Opinions must vary if sport is to capitalize on growth (cont'd)

This is where the fans come into the equation. Everyone has an opinion on the state of NASCAR -- good, bad, indifferent, it doesn't matter. Fans make their own decisions in regards to the new race car, which races to attend, which races to watch on TV. Attend, watch, draw your own conclusions as to whether those actions will repeat.

No one has to agree with everything the analysts said. No one has to agree with everything Ramsey said in his rebuttal. I certainly don't believe the argument that racing is "better" today than it was in 1994. I also don't believe it's worse. It's different. Cup Series racing has evolved -- and continues to evolve.

As the NASCAR Says blog points out: "In that year (1994), there were an average of 9.2 leaders per race and an average of 18.9 lead changes with an average margin of victory of 2.85 seconds. Oh yeah, 1994 was the last year when a race winner lapped the entire field. How does that compare to today? There are an average of 10 leaders per race and an average of 18.8 lead changes with an average margin of victory of an astounding 1.1 seconds. Here's what I have to say about the competition today: NASCAR is the best racing in the world, period."

• 1994: 9.2 leaders per race
• 2009: 10.0 leaders per race

• 1994: 18.9 lead changes per race
• 2009: 18.8 lead changes per race

• 1994: 2.85 seconds margin of victory per race
• 2009: 1.1 seconds margin of victory per race

OK, the first two stats are a wash. As for margin of victory, there weren't green-white-checkered finishes 15 years ago. I also don't remember as many debris cautions -- especially late-race with the leader checked out. Of course, that's just my opinion.

However, I do agree that NASCAR is the best racing in the world. And while the communications world has changed (who surfed the Internet 15 years ago and had the access to so many people's opinions?) there were gripes and complaints in 1994 about the competition; you just didn't hear about them as often.

At the end of the day the vitality of NASCAR is good for the sport, the fans, the broadcasters, the writers -- everyone who is touched by a race weekend of two each year. From the sanctioning body's viewpoint as well as the media's, the fans are the common denominator.

Let the open dialogue continue. Understand that everyone is not going to agree. Accept someone else's opinion as having merit -- even NASCAR's. Encourage the exchange of ideas. Foster the wants, needs and desires of Joe Fan. We're all in this together. Act like it -- and act on it.

FIVE RANDOM THOUGHTS

• ... Denny Hamlin averages a top-10 finish at seven tracks: Martinsville (7.2), Loudon (7.5), Watkins Glen (7.5), Darlington (8.0), Richmond (8.5), Pocono (9.5) and Phoenix (10.4). Once he gets the intermediate-track program in tune ...

• ... Jimmie Johnson averages a top-15 finish at 16 tracks. It's easier to list the tracks at which he "struggles": Bristol (15.9), Michigan (16.0), Sonoma (17.4), Talladega (17.7), Indianapolis (17.9) and Richmond (18.2). ... Yeah, he averages a top-20 across the board. Might someday the Mount Rushmore of NASCAR includes Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Jimmie Johnson?

• ... Raise your hand if you had Joey Logano holding a 262-point advantage over Dale Earnhardt Jr. with four races remaining ...

• ... There have been 12 drivers win a race this year; seven have won multiple races. Last year, 12 drivers won a race; six won multiple races. In 2007, 16 drivers won a race; six won multiple races. Has the new race car leveled the field or has the economy taken its toll?

• ... Forget trying to Jimmie-proof the Chase. Maybe other teams should focus on trying to get just a little bit better. Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and the entire No. 48 team are better than everyone else for one reason: hard work. Appreciate the effort of these guys. Don't mock them because they have made the commitment to excellence.

MAILBAG

• ... E-mailer John took me to task over "some stupid a** comments about small low budget teams doing what they have to do to try and get a foot hold in racing." C'mon John, start-n-park is not the way to get ahead. The higher you finish, the more money you can make. Of course, the more laps you race, the more money it costs. If NASCAR weren't so enamored with 43-car fields, the racing might be better.

• ... E-mailer William took exception to my contention that North Carolina is the heart of stock-car racing country, then asked that I research where and when the first closed course auto race was held in the U.S. ... Well, no matter the demographics of where today's drivers were born, N.C. remains the heartbeat of the sport. And as for the trivia: Rhode Island State Fair Grounds in Narragansett in September 1896. (Very cool crib in the bay, too.)

• ... E-mailer Tim queries whether Jimmie Johnson dropped the s-word a couple of times on a recent post-race interview on SPEED. I didn't hear it; I've gone back through our video but did not heard it.

• ... E-mailer John contends what Tony did in Watkins Glen was way nastier than throwing up in a Ziploc bag. ... Guess it depends on where you're sitting, John. Or if you're sitting in it ...

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.