NASCAR made the right call on Regan Smith on principle because he was clearly below the yellow line when he made the pass on Stewart. But the two questions that still linger are was he forced to drive there because Stewart blocked him and is the rule different on the last lap. It shouldn't be and despite the rumors in the garage area that NASCAR had said that all bets are off when the checkered flag is in the air, a rule should be a rule. It's a ball-and-strike call on NASCAR officials' part and they decided Smith was out of bounds and gave him an 18th-place finish rather than his first Cup win. I'm fine with that but the fact that there is some doubt still puts NASCAR's inconsistency on enforcing its rules in question, a practice that has to end. The problem is that the yellow line rule is strictly enforced, while it's NASCAR's "discretion" to penalize a driver for forcing another below the yellow line. And I don't recall ever seeing NASCAR ever use that discretion. Clearly Stewart was blocking. Smith went up high, Stewart went up to block, and when he did, Smith ducked underneath. It's at this point where NASCAR's definition of "forced" is murky. Smith was in deep enough that as Stewart drifted back down to block low, Smith had three options: 1. Wreck Stewart and maybe many other behind him; 2. Back off and give up challenging for the win; or 3. Go below the yellow, avoid the wreck and challenge for the win. I guess NASCAR's thinking is that since Smith did have the option of simply backing off, he wasn't forced. I disagree. But this is NASCAR, where the rules change from race to race.
Should Talladega be part of the Chase? Is there anything that can be done to put some control back in the drivers' hands at the plate tracks?
Talladega One plate race should be part of the Chase but I think it should be Daytona to end the season and not Talladega. Despite both being restrictor-plate tracks, the two are completely different. We get "Big Ones" at Daytona but nothing like the kind of carnage we see at Talladega simply because the Alabama track is longer, wider and faster. The drivers can control the cars more at Daytona unlike Talladega where they are truly along for the ride. I'm not sure what the answer is outside of tearing down the banking and slowing speeds down that way, but Talladega is starting to become a bit too dangerous and more of a demolition derby than either of the two half-mile short tracks. I got on my soapbox in yesterday's Power Rankings about what I think of Talladega. It has become a joke. No way should it be a Chase race. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's great entertainment. The action is fast and furious and everybody has a chance to win, but winning is more luck than skill or strategy. It wasn't always this way. At least back in the day, before bump-drafting became the overwhelming norm, there actually used to be some amount of skill involved to win a restrictor-plate race. Now it's a pure crapshoot. It doesn't matter whether you're Jeff Gordon, with 81 career wins, or Paul Menard, who has a total of three top 10s in 69 races. Anyone can win. I don't know what the answer is to give the drivers control again, but I'm not sure NASCAR even cares about finding out. Weren't they supposed to start policing bump-drafting? The bottom line is, despite the lack of any true racing to separate the haves from the have-nots, it seems most fans eat up the restrictor-plate races.
With Jimmie Johnson escaping Talladega with a 72-point lead, do you see anybody being able to catch him for the championship?
Edwards, Harvick fight in garage area, witnesses say - Sprint Cup, NASCAR - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Race Results, Standings
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Edwards, Harvick fight in garage area, witnesses say

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CONCORD, N.C. -- Greg Biffle isn't angry with teammate Carl Edwards for starting a 12-car crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

Neither is Matt Kenseth.

Kevin Harvick? Not quite over it.

Witnesses said Edwards and Harvick were in a heated argument Thursday in the Nationwide Series garage at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Edwards apparently walked into Harvick's garage stall and the two engaged in a heated argument.

Harvick appeared to try to walk away, and witnesses said Edwards reached for his shoulder to turn him back on. Harvick then shoved Edwards, who stumbled onto the hood of Harvick's car, and the two had to be separated.

Harvick was unavailable for comment.

Edwards didn't deny the two argued, but wouldn't discuss the incident.

"The deal with me and Harvick is between me and him and there's nothing else to talk about," he said. "I'm not talking about that. That's just what it is. We know where each other stands and that's it."

Edwards triggered the late crash Sunday when he tried to push Biffle as the three Roush Fenway Racing cars competed for the lead. But his bumper hooked the corner of Biffle's, sending Biffle into a slide directly into Kenseth.

Several championship contenders were caught in the melee, including Harvick, who had harsh words for Edwards and his strategy after the accident.

"I know that his fans won't be very proud of him sitting back there riding around like a pansy," Harvick said. "If he had been racing all day, maybe he would have known how long the front of his car was."

Chase standings
DriverPointsDeficit
1. Jimmie Johnson6,684---
2. Carl Edwards6,615-69
3. Greg Biffle6,467-217
4. Kevin Harvick6,408-276
5. Clint Bowyer6,381-303
Complete Chase | Traditional points

Biffle and Kenseth were both upset with their teammate immediately following the accident, but both said they were over it by the time they got to Lowe's.

"We can point fingers all day about what happened," Biffle said. "He understands that he made a mistake and there's nothing we can do about that now. Certainly he didn't want to wreck himself, because that's what he did, he wrecked himself.

"I don't know what else to state about it, but I'm not mad at him."

Kenseth, who argued with Edwards last fall at Martinsville, said he was initially upset about the accident but had moved past it.

"Our relationship is fine," Kenseth said. "I was disappointed. I thought that Carl knew better. He's been preaching the stuff about being careful and working together and teammates and all this stuff, so I was disappointed it happened, but yet it was an accident and that stuff will happen."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
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