Minor-league expectations for a major-league sport? (cont'd)

And therein lies the disconnect. To a certain degree, NASCAR tries to be all things to all people, which just isn't possible. Slam-bang races like those in the modified ranks happen in the modified ranks for a reason, and expecting similar action on the Sprint Cup tour -- where the drivers are much more talented, the cars are much more expensive, and the sponsor investment is much greater -- is unrealistic. Sure, it happens sometimes, and when it does it usually prompts a barrage of finger-pointing (think Dale Earnhardt "rattling the cage" of Terry Labonte at Bristol, or Brian Vickers spinning Jimmie Johnson to win at Talladega). But NASCAR's highest level is the face of the sport to most people, and its drivers are held to a higher level of professionalism as a result.

Still, it's natural for many race fans to want a little bit of everything -- the drivers to be the stars they're paying to see, the action something to remind them of the short tracks they might have grown up with. That's a difficult compromise, given that stars are a little more reluctant to put the fender to one another, while weekend short-trackers are more apt to mix it up precisely because they're not stars, and less likely to face difficult questions from reporters or sponsor representatives about why they put so-and-so into the wall. They compete on tours that are very different, yet they share the same sanctioning body and to a certain degree the same fan base, so it's easy to see why the lines between them can get blurred.

Baseball offers an interesting comparison. The fans who follow Minor League Baseball are often a different breed, drawn by wacky promotions or 50-cent draught beer or a chance to get to know young prospects who might be in the majors some day. And then there's the big-league game, where the beer is $6, and the promotions are sanitized to ensure they won't provoke another Disco Demolition Night, and nobody without the right credential around his neck is getting anywhere close to Albert Pujols or Chipper Jones. What it does have, though, is the best in the world in action every night, and that's what fans are paying to see. They're two different games played in two different atmospheres that attract two different groups of fans. Nobody goes to a Major League Baseball game hoping to see minor-league action, although to a certain extent that's exactly what happens every weekend in NASCAR.

Despite the clearly voiced concerns of some drivers who competed in it, the wild finish to this past weekend's modified race at New Hampshire evoked a somewhat predictable reaction -- how come we don't see this kind of stuff more often in the Sprint Cup Series? After all, racing is racing, right? Well, not quite. Jump from the Nationwide Tour to the PGA Tour, and golf courses get better and scores get lower. Move from the National Basketball Development League to the NBA, and play gets crisper. Go from NASCAR's regional touring circuits to its premier level, and the racing is inherently cleaner. That's the norm for any minor-to-major progression, not just because the competitors are more talented but because they have so much more at stake.

Still, running the Whelen Modified and Sprint Cup tours on consecutive days on the same race track makes for an interesting comparison, not to mention a treat for those of us who don't get to see the nerf-bar crowd compete very often. Just don't expect the same kind of race. The big show means star drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and action that's naturally going to be more finesse than physical. Expecting it to be anything else is unrealistic, like expecting the same amount of brawling in the NHL that you see in hockey's minor leagues. Not your preference? That's fine. The Whelen Modified Tour next competes July 11 at Spencer Speedway in Williamson, N.Y.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.