Cross' Words: Talladega (cont'd)

Mailbag

From Desi ...
Why did Tony Stewart, who got wrecked after the original wreck which caused NASCAR to throw the yellow in the first place, get dumped to 28th on the grid? At the time the yellow came out and Mike Joy exclaimed, "That's it, it's over," Tony was in the top 10, around sixth or so. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was somewhere around where they ended up ranking him in seventh or eighth, but he was behind Stewart at the time the yellow flew.

Bottom line: The field is "frozen," meaning drivers cannot advance their position under yellow -- but the car still has to cross the finish line. Smoke, obviously, did not and was scored the first car off the lead lap.

From Gary ...
I think NASCAR just made Tony Stewart's point for him when David Reutimann blew up at Talladega. NASCAR claims it is throwing cautions for the safety of the drivers, but when a car blew up running better than mid pack at Talladega -- the fastest most bunched up track on the circuit -- NASCAR didn't throw the caution until three-fourths of a lap later when Jeff Gordon passed Jaime McMurray. If NASCAR is so safety-minded then an immediate caution would have been called for the protection of the drivers behind the No. 00 since he was putting fluid on the track, and he must have been for them to use that much oil dry. McMurray should have been celebrating today not Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff. I think I am about done watching the Hendrick show anyway; I'll just write off the HotPass as a mistake. Football starts in a few months anyway.

Can't argue with your take; I wondered the same thing. It all boils down to consistency, and the only thing consistent about the yellow flag is its inconsistencies. In this case, Reutimann was pinned against the outside wall with smoke billowing. He had a long way to go -- through heavy traffic, no less -- before he was out of harm's way. That, to me, seemed to be a text book yellow.

From Holly ...
Just curious if you think the faction of fans that decided to throw stuff on the track could have possibly shown less class? I am not a Jeff Gordon fan but respect the fact that it would be impossible for him to have broken Earnhardt's record if he didn't have some talent. NASCAR works hard to try and shake its redneck, beer-guzzling, wife-beater shirt image but all of that is lost when fans react the way they do at Talladega. It's almost expected now that it will happen. How sad.

Actually, Gordon didn't break a record on Sunday; he passed Earnhardt on the all-time wins list. Richard Petty still holds the record, but you're not the first to phrase it that way. ... I agree with your assessment of the situation. The people who throw trash on the track are morons, and they make soccer hooligans look like model citizens. So I take back my English soccer thugs comment; it's the whole "glass houses" thing.

From Susan ...
What is your feeling about the need to abolish the "Lucky Dog" rule? This is just my opinion, but it seems to me that there's no place in NASCAR for a rule that gives a driver something he hasn't earned.

Riddle me this: When was the last time a race was won by more than a lap? Two laps? Used to be common, and the Lucky Dog is another of the rules in place to help insure the most racers possible challenging for the win.

From Mark ...
I think the safety crews at Talladega need some recognition after Kyle Busch's amazing wreck on Saturday. After Busch's car finally stopped tumbling, I counted only about 15 seconds until safety personnel were at the car. Thankfully, Busch wasn't hurt and didn't need any immediate medical attention, but at a track as large as Talladega their response time was outstanding.

And they thank you for your kind words ... (Continued)