Penalizing Earnhardt Jr. the correct call

NASCAR sent a distinct message to all inhabitants of its ever-expanding kingdom Wednesday afternoon: No one is bigger than the game.

	Marty Smith

By docking Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 25 driver points, and by taking 25 owner points from the team his late-father founded, NASCAR made it abundantly clear that they will not tolerate being chastised or mocked, regardless one's stature.

They had to do this. Their credibility was at stake.

All I ever hear from fans and industry-types alike is how NASCAR unabashedly shows Junior favoritism. (See: Yellow line. Talladega, Ala.) That's why this decision is so important.

	Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Had NASCAR merely settled for a more significant monetary fine (along with the points deduction, Junior was fined $10,000 and placed on probation through June 1) they'd have lost immeasurable respect.

And if I know one thing about Mike Helton, it's that he commands respect.

"The driver of the No. 8 car was quite vocal in admitting he intentionally spun out his car to cause a caution condition on the track, which is clearly prohibited in the NASCAR Rule Book," said Helton, NASCAR's president.

"We have several rules in our rule book that have been in place for quite some time to prevent someone from altering the outcome of an event. This was a clear-cut case of that. Actions such as this will not be tolerated. We will always react to protect the integrity of our sport."

Bravo, Pres.

ALSO  Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been docked 25 championship driver points, fined $10,000 and put on probation until June 1 for his actions at Bristol.  •  Complete story, click here Junior spins out late in the Food City 500 at Bristol Play video  •  In-car audio: Junior tells his crew about the spin  •  React: Did the punishment fit the crime?

And if you think about it, Junior still got off easy.

By purposely spinning the car he maintained lead-lap status. Had he pit under green, he'd gone two, maybe even three laps down to the leader. He finished 11th, not 25th.

So when you boil it all down, willingly spinning the Budweiser Chevrolet was a 47-point decision. And therefore, even with the 25-point penalty, Earnhardt is still 22 points better than he would have been as the first car two laps down.

Eleventh-place earned Junior 135 points, while Kyle Petty, the first finisher two laps down in 25th position, scored 88.

Initially I wanted to call Junior's actions stupid. But they weren't stupid. Dangerous and uncalled for, absolutely, but far from stupid. Matter of fact, on the basis of sheer results, it was ingenious. Forty-seven points is a ton.

And honestly, had he kept to himself, no one would have ever known. You could've swore to me until you passed out from lack of oxygen that he'd done it on purpose, but if I didn't hear it from him I'd never have believed it.

Marty Smith  •  Email  •  Archive

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is a world-class talent and fierce competitor. He internalizes failure, and has worked hard to improve himself as a racer. To his credit, he's done so.

That's why I so wish he'd have just sucked it up and pitted. People are finally beginning to notice and acknowledge Dale Jr. the driver, not just Dale Jr. the marketing machine.

I hope this doesn't change that.

Marty Smith is a senior writer for NASCAR.COM. His column appears each Thursday.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.