Garage overpopulation getting out of hand

Sometimes, to assure the common good, you've got to suck it up and take a beating individually. I'm willing to do that if it helps improve the overpopulation issue in the Winston Cup garage.

	Marty Smith

You think China's overpopulated? The Cup garage makes China look like China Grove (N.C.).

Put simply, it's borderline unbearable. The garage is inundated with people that have as much business on pit road as I do in the Oval Office. And it's only getting worse.

Ever seen an ant colony when a stray piece of watermelon hits the ground? That's Bristol when the checkers fly. Folks are crawling all over one another with no regard for safety. Self-service reigns supreme. Toby Keith would enjoy it, because it's all about "me, me, me."

Three weeks ago, some lady was caught dead in the eye of the Bristol hurricane and alleges that Tony Stewart assaulted her. Right. That screams get-rich-quick scheme to me.

Do you know how many times people get run over on the sidelines at football games? Players are working. They have somewhere to be and need to get there in a hurry. It's accepted that if you're in the way, you move or get moved. End of story.

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I think it should be the same with racing. If you're in the way, get the hell out of the way or pay the price. Why the hell do you think you sign your life away on that dotted line to get the pit pass in the first place? You can't sue a soul if a car hits you, but you can if an individual moves you out of the way?

Unreal.

Sure, you can argue that Stewart's latest alleged incident happened post-race, not during competition. But three minutes after he exits that car? That's virtually still the heat of battle with this guy. The alleged victim obviously doesn't read the paper or watch TV. If she did, she'd have known to leave him the hell alone after the incident at Indy.

Look, I'll be the first to admit that the guy has anger management issues, but this latest allegation against him is ludicrous.

	A sea of humanity: The garage area at Infineon Raceway. Credit: Autostock

It was pure class when Dale Jarrett stood up for Tony in the driver's meeting last week at Richmond. Only the drivers themselves truly understand how bad this phenomenon has gotten. Jarrett's actions served notice.

And people ask me all the time why more and more drivers leave the pits in favor of the motor home lot. So they can interact in peace. So they can breathe. So they can find some semblance of normalcy.

And it's not just post-race. In fact, post-race usually isn't all that bad at most venues. It's the pre-race circus that brings people out of the woodwork.

If you're in the garage two hours before the green flag and didn't know better, you'd swear it was Pit Pass Happy Meal week at the McDonald's across the street.

And hear this: If you think I'm only talking about fans, you're wrong. We had a poll on .com earlier this week, asking how many of you had even been in the garage area. Nearly 80 percent of you hadn't.

I can't begin to tell you how many people can be found meandering aimlessly throughout the garage on a Sunday afternoon, wearing a logoed shirt, drinking a Coke and serving little purpose other than as a roadblock for crewmen trying to do their job. And I'm not talking about the media.

Look, I know NASCAR prides itself on driver accessibility and an up-close-and-personal appeal no other sport can provide. They've offered just that for 50-plus years. But it's gotten way out of hand.

NASCAR knows this. They've been studying the overpopulation issue for more than a year. I think it's time the garage was off-limits during practice, qualifying and the race for non-credentialed individuals. Bear in mind, pit passes are one thing and credentials are another.

Presently, all hell breaks loose between practices. Hence, moving forward fans should be allowed in designated areas only, so as to not impede crewmen working on the car. You can't just stroll into an NFL locker room or Major League Baseball clubhouse, can you?

Whether Stewart did anything wrong at Bristol three weeks ago remains to be seen. But no matter the outcome of the investigation, the dynamic of the Winston Cup garage may be forever altered.

Bravo, I say.

Marty Smith's column appears each Thursday on NASCAR.com and the opinions expressed here are solely of the writer.