarpAmyStabler I think probably not. It helped him to get really focused on his ride. Just my thoughts.

Monday, July 18 'What If' Question

As the saying goes, sometimes less is more.

In NASCAR that also holds true when it comes to the number of cars a team puts out on track. Not just in the sense of how many NASCAR caps them at, being four, but in terms how all of them can succeed under the same banner. For years it has always appeared that the fourth car was the odd man out. In 2009 that was Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports when teammates Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon won races and finished 1-3 in points.

At Roush-Fenway Racing it used to be David Ragan, until his turnaround this season as all four cars are finally performing to standard. In the case of Penske Racing they cut down from three to two teams after Sam Hornish Jr. not only failed to perform but lost sponsorship. Penske has won races with both his drivers this season.

For Richard Childress Racing they might want to go back to having less. Originally a team with four cars, RCR cut down to three for the 2010 season where all three of their drivers qualified for the Chase and two of the three won races. It appeared that RCR was a company that was perfect for three cars and drivers to succeed together. Then the announcement was made that in 2011 they were going to expand back to four cars.

The last time the company had fours they all struggled and speculation ran wild that one driver, Kevin Harvick, might be on his way to another team. Questions now began whether going back to four cars was the right move and so far it has proven not to be. Only one of the RCR drivers, Harvick, has won a race this season. He's always the only one currently in the top 10 in points.

While Bowyer and Menard have had their share of competitive nature, the same can't be said for Jeff Burton. This time around it seems that Burton and the No. 31 Catapillar team are the odd ones out. After 19 races Burton has zeros across the board: no wins, no poles, no top fives and no 10s and he sits 25th in points.

Sometimes, they aren't even close when at the track and it has everyone shaking their head. This past weekend in New Hampshire things were finally looking up for Burton as he ran in the top five for much of the ran. Again though the team came up empty and they finished 16th. Going forward the team will look to carry over their performance from Sunday while trying to improve on their finishes.

But ...

What if Jeff Burton continues to struggle this season, can a case be made that RCR is better suited & should go back to 3 teams? #NASCAR

@ConwellClark They should all go back to 3 teams and stop the big money monopoly and give some not so rich owners a shot

@Lady31RCR I could go on and on..but I am going to stick with Clint has not been resigned, shame bc he is better than Menard!! I do look for a CC change for the #31 team...poss with the #33 team!!

@cruetten absolutely. the 4th car has now twice hexed RCR. but w/ menards $,theyll give it some more time b4 thinking of going back to 3

Wednesday, July 13th 'What If' Question

Coming off two victories at the Kentucky Speedway in the Camping World Truck and Sprint Cup Series, Kyle Busch is now just one win short of 100 across all three national NASCAR series.

Before Busch had even hit the 80 or 90 win mark the talk was all about if he could break 200. That number was put up by Richard Petty during his heyday when he won 200 Sprint Cup Series races. No one has come close to breaking that mark with the closes being David Pearson at 105. With Busch, he only has 22 career Cup Series wins but says he wants to break the 200 mark.

If he's going to do it, he and everyone else knows that it'll come from wins combined in all three of NASCAR's top series which he regularly races in. Busch currently has 29 CWTS wins, 48 NNS wins and the 22 Cup wins. This weekend in New Hampshire one win, either in the NNS or Cup series would put him at 100 and from there the talk will become more rampant about him getting to 200.

To some it makes no sense. If Petty and others won all their races in the Cup Series, why is Busch getting to count all of his wins? It's something that was never really done or talked about until Busch started dominating the circuit and winning everything that he sat in. For about as much talk that goes into the 200 win mark, there's equal the talk about how it makes no sense to combine wins for all three series and isn't worth talking about.

But ...

What if @KyleBusch does indeed tie or break 200 win mark, should it be treated, covered and/or celebrated like the Kings 200 wins? #NASCAR

@mbauerherzog Yes. Even though he's hated, it is an accomplishment that should be celebrated/treated like one.

@Carchallenge43 I enjoy watching Kyle win fan won't accept it. it should be respected kyle isn't a waltrip five time or Dale jr. Or Bobby allison

@NancyatStudioN YES! Many of RP's wins were against almost no competition or where he was the only one on the track with good equipment. KyBu has had to compete against the best drivers with good equipment. Also, KyBu's winning percentage is better than RP's

@StrokerAce90 Yes. It'll make #KBShow fans feel special and give them something else to get tattoo'd on their backs and asses #HelpsEconomy

Monday, June 27th 'What If' Question

NASCAR drivers are accustomed to going in circles but twice a year the series heads to Sonoma in California and Watkins Glen in New York for both left and right hand turns.

Road course racing is some of the best during the season. Watching drivers attempt to navigate the road against some others who are much better at it, provides many highlights. Sunday afternoon in Sonoma it was Kurt Busch, a non-road course expert who dominated the day but it wasn't what many were talking about.

Drivers were beating and banging all over the 11 turn course. From shoving each other off into the gravel to blatantly wrecking them, Sunday's race was packed with action. Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers played their own version of bumper cars as Stewart sent Vickers for a ride early in the event because he said Vickers was blocking him. Vickers then sent Stewart for a spin in the exact same corner, hard enough that it sent Stewart's car into the tire barriers where it would be lodged.

Stewart said after the race that while he knew he had it coming, if drivers continue to block he's going to continue to wreck them. Regardless of who they are. They weren't the only one with a war of words as Juan Pablo Montoya and Kasey Kahne also traded paint which caused Kahne to say on national television that Montoya has no NASCAR talent so to speak.

Montoya also tangled with Brad Keselowski who retaliated. Keselowski made no bones about driving the 42 off course, which took the 18 of Kyle Busch with him. Those were just some of the few incidents of the day, leaving fans and media alike thrilled with much to talk about during the week.

But ...

What If #NASCAR never instituted the "boys, have at it" attitude, would we still have had the rough racing/paybacks we did Sunday?

@chris1176 I doubt it,or there would be a huge list of fines tomorrow

@pjames Yes

@ronsracing88 Yes, but drivers wouldn't admit as much as to as they do now They just say like or they got lose or something. Blame the car

@cruetten the rough racing, yes. The paybacks, no. And there certainly wouldn't be drivers admitting to it like we saw yesterday.

@JChrisN40 MO no, because guys were too corporate...now I believe its gone too far..lol

Dustin Parks (via Facebook) Hell no. I guarantee Montoya and Vickers would get fined. Its best to end it on the track. That's where it began in the first place.

Mark Eckhart (via Facebook) yea so they'd get fined 25k when they make millions upon millions, they'd definitely still give deliberate payback on the track

Tuesday, June 21st 'What If' Question

Every January before the start of a new NASCAR season the officials gather and put together their new rules and regulations. Then, during a "State of the Sport" address just weeks before Speedweeks in Daytona, they announce the changes for fans and media alike.

Last year the biggest change was when Robin Pemberton uttered, "boys, have at it." It opened the door for drivers to have more freedom in how they handle themselves and how they treat their competitors on the track. This past year one of the biggest announcements was NASCAR stating that Sprint Cup Series drivers would no longer be able to earn points should they compete in the lower series of Nationwide and Truck.

After seeing Cup drivers dominate year after year, winning races and championships, many felt it was time to even the playing field and let the NNS regulars have a chance to shine in their own series. The Cup drivers would still be allowed to compete in NNS and CWTS events but they wound't be granted points and therefore would be ineligible for the championship.

While it sounded great on paper many were curious to see how it was going to play out. Once the season started it didn't take long to realize that NASCAR had great intentions but it might not work out how they imagine. Cup drivers won the first 11 NNS events. Of the seasons now 15 races, Cup drivers have won 13 of them with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier the only two regulars to have won a race.

In the CWTS it's no different. The season started with Cup drivers winning the first three events before Johnny Sauter broke through in race four at Martinsville. Now with nine races in the books, Cup drivers have won seven of them as Ron Hornaday became the second series regular to win by capturing the checkered flag at Texas.

Should this streak continue NASCAR runs the risk of having one of their worst nightmares come true: a winless champion. Many knew it was possible before the season started after the rules were announced, some even predicted it. Others hoped that rule would have the opposite effect and led the regulars to work that much harder to win races and protect their turf. Fortunately the current point leaders in both series, Stenhouse Jr. and Sauter, have already won this season.

But ...

What if Truck & Nationwide champions don't win a race this year, would you be OK w/ it or rather go back to Cup guys getting points? #NASCAR

@cruetten i'd be ok with it, but i wouldn't necessarily like it. if the points champion doesn't win a race, it will make the championship seem less meaningful. regardless of what happens though, i do not want the cup guys earning driver points again.

@BuDwEiSeRaCeR I'd rather see limits on the number of races a year cup guys can run in trucks/nns. 36 races a year - givem 10 each

@nathanmedic I'm fine with NNS/CWTS winner not winning a race, though it's not preferable. I definitely don't want to go back.

@ronsracing88 Yes, I would be fine with them as champs if they did not win a race. #NASCAR needs to keep those 2 series unique from Cup.

@NancyatStudioN I don't know the solution but I think Nascar would need 2 take a serious look at it. There doesn't seem 2 B a right answer.

@lflowers ABSOLUTELY NOT! Just like Major League Baseball players don't play AA or AAA ball, neither should Cup guys be there

@Lady31RCR Its about being consistent..No points for cup drivers, in fact would like them limited to 10 races in NW and Truck!!

@MattEmbury Won't have to worry about it in Nationwide Kellly, Stenhouse will title, maybe a couple more races #NASCAR

@MsNascar47 I'd rather they'd quit letting the cup guys drive in the lower series. What other sport would do something so stupid.

Stroker Ace (via Facebook) Would be ok in my book - Truck and Nationwide teams made a commitment to run those series full time, they deserve to be able to earn a Championship Title - Cup guys got enough problems with their hurting series right now, they need to commit more seriously to their own cup teams before they lose any more sponsors or team owners.