Fast Laps and yellow flags are the Monster Mile story
by Charlie Turner
I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot.
September 24, 2007 10:20 am CDT 3 CommentsIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
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If I read my morning stats pages correctly, the top six Nextel Cup Chasers are separated by 16 points. The top four are spread by FOUR LOUSY POINTS! Best of all, the order changes more often than the rumors about Dale Earnhardt Jr’s number/sponsor. Oh, right - that’s over, finally.
What will we do this week with no press conferences? I know. Let’s argue about these four Fast Lap questions.
1)Â Should NASCAR penalties be more more severe during the Chase than during the regular season?
2) Should someone have physically kept Kyle Petty from visiting Denny Hamlin’s garage during the race?
3) Drivers are still hating on the CoT. Is it basically flawed–or, still, just in need of some off-season tweaking?
4) Is the Monster Mile too much of a monster to be included in The Chase schedule?
Nothing cookie-cutter like about those four corners. The Nextel Cuppers are headed to Kansas and one of those mile and a half tracks that fans seem to either love or hate. How about you? Throw that opinion in as a free-bee  with your Fast Lap answers and we may just use it in our bloggers segment ON PIT ROW.
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About the Fast Lap blog
Fast Laps! Welcome to the On Pit Row Fast Lap blog. Every week On Pit Row we pose four Fast Lap questions. Four corners - four questions. On the radio show, Steve and I have 30 seconds each, to give our response to each of the four. If you are a listener, you already know that we rarely agree on any answer. The Fast Lap is NASCAR debate. Hannity and Colmes. Lincoln and Douglas. Wronkowicz and Turner. OK, maybe not Lincoln and Douglas. We have more fun than Lincoln and Douglas. Here's the challenge. We will post our Fast Lap questions some time each Monday. Four questions on topical NASCAR related subjects. Your mission is to comment with your answers and each answer is limited to 100 words. The questions, answers and comments will form the basis of this blog for that week. Comment on the Fast Lap questions. Comment on the comments. Insult the commenters. Witty ridicule is rated at least as highly as cogent commentary. Just remember that you have limited words and penalties are severe. Or not. Steve and I will select worthy blog entries to be featured on an edition of On Pit Row. That's the plan. I'm sure we will have some other things to post about each week but the intention is to pose most posts as questions. I want to argue with you! Bring it on.
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1- If i’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times–if NASCAR WANTS to stop cheating they have to hit the teams where it hurts the most. Suspend drivers for all team violations. But they won’t and at least in this instance the penalty was in line with what the have done before and I can live with that.
2– Yeah–like one of Kyle’s crew members. If they couldn’t have stopped him, then one of Denny’s sure as hell should never have let Kyle get that close. But, it was fun to watch.
3– Fix the tires–fix the tires–FIX THE TIRES. The rest will fall into place.
4– I like the racing and the track. But pit road is an embarrasement. First get the 43rd pit stall in place; then increase the size of the box and add another car width to the driving lanes. Now you’re cooking.
Love ‘em–hate ‘em or rip ‘em. That’s what I think.
1) No, they shouldn’t be more severe. They should remain consistent and that’s that.
Now what this fella up above me here is smoking, I have no idea. Suspend a driver? Right. Not going to happen. Too much time, energy, and money is spent putting in the effort around those drivers, and it just isn’t going to happen for a stupid car penalty.
Now, you go dating the pooch and flirting with a love session, and you have a recipe for disaster. Although those are very few and far between. Just ask Harvick and (Robby) Gordon.
2) Why? Because it’s “politically correct”? to hell with that. If there needs to be a confrontation, let it happen. Why? Am I nuts? No, but let’s say they both made it back on track. Anyone care to recall one Mr. Newman and Mr. Jarrett showdown at Bristol while the lights were shining bright on a full moon saturday night?
Meaning? Someone else could get hurt, and end up in their mess. Let the drivers handle it. If it’s under the bleachers, behind the garage, in a hauler, or on the phone.
That being said, someone call Hermie and tell him I have an idea for a featured main event.
3) Steve made sense? Wow. Mark that on your calendar Charlie.
Absolutely. Nascar needs to take a look at the chassis/body/suspension a bit, and GoodYear needs to back off on the tires.
They’re so hard, only a call girl can appreciate it.
4) Yes, the track does belong in the Chase. I’m not so sure about Kansas or Homestead though. We need 1 more short track, and a road course in the Chase, as it should be a cross-section of the regular season.
Steve (amazingly) makes another valid point. The Dover pit road issue is beyond embarrassing. They keep saying “we’re going to fix it soon”, but they’ve been saying that for how long now? Yeah, OK. Look what Las Vegas and Talladega did between races last year, and what Bristol did between dates this year?
You’re telling me that they can’t add 1 measly little pit box? Yeah, OK. And Kyle Petty’s going to be a Chase contender next year too.
I stopped by here a few days ago to post my responses and was so shocked that Steve was right about something - and Luke agreed with him - that I went faint and am only now recovering. What do you mean you don’t believe me!?
1. Personally, I think NASCAR should suspend ALL rules for Chase contenders during the Chase. Let’s see how good these guys really are - even the cheaters. Seriously - Steve needs his head examined. Luke is correct. Consistency is the answer to rules enforcement. Of course, if NASCAR actually implements rules consistency, many bloggers will be out of work.
2. Like I said ON PIT ROW, the more of this kind of thing the better, as far as I am concerned. Passion is what makes the world interesting - including the NASCAR world. I know I said I agreed with Steve, but that doesn’t start until question #3. Up to this point, he is just as stupid as usual. If Kyle Petty isn’t going to be allowed to take out his anger, what do you do with Stewart? Put him in a staight jacket? Get real.
3. Way to knock that softball out of the park there Stev-o. It is about the tires - mostly, probably. Unless NASCAR starts messing with the wing. Then all bets are off and Pandora’s Box will be open.
4. I know - let’s kick out Dover - one of the few, remaining, interesting and somewhat traditional tracks on the circuit - because the two worst cars in the race have to share a pit. I know, let’s give Pocono ANOTHER race. They can pit 110 cars there and have room for the driver’s hot tubs too. How about this - let’s make all drivers who’s teams cheat during the Chase - pit from ONE box at every track! Two problems solved with one brilliant solution. Hold the applause, please.