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Updated March 20
The Tony Stewart-Kevin Harvick tussle at Bristol and Jeff Burton's late race charge to win the race generated most of the response in this week's mailbag. Some readers are still not satisfied with the COT while others agree with my assertion that if NASCAR really bugs you, find something else to do. Thanks for the notes and keep 'em coming:
From: TerryBO45
Tony Stewart sure can dish it out but can never take it. You have to wonder if Harvick wasn't his friend, what kind of response we would have seen after the Bristol incident?
That's exactly the point, Stewart didn't blow up BECAUSE Harvick was his friend. Had that incident taken place with pretty much anyone else in the field, including his teammates Denny Hamlin or Kyle Busch, there is no doubt that Stewart would have exploded into a rage. But Harvick's immediate apology and the relationship he shares with Stewart no doubt kept what could have been an ugly incident from boiling over.
From:PO2134Brett
What is Joe Gibbs Racing doing about this fuel pick-up problem that bit them last year and took the win from Hamlin in Bristol?
JGR had a team of engineers looking at the situation this week in hopes of finding what has caused this problem, which seems to be limited to the team. As you point out, it was something that plagued JGR a year ago when the team was campaigning Chevrolets and now has followed in the switch to Toyota. If you ask Denny Hamlin, whatever they're doing -- it's not enough.
From:JersyZ912
Pete, it's been a year since the COT made its debut and I still think it stinks. It's ugly, and hasn't done anything NASCAR promised the new car would do.
I'll agree the new car has taken some getting used to in terms of appearance. But how can you say it hasn't done what NASCAR set out to do? It is by far safer, we've seen several drivers take vicious hits and walk away, thanks to a combination of the safety initiatives in the COT, the HANS devices and SAFER barriers. The rear wing, although still foreign-looking on a stock car, has helped the car's balance and saved many drivers from spinning out. And I think it's helped the competition greatly and will only be a matter of time before all the teams get things figured out and we'll see even more side-by-side racing.
From:MamaBear810
I agree with you in terms of being sick of people constantly whining about NASCAR. If it's so bad, go find something else to watch.
Listen, everyone has a right to voice their opinions especially in sports. NASCAR is nowhere near perfect, but it's certainly not as bad as some people make it out to be. I've tired of longtime "fans" pining for the good old days of the sport and whining about how bad things are today. Things change in all sports and it's your right whether or not to accept them -- my dad hasn't watched an American League game since the introduction of the DH. But if NASCAR really makes you that angry and sick, my advice is to step outside, take a deep breath and find a new hobby.
