Track Smack: Four weeks of contenders, pretenders (cont'd)

2. Did gas man Jimmy Watts deserve a four-week NASCAR suspension for chasing a loose tire into the tri-oval grass at Atlanta?

Joe Menzer: I've been getting a fair amount of e-mail on this one. People want to know what would have happened if he had just let the tire go. Obviously that would have brought out a caution, too, and maybe have caused a big wreck. So did he do the field a favor, in a way? And also, had he just let it go, wouldn't it have been his team, and not him, that suffered the greater penalties? As it was, the No. 47 wasn't penalized at all.

David Caraviello: You know, I'm a little torn on this. If there's no outside pit wall at Atlanta -- and there's not -- then he's in just as much danger being on pit road than he is out in the tri-oval grass. I understand NASCAR has safety in mind, but if they're that concerned about stuff like this, mandate outside pit walls.

Pit-road mistake

No. 47 gas man Jimmy Watts brought out a caution at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he rescued a tire in the infield.

• Watch video of the incident
• Miscue changed complexion
• Watts suspended four races

Duane Cross: That was harsh, no doubt. Four weeks is an eternity in this sport -- but it certainly sends the message that safety remains the word du jour. Joe, that's the thing -- the No. 47 not being penalized in the race -- that surprised me the most. For all the ticky-tack stuff that gets called on pit road, that one seemed to be a no-brainer.

David Caraviello: I mean, no question, they had to do something. You can't have guys running halfway out to the race track, even if they have the best of intentions. But four weeks does seem a bit harsh. He really might have saved somebody from plowing into a tire. And if the tire sits out there on its own, the caution comes out anyway -- though likely not in the middle of green-flag pit stops when it did, wreaking havoc on the field.

Joe Menzer: So Jimmy Watts is a hero? I guess the biggest lesson learned should be this: Hang onto the dang tires in the pits. Of course, Jimmy is that team's gas man. So who really was at fault?

David Caraviello: I'm not going that far, Menzer. Ultimately the guy might have played a role in the outcome of the race. Pit crewmen are like referees -- they've had a good day if nobody mentions their names.

Joe Menzer: Caraviello, you hit it on the head, though. What upset so many people -- fans, drivers, crew chiefs -- was that the incident as it went down changed the entire complexion of the race, and not in a good way.

Duane Cross: Yeah, the green-flag stops would have proceeded, and when finished, the caution would have come out. I like that these guys had to work their way back to the lead lap, even if the Lucky Dog led the way.

Joe Menzer: Well, I don't think too many people liked the fact that a third of the way into the race, there were something like nine guys on the lead lap and only 17 within one of the leader.

Duane Cross: But it kept you keyed up to see if your guys would make it back ...

David Caraviello: Yeah Joe, that's circumstance. What is NASCAR going to do, implement a rule that you can't get trapped on pit road by a caution? People need to realize that strange things happen sometimes in sports. You can't legislate everything.

Joe Menzer: It might have kept some people keyed up. But I think it turned a lot of folks off, or to another television channel during the race.

Duane Cross: C'mon -- it's Atlanta, where drivers can actually race; not a better track for it to have happened than AMS. Not even one-third of the way through and now there's some real intrigue in the race! What more could you want? Certainly better than the three-plus hours of follow-the-leader we see too many damn weeks.

David Caraviello: Sorry, but I don't buy that, Joe. If my guy is trapped in the back that early, I'm sticking around to see if he can get back up there. I agree, Duane, I think it made the first part of the race more interesting. No question some of these events are too long, but let's work on the attention spans here, people. And by "people," I mean Joe Menzer.

Joe Menzer: You're just sucking up to the boss, Caraviello. It made for a boring race until about 50 to go, bottom line. Then it got pretty interesting.

Duane Cross: Joe, you're senile. A boring race? These guys were up and at 'em, driving their tails off. Were you in the buffet line until 50 to go?

Joe Menzer: What? What are we talking about? I lost my train of thought.

Duane Cross: Ha -- exactly!

David Caraviello: Time for Joe to take another dose of ginko biloba.

Joe Menzer: Don't know what that is, but maybe I'll make a Vegemite sandwich.

David Caraviello: Quoting Men at Work songs will get you nowhere with this audience, pal.

Joe Menzer: Hey, I actually tried the stuff, courtesy of Marcos Ambrose, at the track the other day (1on1: Ambrose). I hope he wasn't feeding that stuff to Jimmy Watts during pit stops. That could explain everything! (Continued)