Blame it on the water or perhaps the noxious fumes at the track, the NASCAR garage is in the midst of its own baby boom.

At least three Sprint Cup Series drivers -- Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Elliot Sadler -- are on track to welcome their first child into the world in 2010 thus producing some sleepy and distracted wheelmen.

Wait. Strike that last statement, the part about being sleepy and distracted.

I got a good chuckle this week while reading bloggers pontificate about the affects of fatherhood on Cup drivers.

Already, some believe Johnson's attention will be diverted come July when his child is to be born. Johnson's drive for a fifth championship will be compromised. It's a lot of the same nonsense people believe about Jeff Gordon whose daughter was born in 2007, the same year Gordon came within 77 points of winning the championship. In 2008, the No. 24 team went winless, sure, but it wasn't because Gordon lost a little sleep when Ella joined the circus at Texas Motor Speedway that season. In 2009 he broke the winless streak at the very same track.

And to say that Matt Kenseth, who won the first two races of the 2009 season, became preoccupied after the birth of his daughter Kaylin in July is ridiculous. He missed the Chase for the first time in his career because Roush Fenway Racing struggled across the board in 2009, not because he had a baby. Teammate and championship hopeful Edwards went winless after a series-high nine victories in 2008. And Greg Biffle, the highest finishing Roush driver in the standings, missed Victory Lane for the first time in his seven full-time Cup seasons.

Don't blame the baby or throw her out with the bath water either.

The reality is this: Fathers don't realize they are fathers until the baby is at least 3 months old, when smiles become real social smiles and not just gas. The baby begins to look human and then dad no longer feels like someone took his old life and replaced it with a really long frustrating community service project as one book described it.

So for all your worried 48 fans, next season's leaves will change colors and fall off the trees before Johnson's focus is potentially changed if at all by the birth of his child, or will he appreciate the fact that his wife Chandra has learned to function on only four hours of sleep a night.

As for Edwards, the birth of a child may be pressure enough to make him 'get up on the wheel' so to speak and give the family something to cheer about. His child is due to arrive next month, just in time for the Daytona 500.

Sadler, whose baby is due in March, is under the most pressure. The driver has no choice but to perform better this season or the only thing he'll be driving is his kid's carpool. The No. 19 team had one top-five finish and only a handful of top-10s.

But regardless of which dads deliver in 2010, to think the birth of a child can negatively affect his performance is a load of baby crap.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.