Feud of the Week: Bristol track, determining a champ, 88's problems
CBSSports.com's Pete Pistone and Brian De Los Santos provide analysis on three weekly racing topics.
If you have a question or hot racing topic you'd like to see discussed, post it here .
| Pete Pistone | Brian De Los Santos |
| Before Bristol was resurfaced a couple seasons ago it was a one-groove track that required liberal use of the front bumper. Since the resurface, it has opened up the track for multiple grooves and side-by-side racing. Which style of Bristol do you prefer? | |
 I'll take the current Bristol over the track that used to see 19-20 cautions a race and needed no talent other than being able to ram the guy in front of you out of the way. I'm sure there are fans who long for the old rough and tumble Bristol but the new track surface actually allows for racing; Two- and three-wide competition was again the order of the day last Sunday. It's true there wasn't much of a challenge for the lead or the win, but that's going to happen when a guy like Kyle Busch has such a dominating car. But being able to challenge with a multiple groove, side-by-side option rather than "rattling somebody's cage" is much better. | If I'm being honest, Bristol was always atop my must-see races over the years not because of the great "racing," but because of its demolition derby-like qualities. Bristol has always been about the beating and banging, wrecks, bruised egos and hot tempers. The resurface and new car has neutered Bristol and that's kind of disappointing. Sure we got a little taste of the bump-and-run last August when Carl Edwards nudged Kyle Busch to take the race lead and eventual win, but it paled in comparison to some past Bristol highlights. One of my fondest memories was the race where Terry Labonte came storming back through the field only to have Dale Earnhardt |
 COMMUNITY GUEST 'RoushFenwayGuy': Multiple grooves, no question. If there is just one groove, everyone is going to ride it, and the only way you will pass someone is if you basically force them out of the groove, which is not easy without causing a wreck. Now when you look at a multi-groove track, it is much easier to pass, and makes for more competitive, exciting racing. After all, NASCAR is supposed to be a competitive sport, the more competition there is, the better, which is exactly why people like the short tracks and superspeedways so much. Side-by-side racing is the most fun to watch, at least for me, and I'm sure a lot more, and should be encouraged on all tracks. | |
| Should a season championship go to the driver with the most wins -- as F1 was going to do this season before backing off -- or the driver who's most consistent? | |
 Winning should be the most important aspect of any racing series, but it shouldn't be the only thing considered when crowning a champion. Consistency should be rewarded, especially in a series like Sprint Cup with its grueling 10-month, 36-race schedule. It's a mistake to only recognize the driver who won the most as a champion without taking into consideration times when posting a top five or top 10 is an accomplishment. NASCAR should put more of a premium on getting to Victory Lane and add more than 10 additional points to a driver's total -- maybe 25 would be the way to go. But basing a Sprint Cup title solely on the number of victories would be a mistake. | The perfect system lies somewhere in between, but if my only choices are wins vs. consistency, I'll give the title to the driver who has the most wins. I don't know that it would work in NASCAR, but I thought rewarding the title to the driver with the most wins was a rather unique idea for Formula One, which has half as many races and entrants as does the Sprint Cup Series. I would have liked to have seen how it worked out and if it changed the manner in which the drivers raced each other. I think NASCAR leans too far toward the consistency end of the spectrum. Consider that it's mathematically possible for a driver to win nine of the 10 Chase races and still lose the title to a driver that doesn't even win once. It's a highly unlikely scenario, certainly, but the fact that's even possible shows a huge flaw in the NASCAR points system. |
| COMMUNITY GUEST 'RoushFenwayGuy': Definitely to the driver who is more consistent. I mean look, you could have five wins, and get 30 top fives, and then some guy with six wins and 10 top fives ends up beating you. That just doesn't seem fair. If you run really good every race, compared to some guy that runs spectacular in only six to 10 races, should you really lose? No, it's just unfair. Now what they could, or should do, is make wins even more vital, such as making wins add more to your start of the Chase total, and wins more important during the Chase. I'm talking 25 point difference from first to second, at least. It would make wins more satisfying, without making some guy that consistently get top fives lose to some guy that got more wins, and a lot less top fives. | |
| From mikeyfan1599: It appears Junior Nation is calling for the head of Tony Eury Jr. Is the problem the crew chief or have the expectations of the 'Nation' been too high all along? | |
 Dale Earnhardt Jr. defended his cousin and crew chief last week and says the blame for the No. 88 team not performing up to expectations should be pointed at him. That's a noble stance and I do think Eury Jr. does get maybe an unfair bit of criticism -- after all he wasn't the one that overshot his pit stall twice at the Daytona 500. But Junior Nation has every right to demand its hero do better than he's shown and I've said all along that a shakeup might be the best thing for Earnhardt with someone from inside the Hendrick organization pegged to call the shots on the pit box. Whether it's Junior or Eury Jr. something is not clicking on the 88 squad and a change of personnel might not be the worst thing. | The expectations of Earnhardt Jr. are exactly where they should be. Earnhardt should be winning races -- he has 18 career wins at an assortment of tracks -- and I believe he has the talent to compete for a title -- three top five points finishes. So why has he wallowed in mediocrity for most of the past three years? It hasn't gone unnoticed that in-race adjustments have tended to hurt rather than help Earnhardt. But is that because Earnhardt is providing Eury Jr. with poor feedback in order for him to make a proper adjustment? In nearly every other instance when a team isn't meeting expectations, a change is usually made behind the wheel or on the pit box and we all know Earnhardt isn't going anywhere. So how long a leash does Eury have? Is it Earnhardt's call all the way or will Rick Hendrick eventually step in if things don't start to turn around? I think a switch to a veteran, highly respected crew chief would do Earnhardt some good, but it appears he is adamant about sticking with Eury through thick and thin. |
| COMMUNITY GUEST 'RoushFenwayGuy': If you want my opinion, both. Tony Eury Jr. obviously hasn't made the right calls, or something, because of how bad Dale Earnhardt Jr. has started. At Watkins Glen last season, the call he made there was just horrible, where he told Dale to stay out, although he was losing one or more seconds every lap, and a caution would kill him ... and a caution did come out. There was no reason why he should have stayed out, and he could have won that race. In addition, Tony Eury Sr. got him a lot of wins, Eury Jr., only two in the Sprint Cup in three years, and one was due to pit strategy. He has a rare gem day once in a blue moon. Even if they are working things out, it just seems as if their chemistry doesn't work, and Earnhardt Jr., as the most popular driver, could possibly get a Chad Knaus-type crew chief. On the other hand, the Nation expects Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win every race, sad but true. Realistically, they would probably say at least five wins, and a championship, but year after year, they are wrong. Junior Nation needs to return to reality, and Eury Jr. should try to find someone else to work with. | |
| Previous Feud of the Weeks: Feb. 3 | Feb. 10 | Feb. 17 | Feb. 24 | March 3 | March 17 | |
