Brutally honest, Bowyer busting at seams for win (cont'd)

Clint did make a little news lately though, with his appearance in Sports Illustrated's mid-season driver's poll. The driver's surveyed voted Clint as the next driver most likely to break through and get his first win.

Also, apparently the others drivers like Bowyer's work off the track as well. Athena Barber, his girlfriend, was voted "Hottest wife/girlfriend" by his fellow drivers.

"One of those pissed me off" he laughed, tongue planted firmly in cheek. "Seriously though, it's important to her. She's a pretty girl and anytime she can get some recognition it's a good thing."

Tip of the cap to you Mr. Bowyer.

Finally, the subject of the Pepsi 400 got us talking about the Daytona 500 and his upside-down, on-fire February finish.

"I knew we were going to wreck," he said. "It's the last lap of the Daytona 500 so everybody was going for broke. For a minute it looked like the seas were going to part. Obviously, it was wild."

But was he scared?

"Honestly, it happened so fast," he said. "I saw parts going over me and then dirt flying up. Thank God it worked out OK."

Just another day at the track for the lucky number 07.

Last Week's Question of the Week

Here is what I learned following last week's QOW:

1. There are still a few solid supporters of Barry Bonds in the world and no matter how many times I put the words "to be fair, Bonds is merely suspected of using steroids" in the piece -- the Barry Brigade wasn't going to be happy.

2. The word "cheaters" is very divisive in NASCAR circles, but if the question is framed correctly NASCAR Nation will provide an honest, non-reactionary answer.

The question again was "Do you think Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and their teams should be labeled 'cheaters' on the same level as Barry Bonds is?"

First the poll results:
Yes -- 24.5 percent
No -- 75.5 percent

Now onto the best of the responses ...

In my eyes Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt are NOT cheating. It is not even in the same category as Bonds. However, the Waltrip violation with jet fuel, I feel, is very much in the Bonds category of cheating. NASCAR has rules and gray areas. It is the job of these teams to find the limits of those gray areas, which is what the 24, 48 and 8 (along with the 40 other teams that haven't been caught yet) were doing. Bonds, on the other hand, knowingly stepped outside the lines. There is no gray area with steroids.
-- Keith in East Wenatchee, Wash.

The Barry Brigade would like you to know that Bonds has never tested positive for steroids -- they want to be "clear" on that -- otherwise they'll "cream" you. For my part, I think you are right on Keith.

Yes they should be labeled cheaters. They cheated and got caught. What the 24, 48 and 8 teams did happened outside of the event itself. It was premeditated, not heat of the moment. They knew that at best they were working in the gray area and at worst were flat out breaking the rules. To compare it to what Bonds is doing: Bonds is using illegal performance enhancers. What the 24, 48 and 8 teams did was try to illegally enhance the performance of their cars. Same thing if you ask me.
-- Ken in Richmond, Va.

I tend to agree with what Keith said a bit more, but it's hard to argue with Ken if you look up "cheat" in the dictionary. The whole point of this though was to demonstrate, that in my mind, the word "cheater" and the like are too destructive for a simple violation. I'm taking suggestions on a better term for these "violators."

My vote is NO, they are not cheaters. Can you really compare the so-called sins of Gordon, Johnson and Junior to Barry Bonds? With Bonds, it is an ongoing process, or at least it appears to be. With the 24, 48 and 8 teams, it is rare that something like this happens ... well, except for Chad Knaus.
-- Mark from Memphis, Tenn.

Chad Knaus did draw particularly harsh criticism from several respondents. If the fans had their way, my guess is that punishments would escalate for repeat offenders sort of like the way that little institution called the U.S. government does things. NASCAR might want to look into this. (Continued)