Allowing a swap in points would insult rules of racing

The initial 2008 version of NASCAR's Sprint Cup top 35 in the owner standings is set to debut next week at Martinsville Speedway and Martha, say it ain't so.

The checkered flag had barely fallen on a pleasantly stunning 1-2-3 sweep by Richard Childress Racing and the calculators were buzzing.

Who was in and who was out, and in the most potentially sickening aspect -- who might swap points to get back in?

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This might have just been bar-stool analysts kicking in, and if that's the case, I apologize for getting you all stirred up.

Maybe the organizations that are affected -- and those that have a solution at their fingertips -- namely Petty Enterprises and Roush Fenway Racing -- will do something simple and reasonable, like a driver swap, to ease their situations, if they choose to do anything.

Sorry, but that's the sporting way to do it. Man-up, like Red Bull Racing has done by swapping newcomer A.J. Allmendinger for veteran Mike Skinner two races ago -- which has resulted in two consecutive "makes" after three DNQs.

Do what it takes now, and worry about the plastic surgery to cover the scars later. But don't rend the very fabric of the sport by allowing an unnatural action like administratively swapping points.

At the end of 2006, Petty Enterprises first considered doing what I thought was a short-term seat swap between Bobby Labonte, the 2000 Cup champion and therefore holder of a past champion's provisional starting position, and Kyle Petty, who for the last two seasons has ended the year around "the bubble" of the top 35 cutoff.

That's not a point swap, which would be a gross misuse of the system as it was intended to function, but a seamless driver change. Well, that would be seamless except for the thousands -- if not millions -- of dollars X, Y or Z company has spent in branding its driver.

Both Petty and Roush Fenway's Jamie McMurray have had miserable luck to start the 2008 season. Petty had mechanical issues in the second race, at Auto Club Speedway, fell out of the top 35 and has never come close to regaining it. His team is 40th going to Martinsville.

McMurray, after having issues in the last two races, has spiraled from 27th down to 36th. Roush Fenway has a past champion in its stable as well, 2003 titlist Matt Kenseth, but branding is a huge issue there, too.

But couldn't that be overcome, or overlooked, for the couple of races you'd like to think it would take to rectify that situation?

Both Petty and McMurray, along with Dave Blaney, Dario Franchitti, Regan Smith, Joe Nemechek, Ken Schrader, Skinner, Bill Elliott, John Andretti and Patrick Carpentier are sealed in the pressure cooker of being outside the top 35 for Martinsville -- and trust me, that ain't pretty. (Continued)