When it comes to travel, I do claim to be somewhat of an expert since I have been in the travel industry for well over 15 years. I do take a cruise each year with my wife; however seeing what has transpired over the last several weeks on cruise ships, I would hesitate to jump on board any cruise ship. Before I go and pack my bags, I would do some heavy investigating of what is going on and I would look at how the specific ship I would be living on for 5-7 days has been rated by the CDC.

Now is the time NASCAR drivers and their FANS spend quality time together on cruise ships and BOY what a great time to cruise. Some states are experiencing SNOW and the weather has just been plain CRUMMY, so taking a cruise should be just what the doctor ordered, or is it?

A long list of drivers including Kenny and Rusty Wallace, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Green, Dave Blaney and the 2002 Winston Cup Champion Tony Stewart will be sailing off into the sunset next week on three different cruise ships and you'd be surprised at how these ships scored with the CDC.

First let me explain the scoring process for those of you FANS who are not familiar with the CDC and the Vessel Sanitation Program that each cruise ship is required to participate. The VSP inspectors from the CDC inspect cruise ships. They determine if a ship is basically up to code. The inspectors note violations on their report and deduct points from the cruise ship based on the severity of the violation. The cruise ships start with a score of 100 and after the report has been completed, points are deducted. If you have a score at the end of the day of 85 or lower, you fail. However, cruise ships can score in the 90's and have many violations that aren't subject to point deductions. DON'T LET THE SCORE FOOL YOU! Just because a cruise ship scores 100, doesn't mean they are perfect.

Perfect example, if you are cruising with KENNY WALLACE, his party ship happens to be the Norwegian Star. The Star scored 100 on their last inspection on October 20, 2002. However, the Star had 4 different violations ranging from Crew Mess violations to Galley violations.

I will tell you, if you are on the KENNY WALLACE CRUISE, congratulations because you'll not only have a blast, you are on one of the best cruise ships! The CDC made a special note on their last report giving the Star an OUTSTANDING evaluation. Now if you are taking the RUSTY CRUISE or the TONY, MATT, JEFF and DAVE CRUISE, you might want to read on!

The RUSTY CRUISE will take place on the Carnival Triumph. Very nice ship and it is a party boat! However, on their last inspection the Triumph scored a 93, the lowest score since 1999 and they had 56 VIOLATIONS! Yes 56 of them and that's way too many to write about, however I will give you a taste of some of them. The Triumph was docked points for having "raw shell eggs stored directly on top of juice containers" and the CDC states that food shall be protected from cross-contamination. Another violation was found in the Poultry Thaw Room "covered container of marinating chicken was noted under a evaporator pan. Condensation was collecting on the pan and dripping on the chicken container."

OKAY, now who you the lucky ones sailing with TONY, MATT, JEFF and DAVE on the Carnival Sensation out of Tampa? You may be on a cruise with the 2002 Winston Cup Champ, but the Sensation isn't any thing to brag about when it comes to their inspection score! The Sensation had their inspection back on September 9, 2002 and they scored a whopping 89 with a total of 42 violations. EWWW!

The Sensation also had several violations on keeping proper food temperature. For example noted on the report was; "hash browns were tested at 137 degrees F" and should have been 140 degrees F or above. Another violation noted in the Pizzeria said "thermometer in the refrigeration unit noted 50 degrees F, and whip cream was tested at 51 degrees F. FOUR containers of food were potentially hazardous." The CDC states that food in refrigeration units should be maintained at 41 degrees F or less.

The Sensation scored their lowest score in two years and their last inspection prior to the September 2002 inspection they scored a 98 in January 2002. They had 4 violations mainly dealing with swimming pools and whirlpools, but as you can see they stunk up the joint in 2002 in keeping a clean ship.

So you wonder how in the world people get sick on cruise ships, well folks, the above is just one explanation of how it happens. Food and a dirty cruise ship is just one way of getting sick, another way is people coming on board who are still sick but don't want to miss their chance at taking a cruise. With the current cancellation policy cruise lines have in place, it's difficult to get out of a cruise if you were to become sick. So instead of taking extra insurance for trip protection, people bite the bullet and go while sick. This is a disaster waiting to happen for you NON-SICKLY FANS!

IF you get sick on the ship and need medical attention, ask plenty of questions. Ask them to explain every step they are taking in assisting you and have your partner, roommate or spouse log everything that happens. If more than 2% of those on the ship get sick, you'll have a better chance of the cruise line covering your cost. If less than 2% become sick, normally they will not reimburse anything unless you have the extra vacation protection (insurance).

Another tip would be to purchase the extra cruise protection plan (insurance), because many of the plans will cover a large amount of the medical cost even if they must drop you off on some island. It will include an amount to cover the evacuation of the ship and the nice helicopter flight to the emergency room if needed.

I live in Michigan and the talk of the state for so long has been about Johnny's winless streak. We all knew it would happen, we just didn't know when! To have it happen in the same year when you miss races because of injury makes it all that much SWEETER! You've done Michigan PROUD Johnny! YOU DID IT CLEAN, WAY TO GO!

NASCAR.com is reporting that Winston Cup silly season is in full swing. WHAT? Are they serious? Maybe it was in full swing a few months ago, but to call Jimmy Spencer, Casey Atwood and the problems at Travis Carter silly season issues, I would say that NASCAR.com is reaching for a story.

In reality, if these issues deserve a specific label, it should be called the HOUSE CLEANING SEASON or the DUMPING SEASON. Now I know some of you are going to send me an email and tell me that I am being too insensitive, but let's remember this is a business. Just like everyday hard working Americans, if a driver or team member do their job, they'll keep it. If they don't - they're gone!

I do want to hear from the people who sent me email and told me that I was WRONG on some of the past issues that I've written about. Like the hand full of Jimmy Spencer fans that called me names and told me that I had NO CLUE what I was talking about. This was regarding the August 14th issue of THE SPIN OUT ZONE, when I said Jimmy Spencer would be GONE at the end of the year. Check one for the SPIN OUT GUY!

What about the Travis Carter backer's who emailed me after the September 26th issue of THE SPIN OUT ZONE? One of you, AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, told me that I had no knowledge of the sport or how to maintain a sponsorship. Well, NOW that we know Discover Card isn't STAYING for 2003 and the FUKUYAMA factor didn't pan out YET, maybe the SPIN OUT GUY does know something about retaining a sponsor.

My POINT folks - sometimes NASCAR INSIDERS lose the focus. They work like the DICKENS to make it to the show, but once they are there, they forget the FANS! Sponsors are looking for drivers like Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip and Kenny Wallace. Sponsors want to SPEND money marketing a driver to ATTRACT US to their products or services! With some the drivers out there, they're FLAT OUT UNMARKETABLE. Some in the GARAGE forget this! In the case of Travis Carter having Todd Bodine in his car, it NOW brings a huge potential risk. A risk that even Discover Card did not want to take. Will they be back? Yes, someday with another team! But, what sponsor would invest millions of dollars on a driver who could be thrown out of NASCAR if he made another mistake? NONE!

So, what's SILLY about replacing a driver who DID NOT perform? What's SILLY about an OWNER protecting his or her investment? What's SILLY about a SPONSOR demanding a higher performance level based on the funds their spending? The answer is PLAIN and SIMPLE - It's NOT SILLY at all.

Actually, this SPIN OUT goes to Roush Racing president Geoff Smith and the #6 team, including Mark Martin. I do not understand how a team, who has been in around for a LONG TIME and knows the rules of the game, can keep breaking the rules and then play Mr. Innocent.

In a post-race inspection after Sunday's race at The Rock, an unapproved left front spring was found on Mark Martin's #6 Ford. On Monday, NASCAR docked Mark Martin 25 driver points, putting him 112 points behind Tony Stewart in the Winston Cup Championship. Jack Roush owner of Mark's #6 Ford and three other Winston Cup teams, was also docked 25 owner points. Mark's crew chief Ben Leslie was fined $5,000.

Afterwards, Mark Martin said the following:* "I feel like we just got the death sentence for shoplifting" * "Everyone in the garage knows that it was an honest mistake and provided absolutely zero advantage at that track" * "This is a pretty steep penalty for what is essentially a meaningless violation"

Second point, if it was an honest mistake then someone didn't do their job and take it out on them! With all the PAST news of losing points because of parts violations, you would think that when someone takes a spring out of the box, they would DOUBLE CHECK to make sure it meets requirements. To go on and say that it has "absolutely zero advantage at the track" is totally irresponsible. Let me remind you, HELLO it's a RULE! Plus, you finished 2nd in the race, so maybe it did do something!

The NASCAR rulebook states that the spring should have the minimum of 4 1/2 coils and the left front spring found on Mark's car had 4 3/8ths coils. So as we see it, this team gets caught breaking the rules and now they are on a campaign to minimize the issue and blame the manufacturer and NASCAR. Mr. Smith the president of Roush Racing is looking at appealing the penalty issued on Monday or taking legal action against the manufacturer of the spring. Talk about SILLY SEASON, this is an example of being DOWN RIGHT SILLY!

This week's SPIN OUT goes to MARK MARTIN. If this would have been the first time it happened this year and the other Roush teams (#17, #97, #99) would have had spring problems at The Rock, then maybe I can see the "unfortunate oversight" argument that Ben Leslie, Mark's crew chief is making. But, breaking the rules and you did, whether it was on purpose or not, still means you cheated and unfortunately for this team you got caught. What's really sad Mark, its going to take loosing 25 points and maybe a championship to get someone over at Roush to do their job! Its called QUALITY CONTROL! STILL SMELLS LIKE 1990!

Timothy Caudill, a customer service manager at VALVOLINE said in a statement, "We have received several comments regarding our commercials running with the VH1 programming, "Music Behind Bars." VH1 ignored our process and aired our commercial on "Music Behind Bars" without our knowledge or permission!"

This is not the first time VH1 has done this, just ask the other companies who did not know that they were sponsoring a program where inmates who murdered two teenage girls were allowed national exposure by having their rock band on TV. Executives at VH1 have proven that they only care about money and not fellow Americans.

Now, let's concentrate on SMIRNOFF ICE. They sponsor Fox Sports Net's "NASCAR This Morning" and they are another company that sponsored VH1's "Music Behind Bars." If you have no earthly idea of what I'm talking about, then I invite you to read my column from last week.

People CRACK me up! Maybe it's just me. Maybe, I expect too much out of a driver competing in NASCAR's top racing series. With millions of dollars being thrown in the Winston Cup Series arena, can someone explain to me why we don't expect more from Winston Cup drivers and teams?

This week, we have seen many articles written about Joe Nemechek and how he is refocused on staying in the #25 seat. Seems like many sports writers have jumped on his bandwagon after Sunday's second place finish. I've seen statements like "he's making strong case for staying" or "he's refocused on his future" and Joe himself even said, "The team is coming together."

I like Joe. He's one of the "nice guys" in Winston Cup and he has a great following. I think Joe is under supported by his team owner because it seems like more resources go to the #24 & #48 teams. I do not want to come across COLD about the issue because unlike many drivers racing in NASCAR, he does have a few Winston Cup wins under his belt. Based on what this team has done over the past 11 races, I do not see how ONE-second place finish can result in a team coming together as Joe stated. Joe and this team just came off a 41st place finish at Martinsville and a 40th place finish at Lowe's before making their way to Atlanta. Actually looking all the way back to Michigan, Jerry Nadeau last year, had a better average finish with this #25 team than Joe has had racing at the same tracks this year.

My point, Jerry's performance last year through May of 2002 caused Hendrick Motorsports to give him his walking papers. If you look at the BOTTOM LINE NUMBERS, Jerry performed better than Joe in the same car, at the same tracks. Just to prove my point, here are the numbers looking back 11 races to Michigan:

Looking at the numbers based on finishing positions, I see JERRY finished +89 positions in front of JOE year over year when looking at the above tracks. But yet, Jerry was axed and this week people are saying that they are seeing this team turning around with Joe. Yes, there is an argument that Joe has not had enough time to BOND with this team. However if you look within the same Hendrick organization, it doesn't seem to be an issue for the #48 team.

If Rick Hendrick wants to keep him in the ride because he sees "potential" for next year, then by all means go for it. I think and YES this is my thoughts, UAW DELPHI deserves more than what they are getting for their money. I am not necessarily saying change drivers, but anyone looking at the past 11 races can see that something needs to change, and it may be resources or personnel. But, for anyone to try and convince us FANS that Joe deserves this ride based on his latest finish shouldn't even go there.

Does Joe Nemechek have potential? You better believe it! He is a winner and he has proven it. Should he be given a ride because of Atlanta? No because if you look at the list of tracks above, places where Joe ran well, so did Jerry and this #25 team should have won Atlanta last year.

Luckily for Joe, this weekend's race is at the ROCK and Joe won this race last year. So Joe, if you finish in the top 10 over these last few races, I'll agree with those who want to keep you in the #25. But, your average finish over the last 11 races is 26th and if that average does not increase over the next few races, you and your bandwagon shouldn't expect Hendrick or UAW DELPHI to keep you in THEIR car.

If you did not hear this reported on CNN or Fox News, VH1, the popular TV music channel produced a show called "Music Behind Bars." It's focus is to go into prisons and allow inmate rock bands time on the national airwaves to show off their talent. Sound fun? Sure, if you are a non-violent criminal looking to get out of prison some day to perhaps change a young persons life for the positive with their music. Unfortunately, last weeks inmate band did not prove to be positive. Two members of the band happen to be convicted murders, both in prison for LIFE. One of the inmate band members shot two teenage girls for no reason in a drive by shooting. The parents of the girls pleaded with VH1 not to show the inmate that murdered their daughters on TV and VH1 ignored their plea. The program aired last Friday night and VH1 ignored the grieving family members and the appeal of tens of thousands of Americans.

The prison used in the episode was located in Pennsylvania and Governor Schweiker of Pennsylvania was on the airwaves asking VH1 not to air the program with the two inmates in question. Even the great Governor was ignored. In a nutshell, convicted murderers where allowed to go on national TV to show off their rock band, to have a JAM session and to show themselves enjoying life in prison, while the families of the girls were left to mourn their loss.

I am a big supported of those companies that sponsor NASCAR and the teams associated with NASCAR. Because I am a Johnny Benson FAN, I use Valvoline products, but frankly, unless they denounce VH1 and withdraw their sponsorships from VH1 all together, I will take my business elsewhere.

I just got in the mail my fall 2002 issue of "Track Record" from Lowe's Racing. I read that the NEW nine acre facility at the Hendrick Motorsports Complex houses the #48 and the #24 teams. According to the teams manager, Brian Whitesell, both the #48 and the #24 teams cars are all built the same building and the site features the most advanced equipment. Brain goes on to say about the #48 and the #24, "we are one team working toward one goal of preparing winning race cars."

What about the #5 and the #25 cars? Aren't they apart of your team Rick? Obviously when we look at the reason why both of these teams struggle, the answer lies at the doors of the NEW 86,000 -square-foot building. We all know who the black sheep in this team family is don't we Terry and Joe?

WHAT? Doesn't anyone want to be the 2002 Winston Cup Champion? What a strange season, first SQUEEGEE Gate back at The Winston with Jeff Gordon and now ROOKIE Gate at Talladega with Jimmie Johnson. I know the Winston Cup veterans do not want to see a rookie taking the championship, but JEZZ Mark, isn't taking the rookie Winston Cup point leader OUT even before the race a bit much? Jimmie Johnson lost a lap when Mark Martin lost his steering when he was warming up his tires right before the green flag dropped. Mark shot across the track and nailed Jimmie causing front-end damage to his #48 Lowes Chevy and forcing him to pit on lap one. Of course, Mark is in the championship hunt too, so both found themselves loosing ground on the NEW Winston Cup point leader, Tony Stewart. Oh well, I guess Tony now holds the BAD LUCK torch and we'll see how long he stays on top before he trips up.

JIM SMITH and ULTRA MOTORSPORTS: We HAVE NOT heard much about this in NASCAR's elite media and I am wondering why? Reports have Jim Smith, co-owner of the #7 Sirius Dodge and owner of two Craftsman Truck Series teams, has been accused of illegal dumping of hazardous materials. Mr. Smith and three others have been accused of 17 counts of this type of dumping in California.

I'm actually upset because IF Mr. Smith is GUILTY of this CRIME, he should be punished to the full extent of the law. This is a selfish act of greed to save money on PROPERLY disposing these materials. If this is true, it will go down in NASCAR history as one of the most STUPIDEST crimes. This guy has it ALL including a partnership with Ray Evernham that saved his Winston Cup operation. Yes, he has been around the sport for a while, but while others in the sport do ALL they can to help men, women and children in need, Mr. Smith dumps corrosive acid and toxic metals which could cause all kinds of problems to people including KIDS! Skin problems, lung problems and eye problems are typical reactions from these type of materials and if exposed at high levels, could result in death. BEEP, BEEP, Mr. Smith this is why it's ILLEGAL!

Normally the nightmare at Talladega involves the BIG ONE, maybe 15 or 20 cars. This past weekend in Talladega, the nightmare involved six cars and one engine department. I'll be careful with my criticism of the Hendrick Motorsports engine department, because I do not want a black eye from some engine tuner. What? Ahh yeah, that was over at Yates, thanks Ricky for the reminder!

All the Hendrick teams, the #5, #24, #25 and the #48 all had engine problems at Talladega, plus their two "clients", Johnny Benson in the #10 and Ken Schrader in the #36 ended their race early with engine problems as well. Obviously something went wrong over at Hendrick Motorsports and good thing they didn't run a Busch race last weekend or someone could have lost a job!

Ultimately who did it hurt? Actually it hurt everyone involved in their own little way. At the end of the day, it may have cost Jimmie Johnson in the #48 and Jeff Gordon and his #24 team a championship. For the #5 and #25 teams, it just increases the perception of having bad teams. For Ken Schrader and his #36 team, it may have cost them a sponsorship as they are trying to attract the Army after loosing M&M's as their primary sponsor for the 2003 season. But one driver, having flat out bad luck is Johnny Benson and his #10 PONTIAC team. If you look at Johnny and his current 32nd position in the Winston Cup point standings, I think we would all agree that Johnny finds himself there because of other people's mishaps and not because of a bad driving year. Two broken rib incidents sat him out this season, one coming from his pal Michael Waltrip. Michael accidentally BUMPED Johnny sending him into the wall hard causing one of his two rib injuries. Now, this past weekend Johnny had to call it a day because of an engine failure. Thanks Hendrick Motorsports because of your failure, another NON-BENSON incident took Johnny out of the race again. Kind of like being kicked when you're all ready down! Johnny is one of those good guys who happen to need some good luck, AND NOW!

NOTE TO SELF, If I'm the #10 & #36, I would grab a few engines from Gibbs before they leave PONTIAC. Test them out to see if they work better than what Hendrick has delivered. Not to say I'd switch because Hendrick does a decent job for Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. But I've got to tell you, teams selling teams engines just does not add up in my eyes sometimes.

Let's look at Hendrick engines, half of the Hendrick cars do the job week end and week out, however they sell their engines to Johnny and Kenny and yet, no wins. Look at Yates engines, Dale Jarrett has seen his problems this year, however Ricky Rudd has done a pretty good job. However Yates sell their engines to the Ricky Craven and Todd Bodine teams and yet, no wins. Roush engines are used by the Roush #6, #17, #97 and #99 teams. All have done very well this year, however Roush partners with the #21 team of Elliott Sadler and even though the Roush teams have seen several wins this year, Sadler and his #21 team has no wins.

Is it just me? Am I the only one seeing this? This just doesn't add up. Even though I am not privy to "insider" information, if I am purchasing engines from one of the BIG BOYS and I am seeing their cars winning and I cannot buy a win, I may nail down some stronger financial guarantees if I see engine failures. I may even hire a third party to test all engines afterwards to ensure fairness. I am sure they do this, but DANG it's a shame to see good teams not running at their potential.

Editor's Note: Recent editorial difficulties prevented previous posting of this column in timely matter. Such difficulties have been resolved, and for the sake of completeness we are posting this article as it is - the date of it's original submission is highlighted to better remind the reader of the particular context of time in which it was intended to be published. We hope you understand, and we thank you for your patience.

I guess I need to BUMP myself for giving out bad statistics about Brett Bodine in my column last week. BOY HOWDY, I heard from the FUKUYAMA fans on this one (a total of 2), however a few others brought it to my attention that I missed the mark on this statement; "I didn't like they way he (Fukuyama) made the race. Not that I am a big Brett Bodine fan, but Brett (a Winston Cup regular) found himself going home because he could not qualify based on his time, BUT Mr. Fukuyama didn't make it on his qualifying time either. He made the race because of Travis Carter's owner points and it put him in the last starting position." YES, the SPIN OUT GUY can admit when he is wrong! Mr. Fukuyama's qualifying time was better than Brett Bodine's. However, my point was that as a FAN, I was not impressed with Mr. Fukuyama's talent and maybe he shouldn't be racing in NASCAR's top racing series. That was based on what I saw at Dover Downs. I however, said that I was willing to give him another chance to dazzle me. So I will be watching and if Mr. Fukuyama finishes the next race within the top 25, I'll give him some credit right here on THE

I've been watching WARD BURTON and searching for something to SPIN this guy out on for this entire year. Week after week I think I might have him cornered, however nothing pans out. HECK, I couldn't even SPIN him out for throwing his heel shields at Dale Jr. back at Bristol because I agreed with WARD. If I were put in the same situation, I would have done the same exact thing.

With this new situation with Frank Stoddard, WARD comes out the winner again and he can share credit with Bill Davis. If you remember a few weeks back, I begged Frankie Stoddard not to jump on the first ride that came along. Now, he has ended up with a winning team that has the potential of winning the 2003 Winston Cup Championship. With Frankie's wife all ready working for WARD, this team is built around family and should do great things together.

The Kansas City Star reported earlier in the week that six-year-old Dusty Duncan went to get Ward Burton's autograph before last weekends race in Kansas City. Dusty suffers from a cleft palate, a condition that affects his personal appearance and threatens his self-esteem. It's reported that when WARD was at his autograph session, he noticed Dusty and according to his mother, Sonja Duncan, WARD looked over at Dusty two or three times. She said all Dusty could say was "That's Ward Burton." Dusty stood in line with his parents was able to get WARD's autograph. Afterwards, a security guard stopped them while they were at a souvenir store and the guard said that WARD wanted their name, Dusty's age and phone number. Soon after they gave the guard the information, the guard returned and took them to WARD so he could talk to them. The family met WARD in a room located at the store and it's reported that WARD asked what was wrong with Dusty? WARD also asked if it could be fixed and then he offered to pay for it. WARD said on Sunday that he was going to help Dusty and that something about the boy just touched him. WARD continued and said he was emotional when he saw him and that he was a sucker when it comes to children.

I'm just a FAN who expects the best from NASCAR's top racing series, but this past weekend had to be one of Travis Carter's most embarrassing weekends as a Winston Cup car owner. I know his world came crumbling down after Kmart pulled his two car operational sponsorship earlier this year, but before the end of last Sunday's race, we all witnessed a NASCAR owner's worst nightmare - publicity stunt, gone bad!

Japanese driver Hideo Fukuyama found the attention of drivers, owners, FANS and media when he arrived to race the unsponsored #66 Ford Taurus at Dover Downs last weekend. He saw more airtime than most of the NASCAR regulars and like many FANS, I found myself semi curious to see how he would respond to America's need for speed. To be honest, I didn't like they way he made the race. Not that I am a big Brett Bodine fan, but Brett (a Winston Cup regular) found himself going home because he could not qualify based on his time, BUT Mr. Fukuyama didn't make it on his qualifying time either. He made the race because of Travis Carter's owner points and it put him in the last starting position. If Ward Burton and Jerry Nadeau wouldn't have wrecked or Bobby Labonte and Todd Bodine dropped out due to mechanical problems, Mr. Fukuyama would have finished last as well. He only ran 243 of 400 laps and he went out of the race registering transmission problems. He was lapped numerous times and slowed many of the drivers down including Kenny Wallace and Dale Jr.

The Dallas Morning News reported earlier this month that Travis Carter wanted to give Fukuyama the chance because if he could prove himself, it could lead to possible financial backing from Toyota. The Dallas Morning News went on to say that one of the BIGGEST issues with the Japanese driver was the language barrier because he speaks little English. Obviously after seeing Mr. Fukuyama this past weekend, the Dallas Morning News should retract the language barrier statement and add that he has several BIG issues that include a language barrier and stamina. He also seems to get lapped, A LOT!

My argument really isn't with Mr. Fukuyama, rather with Travis Carter himself. With limited options to save his organization, I think Travis had little choice as he basically is trying to wine and dine Toyota and other foreign interest. Not that the method is wrong, because in today's business culture, you have to KISS the area where the "sun doesn't shine" of those that feed you to ensure survival. But after this past weekend, the #66 and #26 car owner proved that he is down to a few choices. What's irritating as a FAN is that I want to see the BEST drive in the top series. Maybe Mr. Carter should move down to build up. Instead of competing in the Winston Cup Series with drivers that don't have the talent to win a championship, move to the Busch Series and look for new talent and build a relationship with a sponsor. Start over, look for chemistry and find a driver that is willing to grow with you. In regards to his #26 ride, Discover Card is secured for the rest of this year, however Mr. Carter is attempting to extend the relationship into the 2003 season. I truly believe the Discover Card sponsorship is a great fit for NASCAR. However, I am concerned as a FAN that sponsorships will leave the sport because we tend to settle on drivers.

The new younger generation has seen criticism from those looking for respect or wanting the young guns to go through the trials and tribulations as some of the older drivers faced. It's not that way anymore. We live in the PLAYSTATION ERA where age and experience does not matter as much as it used too. I hate to say it, but Jimmie Johnson has 3 wins this year as a rookie, but yet how many Winston Cup regulars have not seen their 1st win or even their 2nd win?

You can very easily go down the Winston Cup point list and put a driver in one of the above categories. If you are an owner, you know what I am talking about and if you are a sponsor, you really know what I am talking about. So, here goes Travis Carter trying to "IMPRESS" potential sponsors AND he is in the middle of negotiations with Discover Card attempting to retain them with what?

I am still willing to give Mr. Fukuyama a chance and I guess Travis Carter is going to give us that opportunity 2 more times. I guess I am the type of FAN who wants to be dazzled. But I am here to tell you, one major reason we loose good sponsorships in our sport is because some owners settle with what they get for drivers, while others hire CAT 1 type of drivers and find success.

Party today but dread tomorrow, has got to be the current emotions surrounding Ford and it's racing program. With Ryan Newman's sprint to the top 10 in Winston Cup points over the last several races and adding his first Winston Cup win last weekend at New Hampshire, a piece of the Ford all star future may be slipping away.

Rumor has Penske Racing teams Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman switching manufacturers from Ford to Dodge beginning next year causing a slight dent in Ford's future exterior. The manufacturer whose resume includes the powerhouse teams of Robert Yates Racing, Roush Racing and Penske Racing could loose more than just a team, they are set to loose ever so important technological advantages that Penske brought to the table. All three-powerhouse teams provide their own engine departments, however the power provided by Penske and Yates surely stands out above the rest. In horsepower, Ford's loss will surely be Dodge's gain.

For now Ford can party hard, because this is their moment! Ford, YOU currently lead in 2002 Winston Cup wins, a Ford driver currently leads in Winston Cup points and 8 of the top 15 drivers in Winston Cup points are Ford drivers. 2 of the 8 drivers happen to be Rusty and Ryan, but if you loose them to Dodge look at the bright-side Mr. Ford, compared to you're luck with the NFL, you'll certainly find more wins racing in Winston Cup. HEY LIONS - YOU SUCK!

FANS IN THE GARAGE - I invite you to re-read my column published back on July 3, 2002 called Autograph Seekers Get Bumped. Because it's happening! It's not about the good fans, it's about the bad apples looking for a profit! Also I recommend reading Heather Tygrett's column put out this week at Insidethepitbox.com called SOLUTIONS TO CROWDED GARAGE AREA. Great column so grab a cup of coffee, take a moment and live it up!

WHAT THE HECK! Now, I feel absolutely stabbed in the back by Rusty. Majority of the time, Rusty finds himself at the front of the pack running for the win and he has been very vocal about drivers that have no chance to win basically slowing down the leader. Back at Bristol just a few races ago, I remember when Joe Nemechek, being a lap down, was not moving out of the way of a charging Rusty Wallace who at the time was the race leader. During this time, Joe's teammate Jeff Gordon was running in second place had the opportunity to catch up because Joe slowed Rusty's pace and eventually Jeff went on to win the race. After the race, Rusty made it a point to mention that he was slowed down by Jeff's teammate and didn't like it at all. I feel stabbed because DOG GONE IT, I supported Rusty when he made the case!

Johnny Benson, leading the New Hampshire 300 last Sunday was about the lap Rusty and had over a 1.3 second lead on Rusty's teammate Ryan Newman. EVERYONE and I mean everyone knew that the race would end early because the rain was coming and Rusty had no chance at catching the leaders. Earlier, Rusty and Kyle Petty tangled putting Rusty was just about a lap down with some damage to the front of the #2 Miller Lite Ford. However, when Johnny caught Rusty and attempted to pass, Rusty raced him like there was no tomorrow! By doing this Rusty slowed Johnny down enough allowing Ryan to catch Johnny. Later after an incident with the other Wallace brother, Ryan was able to pass Johnny. Eventually Ryan drove to the win and the race was stopped early due to rain.

RUSTY did exactly what he preached was wrong and for that, he finds himself on MY hot seat, so BAM there's a SPIN! Actually, the last two weeks he has totally disappointed me! In Richmond, Matt Kenseth was leading the race with less than 30 laps to go, Ryan Newman was running second and Rusty was running third. I am listening to Rusty's radio via my Track Pass Membership (an entirely different subject) and Rusty is asking Roger Penske over the radio to speak to Ryan about moving over. WHAT? So you own 24% of the DANG team and ask to have him move over and let you by? GOTCHA far didn't it? Because just after you got by Ryan, you found yourself on pit road with a FLAT TIRE!

Anyway, I am sure you all get my point. When it's a racing deal, fine! However when a driver complains about being done wrong, but then goes out and does it himself to another driver and not to a driver that has done him wrong in the past, but an INNOCENT driver, IT BURNS ME UP!

As I watched Monday Night Football this week, Madden and Michaels spoke about how football brought America back to the day to day activities from 9-11. Sitting there I couldn't help but to challenge their remarks because in my eyes, excluding the love of family and friends and singling out a specific sport, NASCAR did so much more for our country during the healing process than football.

From patriotic cars and pre-race prayer to inspiring words from drivers and owners, NASCAR proudly took the weight of the country and gave 100%. Last weekends pre-race show was an example of what one sport can do in illustrating unity at the highest level. To everyone associated with NASCAR, including the "FANS in the stands" at Richmond that did an AWESOME JOB spelling out GOD BLESS AMERICA and creating the beautiful flag from color cards, THANK YOU!

ROBBY GORDON: Why does it seem like I'm constantly BUMPING Robby? I am sure Johnny Benson and Robby won't be having dinner anytime soon thanks to Robby's demonstration of the o'l BUMP in the WALL and run. On Robby's web site he said "I'm not sure what we're doing wrong to have everything go against us each week but it's just very disappointing. We have strong cars each week and have been qualifying very well. Circumstances out of our control just seem to keep getting us." HELLO ROBBY, the circumstances that you're referring to - uh it's YOU! I had a great email a few weeks back and the gentleman said, "Tony Stewart may need anger management but Robby Gordon needs stupidity management classes." JUST MIGHT BE TRUE, and Robby you can sign up by pressing STAR 411 on your Cingular Wireless phone!

Something's brewing at Robert Yates Racing and it smells SOUR! First, from out of the blue, Ricky Rudd starts talking about retirement. Then behind the scenes, Yates was talking to Elliott Sadler, followed by sponsorship questions. We hear Texaco Havoline is getting out of NASCAR and then we hear they aren't paying enough dollars to deserve a top team. But when the smoke finally cleared, Rudd doesn't retire, he moves over to the Wood Brothers and Texaco Havoline stays in NASCAR and moves over to Chip Ganassi. In the meantime, Robert Yates finds himself with Elliott Sadler and M&M's.

Many are left asking what happened to cause the downfall of a relationship between owner, driver and sponsor. Well, easy answer, MONEY! Robert wanted more GREEN and M&M/Mars is willing to pay it. Robert gave up a long-standing relationship with Texaco and gave up a top 10 driver to help fund is organization. So, who walks away the winner? Unfortunately, we won't know until NEXT YEAR.

Last weekend after the Richmond race, Ricky Rudd and a Robert Yates R&D Specialist found themselves at odds over something. Speculation is that Mr. R&D Specialist took exception to some of Rudd's comments about the engine department. During a visit to the Totally NASCAR set on Monday Ricky said, "I had no warning at all that this guy was going to get violent. I'm sitting there having this conversation, and the next thing I know, he sucker punches me out of the blue without changing facial expressions, without heated argument. All of a sudden, we're talking. Next thing, out of the blue, he just throws a right hook and just about lays me out."

My first thought was that of disbelief. Why in the world would someone from the shop go after the guy who basically puts bread his on the table? AHH, could Mr. R&D have done what Robert and Doug Yates wanted him to do? Was the frustration of the organization placed on the shoulders of the R&D Dude to take car of business? A Yates spokesman said that it was a "family matter" so maybe it was - internal discipline.

As of Tuesday night, Yates has not thrown out any fines. Mr. R&D has not been terminated for sucker punching their Top 10 driver. So, what else is there to say? This entire situation from the start, going back several months ago, up to today has gotten UGLY!

Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds weighed in on the issue during their latest edition of SPEED MAIL. A FAN asked, In light of Saturday night's altercation between a crew member and Ricky Rudd, do you think it's time for Ricky Rudd to leave Robert Yates Racing since he is not going to be there next year?

Hammond said, NO, Ricky should stay. Larry Mac said, YES, Ricky should move on. I have to agree with Larry Mac, sorry Jeff! But when you look at the big picture, who are the players? Elliott Sadler is the current driver for the Wood Brothers and Ricky Rudd is the current driver for Robert Yates. Next year, Elliott will drive for Yates and Rudd will drive for the Wood Brother. You're going to SWAP them next year, so do the deal and SWAP them NOW! Elliott is doing nothing for the Wood Brothers, he's 25th in points and keeps wreaking cars. Rudd isn't happy and I am certain he's ready to leave NOW. Texaco is the big looser, because they would get stuck with Sadler and loose 16 positions in the point standings not even to mention the current embarrassment they are going through and the loss in marketing dollars.

The big question would be, if Rudd moved to the Wood Brothers and finishes in his current point standings position - 9th, does the money for finishing in the top 15 go with the driver or to the owner? Because, if it went with the driver YATES will never give Rudd up until next year. Because remember, it's all about the money!

Survive: to endure or live through; AND that's exactly what I've done since last week's column. Mercy, I tell you what, the Gordon fans were out in force and gave me a bashing for my SPIN OUT of Jeff Gordon. To be honest I expected it and enjoyed the debate, however to my surprise MANY and I mean MANY people agreed with me. I even had a FEW Gordon fans agree with my column. To bad they where Robby Gordon FANS.

BILL DAVIS & JACK ROUSH: How long have you guys been in this business? JEEZ, quit whining about Joe Gibbs taking your employees! If your employees are such an important part of the team, then you should have been doing something about RETAINING them! Jeff Burton who lost his top tire changer Mark "Hollywood" Armstrong to Joe Gibbs Racing said, "We try real hard. We don't always succeed. But over the years we have put increasing effort into employee morale. Next year you'll see the next phase of it." UH JEFF, next year might be a little too late my friend! Certainly there must be a morale problem at ROUSH or WHY would they have a detailed phase by phase plan? Hmm.

BODYONICS PINNACLE: If you are scratching your head on this one wondering what in the world I am talking about then you must not have seen their full-page advertisement in STOCK CAR RACING MAGAZINE. They make a product called "Horny Goat Weed" and its closest product competitor is VIAGRA. It states "a remarkable 2 of 3 subjects reported significant benefits with Pinnacle Horny Goat Weed." OKAY, first define SUBJECTS? Are we talking about actual GOATS? My question is when are we going to see the Horny Goat Weed DODGE racing in the Winston Cup Series? Just like the ad says, "GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!" Try explaining that one to a ten-year old!

BROOKE GORDON: I know I am walking on thin ice when I bring up this subject, but what the HECK, no one else wants to touch this with a 24 foot pole. First it was the loosing streak, now it's the winning streak, but what about the championship? You can't win the championship from JAIL. For those refusing to look at the GORDON DIVORCE because it's too personal, wake up because his team, his sponsor and his owner are doing just that! Bottom line, it's getting ugly! The Palm Beach Post reported that Jeff switched beneficiaries in a life insurance policy worth $10.2 million. He did this two days before his attorneys wrote Brooke's attorney to let them know that there would be no material change in the finances of the couple during the divorce proceedings. A court order preserving the finances and documents was entered in May. Jeff switched the policy, naming his mother the beneficiary and Brooke HIT THE WALL. Guess she wasn't too happy, SO she brought it to the judge's attention and now the judge may rule on the issue during a hearing early next month. If the judge rules against Jeff, he could be fined or JAILED if he refuses to reinstate Brooke as beneficiary of the policy.

OKAY, is Brooke being GREEDY or is it just me? COMMON! She files for divorce and NOW if Jeff has an accident on the track, even though she does not want to be married to him, she wants the $10.2 million anyway! GIVE ME A BREAK. Not even half is enough for her and I don't care what Jeff did to cause her to file for divorce, this takes GREED to an entirely different level. If I were Jeff, I would refuse to change the policy! I'd go to FREAKIN JAIL if that's what it takes! I would give her HALF as the LAW requires plus I'd throw in a bag of FRITOS and a PEPSI for the road! Next time you want to get married Jeff, I would go the PRE-NUP route!

It has been announced that RPM 2NIGHT will be ending their weekday show. Many have followed this story and understand that there are two sides to this battle. ESPN has been very vocal about NASCAR not giving them access to the garages and NASCAR has been very resolute about keeping them out.

However the deep thinker that I am, I sense there is more to this story than we will ever know. First, recently ESPN agreed to renew the Truck Series television contract that basically was loosing them money. But, NASCAR to sugar up the deal has added more races next year and committed full support to ESPN for their efforts. But, you have to ask yourself, if ESPN, ABC, DISNEY were so upset at NASCAR, why would they agree to renew a contract that was not profitable? Well, because in their own little way NASCAR was able to negotiate a deal based on future contracts. NASCAR won the RPM issue and DISNEY finally made a solid business decision.

FOX and NBC/TNT are in their second year of a six-year contract and ESPN is seeing the pain of what they lost when they let NASCAR get away. They didn't want to play two years ago and now it has cost them a very successful RPM show. A breakdown in ESPN's better business judgment happened when they refused to fork out the BIG BUCKS as Fox and NBC/TNT did. ESPN took the TYPICAL attitude that are above all others and because they felt pushed out by NASCAR, they took it personal. ESPN in an egotistic manner even refused to follow their own "DISNEY" copyright policy and insisted that NASCAR open the gates of freedom to report at the tracks. It got them NO WHERE except on the HELO PAD.

DISNEY hurt the sports FAN, hurt the NASCAR FAN and hurt the ESPN BRAND by doing battle with NASCAR. They constantly raise cable cost year over year and they deliver less and less. Now they are trying to save a relationship with NASCAR to hope for a future opportunity. Do what you have to do, but in the meantime, RPM is gone and KENNY can now concentrate on the #23. Guess life after RPM won't be so bad after all!

"If you built it, they will come." A statement developed for the baseball movie, "Field of Dreams", however this holds very true for racing at BRISTOL. The name alone ignites a wide range of EMOTIONS. It does not matter if you're male or female, fan or driver, everyone will walk away from BRISTOL feeling one of four common emotions - anger, disappointment, happiness and overwhelming joy.

SHARPIE: Dear Mr. Sharpie, I use your product. I am a NASCAR fan and I appreciate your sponsorship of one of the best events of the year. Thanks for sponsoring the #97 and for your $1,000,000 contest (which is a totally different subject). But for HEAVEN SAKES can't you afford a new commercial! Over and over the same FLIPPING commercial. Wasn't that the same commercial from last year? JEEZ! Regards, Bob. (P.S. Tell Dave to give me back my underwear!)

Jeff Gordon moves Rusty Wallace on the last lap to win the Sharpie 500 at BRISTOL and MAN ALIVE all the sudden the Wonder Boy is labeled "Tough guy" or "The New Bad Boy" or even "Earnhardt Like." OKAY, right - whatever! I'm just so DANG happy his official "winless streak" is over, because I'm ready for the media to find something else to talk about.

So let's talk about the MOVE of the race. Jeffrey moves Russell for the WIN and the media was hoping all HECK would break loose after the race. Guess what, it didn't happen. Rusty used a BAD word, but he knows it's BRISTOL and Jeff did exactly what he needed to do. FACE it folks, the only way Jeff was going to WIN is by doing what he did. I applaud him for it!

I am not a BIG Jeff Gordon fan. My son is! But, I am man enough to admit Jeff Gordon is one of the most talented drivers to get behind the wheel of a racecar. I am a Rusty Wallace FAN. Was I ANGRY with Jeff when he MOVED Rusty? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! But, I also believe at BRISTOL, it's fair game! BRISTOL wouldn't be BRISTOL without banging and bumping. That's why we love it so! If you can't handle the heat, GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN. Turn off the TV! What FAN and what DRIVER goes into the BRISTOL race and thinks it'll be run like a race at Michigan? NONE! We all know what BRISTOL is about and so does NASCAR and the drivers. NASCAR understands why the ratings are high and the seats are filled - YEP, BUMP & RUN racing. To use a Shepard Smith term from Fox News - IT'S NOT BORING!

FANS do accept BUMP & RUN racing at short tracks. Personally, I am fine with it and I kind of expect it from some drivers. It's the only way some can WIN. If it can be done in away without anyone getting hurt or PUNTING them into never-ever land, the way Jeff Gordon did it to Rusty, then go for it.

Last year when Robby Gordon MOVED Jeff Gordon out of the way to WIN the New Hampshire 300, "He should be embarrassed right now to win that race," Jeff Gordon said of Robby's winning move. "It was gonna be a heckuva battle -- it was gonna be between me and him, anyway. I just wish it would have been done fair and square instead of just knocking me out of the way."

HELLO, Earth to Jeff! Now race fans, close your eyes and picture Rusty in front of the camera saying - "It was gonna be a heckuva battle -- it was gonna be between me and him, anyway. I just wish it would have been done fair and square instead of just knocking me out of the way." Good thing Rusty didn't say that! Instead Rusty said he'd knock the BEEP out of him if he could have caught him.

TNT - I guess if you are a sponsor looking to maximize your marketing dollar, just hire Wally Dallenbach. I have never seen so much exposure for a 14th place car as I did on Saturday when NBC/TNT's Wally Dallenbach drove the #6 Pepsi Dodge. I think Pepsi saw more airtime than the winning car sponsored by Aaron's.

What? DAVE excuse me but you might want to take a look in the mirror! Plus, calling Jimmy Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Casey Atwood "snot-bags" might just limit your ability to be the NASCAR politically correct guy you are. These "self-centered" guys who happen to be the FUTURE of the sport might just stay away from you, the same way YOU stay away from some of us OPINION columnist.

If you are among the many hundreds or even thousands of PONTIAC fans, I am sure your head is hanging low moving forward through the rest of the 2002 Winston Cup Season. NOT even the sleek new 2003 PONTIAC will save this manufacturer from facing a slow and I mean very slow manufacturer's death.

Joe Gibbs Racing with drivers Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart have announced they will be moving to Chevrolet for 2003. Good news for Chevrolet, however it's no secret that Joe Gibbs Racing kept PONTIAC in Winston Cup business. Since 1998, Joe Gibbs Racing has accounted for 29 of the 31 PONTIAC wins. The other 2 wins came from Ward Burton in 2000 and John Andretti in 1999, however both Burton and Andretti now drive a Dodge.

The other PONTIAC teams have seen little to no success running in Winston Cup. Johnny Benson and MBV Motorsports will be the PONTIAC favorite moving into 2003. But, Johnny still has not found Victory Lane in his many years of Winston Cup racing. His teammate, Ken Schrader has lost his sponsorship for 2003 and the #36 PONTIAC may not even be around next year.

A.J. Foyt owner of Foyt Racing and the #14 Conseco PONTIAC is having his own problems. His sponsor is having financial difficulties and could be facing bankruptcy. To add to his challenges, he has not found a driver that can compete with his equipment. If the sponsorship leaves, he may be done.

Then in an effort to say above the water, PONTIAC has signed Ricky Craven and PPI Motorsports to run the #32 Tide PONTIAC in 2003. Coming over from the Ford stable, rumor has it that Ricky is not happy, but certainly PPI and Ricky will see some GREEN from PONTIAC. Unfortunately, Ricky or PPI has not seen the success that the departing Joe Gibbs Racing team has seen over the past years, further more giving PONTIAC even less hope for future wins. But, to the credit of PONTIAC this is a GREAT STEAL from Ford.

Now, lingering on the grapevine is the rumor that the #4 Kodak Chevrolet driven by Mike Skinner and owned by Morgan-McClure will make a move over to PONTIAC. My personal feelings is that GM is making an effort to prolong PONTIAC'S life in Winston Cup racing by basically making a manufacturer TRADE. Who else does GM have to trade for GIBBS? RCR, DEI, Hendrick - I DON'T THINK SO!

To be frank, the future of PONTIAC is down right lousy! We will start to see the doors opening for another manufacturer, perhaps Toyota and with GM supporting mostly Chevrolet they will be able to throw more money into advertising, sponsorships and driver bonuses which in the long run isn't so bad.

What a week of ups and downs for Tony Stewart and his #20 Home Depot team. A soap opera writer couldn't write this type of story, but for what it's worth, I think all will be fine. Tony has stood up and accepted responsibility for pushing the Indianapolis Star photographer and many children in central Indiana will have $50,000 coming their way compliments of Tony Stewart and Home Depot. For Tony, I am sure the nice $50,000 tax deduction will come in handy for anger management classes.

This will not satisfy some of Tony Stewart's critics especially those at the Indianapolis Star. I think it's a fair statement to say Tony Stewart was the best thing to happen to the sports section of The Star this past week. However, calling someone an "Indefensible Greaseball" as Bob Kravitz did of Tony Stewart certainly proves that Tony is not at the top of Bob's list of favorite drivers. Whether it's physical or verbal, in my book it's still ABUSE.

Quick Bump 1 goes to JIMMY SPENCER: Jimmy Spencer driver of the #41 Target Dodge owned by Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates found himself NOT making the show at The Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen. Chip Ganassi made a controversial move by moving Jimmy from his regular ride in the #41 Target Dodge to a sister car, the #42 Target Dodge which was put together specifically for this race. Chip placed Scott Pruett, a part time so called road course expert into Jimmy's car, the #41. Scott qualified well, however Jimmy ran the slowest lap and since the #42 car had not ran any other races, it had NO points and they could not use a provisional. This sent Jimmy packing. This was the second time this season Jimmy did not make a race.

First let me say, Chip is a stand up guy and a winner. He hates bad press and I think he took matters into his own hands by punishing Jimmy Spencer for his SPIN OUT of Kurt Busch back at the Brickyard. Take a look at the tape of Chip and Jimmy going into the NASCAR BIG RED TRAILER for their spanking. You'll see Chip NOT walking with Jimmy, actually he's walking several paces behind, this is unlike an owner supporting his driver! My opinion is Chip basically told Jimmy if he wanted to make the race, prove himself and do it with limited resources. Jimmy couldn't do it and so he paid the price.

Second, I believe Jimmy has out stayed his welcome and I am sure he won't be driving for Chip next year. Chip wants results and Jimmy can not compare to Chip's other drivers. Sterling and his #40 Coors Light team sits on top of the Winston Cup Points and the Ganassi CART Program is doing very well, both teams are in the top 10 in the standings. Where is Jimmy Spencer in the mix? Need I say more?

When you stop and think about probation it makes sense in everyday life for you and I, but does it work in NASCAR? I know if NASCAR put me on probation, I would make sure that I was on my best behavior. We all saw what happened to Kevin Harvick when he pushed the envelope while he was on probation - he sat out a race.

I'm looking at the "probation philosophy" from a different angle and by doing so I am realizing how UNFAIR it is for NASCAR to put a driver or a crew chief on probation. Let's look at Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick because they currently hold the title of NASCAR DRIVER ON PROBATION.

Both drivers are very emotional and both were put on probation for "off track" incidents. Tony for pushing a photographer and Kevin for pointing his finger in the face of Greg Biffle. In most cases, I enjoy heated conversations between drivers because it shows me the passion they have for what they do. But now, if Tony or Kevin were to get DUMPED by a competitor during the up coming Bristol race, these overly emotional drivers are forced to keep their mouths shut or probation will bite them in the rear! That's not fair especially if they happen to be the victim.

FANS love the drama and probation does not promote drama. If I were running NASCAR, I would take probation out of the book of penalties. I would also look at each individual situation and make a determination of a penalty based on the facts. Once I made my determination, that would be it, it would end there. However, instead of fining a driver a few thousand dollars I would take away POINTS every time, I would look at stripping away track testing opportunities from a team and if the driver keeps going down the wrong road, sit him down! Basically I would call it the "P&P Philosophy." Drivers would loose points and privileges.

NASCAR says they work very hard on keeping the field level for all teams. So if this is the case, LOOSE probation! It changes the way a driver races. It also changes their style and their determination. The FANS loose and the sport will ultimately suffer. It also gives their competitors the advantage because they know the driver on probation is a little weaker in ability.

Try to relate last year's situation between Robby Gordon and Jeff Gordon to what I am saying. Let's say last year Jeff Gordon was on probation for punching Rusty Wallace. (Just go with me!) Imagine Robby BUMPS Jeff out of the lead (like he did) and Jeff bumps Robby under caution (like he did), but because Jeff was on PROBATION, NASCAR sits Jeff down for the next race basically ending his championship hunt. How will that fly? Not well in the eyes of many! Realistically, that scenario could happen this year with Tony Stewart. He is 104 points behind Sterling and one slip up, one bump, one finger point, even if it is well deserved could end his chances.

Sit him down! Fine him! Throw him out of NASCAR! This immature driver needs to be parked! These are some of things were hearing about Tony Stewart and the situation that transpired after the Brickyard 400. Reports state that after Tony got out of his car at the end of the Brickyard 400, an Indianapolis Star free-lance photographer was either hit, pushed, kicked, bitten, slapped in the chest causing the media to call for an immediate end to Tony's 2002 driving campaign.

Unlike many in the world of the media, NASCAR did the right thing - maintained Tony's innocence until the investigation was completed. By doing this they maintained integrity. In return they fined Tony $10,000 and placed him probation. However, I think Tony MUST HAVE HAD a few good points that NASCAR took into consideration or his fine would have been much, much more. For what NASCAR did in taking a few days to look into the incident I applaud them and as a FAN I support their decision. However as a FAN, like I have done with many other drivers during their darkest hours, I will stick behind Tony because I SEE a GROWING problem in NASCAR.

This is how I look at it and PLEASE hear me loud and clear Indianapolis Star. ANYONE, who follows NASCAR as much as some of us do, know for a fact Tony Stewart, has had a PROBLEM in the past with his temper. He is a fierce competitor and he has an enormous RAW passion for racing very similar to my fellow Houstonian during his younger days, A.J. Floyt.

I have several questions that I would like to ask the ALMIGHTY Indianapolis Star. Why wasn't the photographer snapping photo's of Bill Elliott in Victory Lane instead of chasing down the 12th place finisher? If this specific photographer has such an infatuation for Tony, why didn't he know about his temper? Why would Tony, out of the blue punch someone who had nothing to do with the race, because he was PROVOKED! Yes, I said it - PROVOKED!

Common people, when Tony gets out of his car, history tells us that if he had a bad day he DISAPPEARS and he disappears quickly. It's apart of him dealing with his anger problem and it's not for us to decide if that's the best way to handle it or not. Even during the IROC series, it's NOW YOU SEE HIM, NOW YOU DON'T, just look at Chicagoland for an example. Poor looser, perhaps, but it's how he deals with his issues. SO, when Tony gets out of his car after the Brickyard 400 and he's approached by this free-lance photographer and when Tony's doesn't want to stand around with a smile on his face, to get away from this photographer he begins trotting to his motor-coach. In a PAPARAZZI approach to get his BIG PICTURE, Mr. Free-lance Photographer decides to run along side of Tony until he can position himself in front of Tony, stop directly in front of a running Tony Stewart to snap his shot. I am sure he blocked an all ready mad Tony Stewart provoking a physical reaction. Could it be classified as a racing deal? It worked for Jimmy Spencer and I don't hear people asking for Jimmy's driver's license since he found it necessary to move Kurt Busch out of the way at 200 mph.

My point is - if someone has a problem, say they're an alcoholic and this person is trying to stop, would you run next to them holding a COLD ONE offering them a drink? NO! So why didn't this photographer knowing that Tony had a temper back off when Tony began his trot to get away? Bottom line, he PROVOKED him because the elite media in this country can get away with it.

Mike Helton, NASCAR President said "This type of behavior cannot be tolerated and is in no way indicative of the manner in which our drivers, teams, tracks and sponsors interact with the media. We take pride in our accessibility and interaction with the media and we intend to protect that relationship."

I agree with Mike's statement because as a businessperson you must agree. NASCAR relies on media support and they do not want bad press. But, even though NASCAR walks away looking good in this situation, NASCAR may need to look at their policy of allowing drivers time away from the media to "get control" after getting out of a 130+ degree car after driving 400 miles. When driver's crash, they get to spend time in the infield care center before talking with the media, so to be PROACTIVE instead of