Speaking Of Smoke ... NASCAR Is Becoming Like Wrestling?

Not only is Tony Stewart always good for a few obscene gestures (see post below), he is also good for some excellent quotes, especially now that he has his own radio show on Sirius. It seems that he thinks that NASCAR is manipulating the finishes of races by throwing caution flags when the field gets too spread out or drivers are in jeopardy of going a lap down in order to make for a better (i.e. not quite authentic) show.

From FOX Sports:

"Anybody that thinks this debris caution stuff is the right direction for NASCAR, I think you're crazy," Stewart added. "We caught the pack. We caught Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick and no (sooner) than we caught them when a debris caution came out. Well, why would you do that when you've got three guys in a battle for the lead?

"I was coming so fast it was inevitable I was going to go around those guys and, of course, NASCAR throws a debris caution."

The funny thing is, the TV cameras failed to find the debris ��� even at the insistence of Darrell Waltrip in the booth. If NASCAR wants to manipulate the action why not throw a competition caution? After all, isn't that what it is?

"After I got home everybody was telling me how the TV said if they could find the debris they would show it but they couldn't find it," Stewart said. "I don't know how long NASCAR thinks they can treat the fans like they're ignorant before the fans finally start turning on the officials and say, 'Listen, let these guys race.' "

Added Stewart:

"It's hard to feel proud about being a driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series when they're throwing debris cautions. It's like playing God. They can almost dictate the race at that point instead of the drivers doing it. It's happened too many times this year and it's to the point to where you just get so frustrated."

Stewart is right. When you manipulate the results, it's really only a step below pre-determining the results like in pro wrestling. I worked in racing and the last thing a race promoter such as NASCAR wants is for the event to be boring. It's bad for TV, bad for advertising, and bad for those in attendance, which are all bad for their wallet. Tight racing is what keeps fans interested and tuned to their TV sets (and the ads shown in conjunction with the event). Throwing phantom caution flags may be an easy way to keep the action going, but it's not fair to the drivers who are legitimately faster than everyone else.