Middle ground uncommon when fans have their say

I am a middle man. In fact, I am a man with a middle that is much bigger than it should. Shame on me. (Note to self, three words: New Year's resolution.)

As many fans of NASCAR have let it be known, I should be ashamed for my profession. All of us at NASCAR.COM should. We just spent the last week exalting the virtues of Jimmie Johnson, et al, and NASCAR during Champions Week.

• Send Jarrod your thoughts

Yet not everyone is pleased that Johnson and the 48 team are champions, and NASCAR for what the fans perceive as a slap-on-the-wrist for a repeat offender of major rules violations. Crew chief Chad Knaus was suspended for the second consecutive season.

'Cheat or go home'

• "It looks like NASCAR rewards cheating. Two years this team got busted for cheating and two years it won the championship. It's hard for me to tell my kids to do things the right way when people like Johnson, Knaus and Hendrick break the rules and get rewarded. It amazes me how you reporters can write all of this good stuff about these people."

• "Any infraction severe enough to warrant a penalty for which the primary car-preparer is fined and banned from the track for multiple events should automatically make that team ineligible for contending for a championship. So, by all means, laud the driving skills of Jimmie Johnson, he has the talent, no denying that. At the same time, recognize that cheating hurts the sport much more than helping it. He is a cheat, that is the clear and documented truth."

• "The subject of cheating is rarely mentioned let alone addressed by the media regarding the No. 48 team. Chad Knaus is NASCAR's most incessant and notorious cheater."

We didn't create the scene from New York City, we just reported on it. That's our job, and the responsibility of this Web site. We also encourage fans of NASCAR to interact through e-mails, polls, message boards, community forums, etc.

You have. The thoughts expressed by the aforementioned e-mailers are not of one dissenting voice. Rather, several have pause for concern regarding the current state of the sport.

'Shooting themselves in the foot once again'

• "I have a lot of questions which I really do need some answers ... what the heck is going on with NASCAR Cup racing?"

• "NASCAR seems to make the most-simplest thing the most hard."

• "NASCAR will start losing the battle if they continue with this crap."

I feel it is now my responsibility to pass along some of these thoughts to the governing body. I know they will read it. They always do, and when they see something they don't like they let our managing editor know about it. It happens more often than you might think. They are not going to like this.

But, remember, I am the middle man here. I'm merely taking some of the overwhelming thoughts some of the fans have expressed to me and presenting them in this open -- and surely debatable -- context. (Continued)