Imagine leading a race under caution with just two laps to go, only to have to come down pit road to replace a flat tire. Now imagine that when you peel off the track you hear a roar from the crowd loud enough to nearly drown out your own engine, as if 40,000 Nelsons suddenly stood up, pointed at you and yelled, "Ha, ha!" Such was the plight of Kyle Busch in Saturday night's Nationwide race at Darlington.

And how can we feel sorry for him? He's cocky as hell, wins on most weekends, and when he doesn't win he pouts out a hissy fit.

Boo, hoo... another one slipped out of his hands this past weekend. It's just a Nationwide race -- it's not like he lost the Super Bowl. And one would think that the "greatest driver in the universe" would know better than to scrub his tires through a huge debris field along a crash scene. Oops. Like we say here in Jersey racing circles -- "Sorry 'bout yer luck!"

So Busch's big "protest" stunt these days seems to involve parking the car up pit road, climbing from his car, feigning outrage at the unfairness of it all, and then storming off to his hauler to leave the premises. He lets the crew members go down, pick up the car, and push it back to the garage themselves.

I'll tell ya... I wish A.J. Foyt could run NASCAR for a day. Just one day. He would have sent a rollback over to the car, had the car loaded onto it, have it driven out of the track and over to that lake off turn four and then have it hoisted up and the chains released. And that'd be the last time Busch parked his car anywhere but in the garage.

We Need a New Division

NASCAR needs to really reconsider the fact that the Nationwide Series has become a total disaster. It is essentially "Cup Lite". Just thinking about how Busch has won the past three million Nationwide races straight is evidence enough that changes need to be made. This is supposed to be a lesser series for lesser teams and lesser drivers. So why are the professionals consistently participating in the races, and even running for the championship? It completely takes away opportunities for drivers who need to bridge the gap of experience from short tracks to the Cup level.

Imagine if the New York Yankees announced that, in addition to their Major League Baseball commitments, they've also decided to play most of the AAA games. Does that sound ridiculous or what? (Well, okay... with the way the Yankees have been playing lately, maybe it doesn't sound so one-sided.)

NASCAR needs to put a limit on Cup driver participation in its lower divisions.

Might as Well End Under Yellow

I'm not sure what's worse... a race ending under yellow... or waiting around for a green, white, checkered finish only to have that end under yellow anyway. I'm seeing this more and more -- a ton of late-race cautions interrupting any chance at a decent race for the win. And almost invariably the crashes involve back-markers driving like maniacs for 23rd place. How often do we see, say, the last 50 laps run under green anymore?

If we're going to have all of these race-ending yellows then I think NASCAR should say, "Okay, if the caution comes out within ten laps to go, drivers can race back to the flag." Re-starting a race under a green, white, checkered rule only to go immediately back to yellow and calling it a day is just pathetic.

After Carl Edwards' crash last week, there has been a lot of scrutiny focused on racing at Talladega Superspeedway, and in particular the track itself. Some in the media have even called to have the track bulldozed and rebuilt at a smaller size or with little banking. And something has to be done "fast" before spectators are killed, which would undoubtedly doom auto racing in America.

But let's step back, take a deep breath, and make sure that we examine the situation fairly and with a broader approach. We need a solution that's going to work everywhere, not just Talladega.

Talladega: 3 for 3

The good news is that of the three times that section of fence has been tested at Talladega, each time it has held up well and done its job. And this time was the first that the fence wasn't compromised. (Watch Bobby Allison tear down a large section of fence in 1987 and then Neil Bonnett put a hole in the fence in 1993.)

The fence at Talladega is supported by heavy cables. Click to see a larger view of the picture. (Photo by flickr.com user dhall / Creative Commons 2.0.)

After Jimmy Horton left the speedway in 1993, International Speedway Corp. lined all of their large tracks with cabled fences to keep cars from going over the wall. Along the front stretch grandstand area, this meant placing the cable fence in front of the previous chain-link debris fence.

Critics are claiming that Talladega is too dangerous of a place to race, and that NASCAR is irresponsible for racing there. And it is true that Talladega is dangerous... all motorsports are, and that is precisely part of the attraction. As Paul Page once said, "Without that risk, the men are just ordinary." Like it or not, we spectators participate in that risk and are drawn to it.

But there really is no reason to castrate a place like Talladega with limp-wristed solutions that permanently alter the very nature of the track. If safety is our only priority, why not just institute a 25 mph speed limit? Guaranteed no injuries... and no interest.

It Could Happen Anywhere

Because of the high speeds, it's easy to point the fingers at Talladega and Daytona as the tracks most likely to produce a disaster. But the cars go just as fast at Pocono, Indianapolis, Michigan, Atlanta, etc., albeit not for sustained speeds.

Some argue that cars are less likely to get airborne at the other tracks. And that's true... but it's still possible, and all you need is one incident. After all the incidents at Talladega in July 1993, I remember Benny Parsons saying that the only thing that could be done is leveling the banks and making a flatter track like that at Michigan, where the drivers have to let out of the gas through the turns. Only a couple weeks later when the tour moved to that very same track, Johnny Benson got turned sideways and his V6-car went airborne and flipped several times down the backstretch.

Even in the era of roof flaps it's possible: In 2000 Elliott Sadler blew a tire and went flying through turn 1, also at Michigan.

Many Ways to Get Airborne

At Talladega and Daytona we often see cars get airborne just from the "inverted wing" that occurs when they get backwards or sideways, but of course there are many ways to get a car into the air high enough to hit the catch fence. A quick turn to the right could easily roll a car over. (Watch Dave Blaney get turned and how in a split-second he flips over and heads into the wall.) Or, a car can launch over the front of another and get high in the air, like Geoff Bodine's did at Daytona in 2000.

Does anybody seriously think this fence at Dover would hold up to a head-on impact from a 3500lb car traveling at 150mph? The fence didn't have an overhang until the late 1990s. (Photo by flickr.com user davidpb145 / Creative Commons 2.0.)

These types of crashes could happen anywhere. How well would other fences on the circuit hold up against direct, head-on impacts?

Don't Forget About Indy Cars

It's easy to pick on NASCAR, but I've long been concerned about an Indy car outright flying over one of these fences. The cars go so fast and are so light, and with the weight being in the rear of the cars it doesn't take much to get one to lift off from the front (by, for example, making wheel-to-wheel contact or even running over a piece of debris). Remember when Mario Andretti ran over some debris during practice at Indianapolis in 2003? His car went flying so high that it hit the very top of the fencing before coming back down. Imagine going into turn one at Indy and getting airborne that high just as the track angle turns.

Or consider Tony Renna's crash during tire testing at Indy in October 2003. Renna lost control exiting turn 3 -- one of the slowest parts of the track -- got backwards, went airborne and reportedly tore down 50 feet of fencing. Renna was fatally injured and although the tub of the car didn't make it through the fence, apparently a not insignificant portion of the car did. There is some controversy over exactly what happened, but nevertheless helicopter photos taken after the incident show that at least the railing of the concourse walkway was damaged. A concourse that could have been packed on race day.

The Best Solution

The best response to the Carl Edwards crash is to raise the fences at Talladega and Daytona by at least 5 feet, add a longer overhang, and add more cables to match the new height. Other race tracks should invest in the thicker cables as well. Perhaps a diagonal or hatched pattern for the cables would be more effective than the oft-employed horizontal style. (Though at some point you have to balance visibility with safety.)

The downside to the newer, stronger catch fences that have become more commonplace is that they absolutely shred Indy cars to pieces. (Watch Kenny Brack at Texas and Ryan Briscoe at Chicagoland.) But I lay that problem more on the cars than the fence.

Don't Forget About the Infield!

Some tracks that have infield spectators should probably ensure they're protected by a solid fence at well. Tracks like Pocono and Michigan... it wouldn't be difficult to get a car airborne and headed towards an inside fence.

Ohh yeah... it could happen at your local short track too!

The toughest thing for me, as a race fan, in anticipation for a race at Talladega is the endless hype about the "Big One".  Not that it isn't a legitimate story that needs to be covered, but the media people have taken it to a whole other level, and it's become so predictable.  They seem to get as giddy as school girls talking about how awesome the racing is going to be because there will be the inevitable "Big One".

If the media folks like that kind of "racing", fine, but mark me down as a non-believer.  Frankly, I think it's just plain embarrassing that they wad up a dozen or so cars on a routine basis at this race track.  Half the field gets wiped out in a single incident that's usually caused by the slightest of bumps.

In all my years of frustration trying to express how much I hate the "Big One Mania" displayed by the TV networks, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. managed to nail my thoughts perfectly yesterday:

You have to understand that, like, for years, we have had wrecks like this every time we come to Talladega, ever since the plate got here -- and for years it was celebrated. The media celebrated it, the networks celebrated it, calling it 'the Big One,' just trying to attract attention and to bring people's attention to the race.

So there is a responsibility with the media and the networks and the sanctioning body itself to come to their senses a little bit and think about the situation. I mean, you can't sit here and jump up and down and go, 'Wow, what I saw today was crazy.' I don't think it's right ... but the media and the networks and everybody has been celebrating that stuff for years.

Who could disagree with him?

I got a chuckle watching SPEED's pre-race show where it was announced that Charlotte Motor Speedway (yeah I'm old school and still call it Charlotte) was having a "Big One" ticket sale promotion.  A certain section of tickets would be sold at a price equal to the number of cars wrecked in the "Big One" at Talladega on Sunday.  (And the way they were running there early on I thought the price of a seat would be $43.)  It's pretty evident that many people in the sport aren't even taking it seriously anymore.  What if a driver had been laid up in the hospital from the "Big One"?  Their little promotion would look as tasteless as it really is, no?

And truly, if I read one more media article about how the fans love restrictor plate racing and "Big Ones" while they can't even sell the damn place out I'm going to throw up all over my keyboard.

Here's my take on it... I watched the SportsCenter highlights of the Talladega race Sunday night and it went like this:  the first clip was the big lap 7 wreck that skimmed out a third of the field.  The next clip was the big wreck on the backstretch within 10 to go.  The last clip was Carl Edwards flying into the fence.

Now really... imagine you're not a race fan and you just witnessed those "highlights"... what are you going to think about the sport?

It's one thing to recognize that there's a problem with no decent solutions... but it's entirely different to, as Junior says, celebrate it.

It's Saturday night. All across this great country of ours some of the finest drivers are showcasing their talent on the dirt and asphalt bullrings that are the foundations of American auto racing.

And what is SPEED TV broadcasting right now? A Figure 8 Trailer Demolition Derby. Pick-up trucks driving trailers of boats or campers in a figure-8 configuration trying to beat the hell out of each other until there's one truck left standing.

Now I understand that the scheduled NASCAR Truck race was rained out and SPEED needs to fill the air time with taped programs, but why in God's name did they even film this crap to begin with? For a network that is supposed to be centered on motorsports you'd think they could have a little more emphasis on grassroots short-track racing. I'm sure at the top of the hour they'll move on to the 965th episode of "PINKS All Out".

Back when I was a kid (heh) ESPN had a show called "Saturday Night Thunder" and, quite frankly, it was some of the best televised motorsports I've ever seen: non-winged USAC sprints and midgets from daunting Midwestern tracks like Winchester, Salem, and of course Indianapolis Raceway Park. It'd be nice if a network would pick up where ESPN left off. We could use some solid, Saturday night short track racing... something to fill the void when we can't make it out to the track ourselves.