(dis)believe the dialogue: Weekly news in review

First off, congratulations to Terry Labonte. It was awesome to see a true ambassador of this sport visit Victory Lane again. Great job and well deserved. Labonte will now forever be an answer in Trivial Pursuit for the "Who won the final Labor Day Southern 500" question.

And who would have thought at the beginning of the season that fans would cheer for Jimmy Spencer and boo the heck out of Kurt Busch during driver introductions. Oh, how the times have changed.

On to this week's analysis ...

See if you agree with the "DIS" of what has been reported, or maybe you "BELIEVE" everything you read, because if it is printed, it is true ... right?

Click here to read the story

Elliott: DIS

I am so disappointed in this move that I don't even know where to begin.

Trust me, I absolutely believe that Brian Vickers is a great young talent, but the kid is 19. When I was 19, I was freshman at Virginia Tech, cruising the campus looking for a keg party, trying to figure out a major.

Vickers? He is winning races in front of 100,000 people.

But let's be real about three very important facts:

EMAIL Email Elliott Email Marty

1. Vickers is too young, period. Sure, he can drive a race car, but what about the off-the-track pressures? What about the temptations that come with fame, money and popularity? It won't be long before one of our young stars falls victim to a situation that some of the NFL or NBA stars have found themselves in.

2. Vickers lacks experience. Why are Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. so successful in Winston Cup racing? Experience. Sure, Biffle could have come up sooner, but he didn't, and look, he is a top-20 driver (with a victory) in his rookie year. Not bad, considering how stiff the competition is these days.

3. Winning in the Busch Series doesn't guarantee wins in the Cup Series. Just ask Jeff Green.

Further, how can NASCAR maintain interest in the struggling Busch Series when young talent is jumping ship just to finish 34th in a Winston Cup race every weekend?

NASCAR better wise up fast and learn from the mistakes of the NBA and the NCAA. When you dilute the talent pool by allowing young talent to get away, you dilute the product -- or even worse, Vickers could be faced with the same reality check that plagued Casey Atwood and Jason Leffler; finding out that he is in over his head.

Marty: BELIEVE

Marvelous answer, E, and with a firm backbone of reasoning behind it to boot. Nice job. But I don't fully agree with you. Am I shocked Vickers' push to Winston Cup is so accelerated? Most certainly. Do I dare question Rick Hendrick about talent, or the preparedness thereof? No way.

No one is better than Hendrick when it comes to finding diamonds in the charcoal pit and knowing the proper time to thrust them into the firestorm. If Vickers wasn't ready for this, Hendrick wouldn't do it.

	Kyle Busch will replace Vickers next season

He proved folks wrong with Tim Richmond, then rewrote the industry handbook with Jeff Gordon. And if you say, 'Winston Cup was different back then. The competition wasn't like it is now,' just take a quick peek at Jimmie Johnson. He didn't have a sterling Busch Series resume when Hendrick hired him, then put together the best rookie season in Winston Cup history.

The one aspect that spins most youngsters out is the pressure to perform for sponsors, but Vickers is in an excellent situation in that regard. He already has excellent rapport with GMAC Financial Services, so he won't be forced to impress a new, industry-ignorant sponsor that spends huge money and expects immediate greatness.

And E, about your experience argument? See: Kurt Busch. He's won more races than any other driver during the past two years, and has never so much as started a Busch race.

All Vickers really has to do as a rookie is get out there and learn the tracks, the schedule demands, the added length of races. Anything else is just a plus.

Click here to read the story

Marty: DIS

If this was an isolated incident, it could be written off. But it's not. It cost Newman the Southern 500, may have cost Kevin Harvick a victory at Watkins Glen -- he finished fourth despite losing "about 20 spots" after accidentally hitting his kill switch -- and has given other drivers trouble as well.

	Ryan Newman's bid for victory stalled on pit road

I totally understand the device's premise, and it's crucial to give the drivers an option to kill the engine when the throttle hangs. But disallowing a signal as to whether it is on or off? Pretty weak, I'd say. Situations like Newman experienced last Sunday are unfair to the teams.

An alternative needs to be found. I think Todd Berrier did an ample job summing up the thoughts in the garage:

"The steering wheel thing is just a whim to make it look like we were doing something for safety. And it would be good for safety if it was the only switch but right now nobody knows it's there until it's too late and they screw around with it for a lap trying to figure it out.

"If it was second nature to immediately reach for the switch on the steering wheel it would be second nature, but right now it ain't so until it's second nature it's never going to be fixed."

Elliott: DIS

We love to complain about the best car not winning the race because of fuel mileage or track position, but now the best car potentially didn't win because of a kill switch? Shameful.

Additionally, crew chief Matt Borland commented that teams were not allowed to use any type of light to indicate whether or not the switch was on or off. This is ludicrous! Why the hell not is what I want to know.

I, like most fans, are all for these additional safety measures, but it seems to me that each driver probably would feel safer setting up their kill switch in a manner they are most comfortable with, so why not let them? There is not competitive advantage in that.

I do feel bad for Newman for not getting the chance to visit victory lane (again), but seriously, what took him so long to figure the problem out? Doesn't he have an engineering degree, after all! HA

Click here to read the story

Marty: DIS

In my opinion Jeff Green is one of the best short track drivers in the Winston Cup Series, so if it were my team he'd be in the seat through New Hampshire at the very least, and probably through Dover.

Andretti won't be there very long, anyway, I'd say through Charlotte or so. This is just an interim deal until DEI can get a young guy in the seat. Word is they're all over Scott Riggs.

Both Green and Andretti deserve rides, but the driver pool is so diluted right now, I'm not sure they'll be driving Nextel Cup cars in '04. Green says he has some Busch Series opportunities. If they're good, he may want to seriously consider them. Great drivers are out of work everywhere.

Elliott: DIS

Jeff Green and John Andretti must be getting dizzy at this point. There are more uniforms between these guys than I have pairs of shoes. Let's recap ...

	Jeff Green is once again a free agent

Green is in the No. 30, then out. Then he is in the No. 1, then he is out for a road course, and then he is back in, only to be out again, this time for good.

Andretti is in the No. 43, then out. Then he is in the No. 0, then he is out. Then he is in a Chance 2 car, then he is out. Now he is in the No. 1, but when will he be out?

I think both of these guys deserve to have fulltime Cup rides, but I don't think Green got a fair shake in this deal. He should have been allowed to at least finish out the season with DEI, hopefully showcasing his talents for 2004, rather than playing musical chairs with 11 races to go.

I mean what will Andretti accomplish in such a short period of time with this team? Nada.

Green summed it up best with "It's hard to get in a situation for a couple months and make chicken s--- into chicken salad." Right on.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writers.