Kyle's Take: Why does NASCAR always bust heavy on the little guys, but rarely its stars?

  
Kyle Petty: Never at a loss for words (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
  
  

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

    
   CONCORD, N.C.
   When it comes to the big picture – pick a scene, any scene – few men in the NASCAR biz have a sharper eye than Kyle Petty.
   And fewer still in the NASCAR garage have the guts to stand up and make their pitch, and let the chips fall where they may.
   Sure, you can gripe about his performance out on the track, if you want, but when it comes to telling it like it is, I'll take Petty against all comers.
   So when Petty dropped by Lowe's Motor Speedway Thursday, to promote the launch of www.kylepetty.com and his upcoming six-week Turner TV Cup gig with Bill Weber and Company (Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, New Hampshire, Daytona and Chicago), it was a refreshing changeup from the usual drivel that comes out of the stock car racing garage in this era of political correctness.
   Topic: Jeremy Mayfield. And Carl Long. Mayfield, for the drug thing, whatever that is. Long, for that engine thing.
   Question: Why didn't NASCAR play these two hands with a little more finesse, a little more grace, if you will? Sledgehammer?
   "Now here's what I've never understood about NASCAR – and I'll get busted for this one – but tell me a time when NASCAR ever  busted a star," Petty replied. "Tell me.
   "Remember when they busted D. K. Ulrich for that nitrous oxide (extra power)? D.K.? Jeremy? Carl?
   "See my point? See what I'm saying?
   "What NASCAR does is send messages up the ladder, by busting down the ladder.
   "Does it get your attention? Yeah. For six months.
   "And I'm not saying it's right or wrong, and I'm not defending Carl and those guys…but if you look into the past, and see who's been busted heavy for major infractions, the guys they've busted the hardest are the guys down the ladder, not the guys up the ladder."

   Topic: TV.
   Question: What's wrong with TV ratings?
   "We've had good races the last few weeks, good races," Petty says.
   "But nobody ever explained to me why TV ratings went up in the first place. So when they come back down…
   "All of a sudden we just threw TV out there, and had great ratings. And it's like, 'Why?'
   "So the question to me isn't 'Why are the ratings down?' Because the fans are a lot more intelligent, and the racing is really good…
   "Is this thing like the Internet bubble – the internet just finally found its level.
   "So, in terms of TV, has NASCAR just found its level?
   "Now I've done the Turner thing the last few years….
   "But I don't understand why the sport went from down here to up here? It was just like the stock market, going up from 8500 to 12000. It's got to pop.
   "So maybe this is the level? Is this the level the sport will be at, until something dramatic happens?"
   Well, maybe part of NASCAR's TV problem is this war between Fox and ESPN, which has been played out none too subtly this season. Neither one acknowledges the other or its programming, even though ESPN handles NASCAR's Saturday Nationwide series (and Cup tour in the second half, with ABC), and Fox handles NASCAR's Sunday Sprint Cup series.

    Topic: Fox versus ESPN.
   Question: Why are Fox and ESPN at war with each other over NASCAR? The two TV giants are like kid brothers feuding….or each trying to ignore the other? The sense of animosity between the two TV factions is palpable. And the two networks certainly aren't working together to help promote the sport.
   Petty just laughs: "But everybody loves Turner.
   "It's funny that there is so much animosity between the two (Fox and ESPN) that they present the sport in two totally different ways.
   "They're letting their coverage sometimes be jaded by their feelings for each other. And that's cheating the fans in a lot of ways.
   "I don't know what the deal is between the two…but it's not getting better, it's getting worse."
  
   Topic: The Darlington crash-fest.
   Question: What's the deal with all these crashes? Are the speeds simply too fast for this ancient track? Are speeds simply too fast at too many tracks for good racing?
   "I love Darlington," Petty says. "The history and all.
   "But it was designed for racing at 120 mph, not 180. That's the big issue.
   "It doesn't matter if it's your car, your track or your barbeque grill, if you start using something other than what it was designed for, you're going to have issues.
   "Maybe they should put a sign on the outside of Darlington saying 'Warning, this track was designed for 120 mph. Using it at excess speeds may cause damage to your car or bodily injury.'
   "How do you fix it? I don't know.
   "Now here's something everyone doesn't understand: racing and speed don't necessarily go together. You can have a great race at 10 mph.
   "Everybody loves Talladega, because everybody runs the same speed…but we're running a lot slower than that track is designed for.
   "So if you slowed the cars down at other tracks, it won't kill the racing. The view from the stands looks the same at 150 mph as 180 mph.
   "I always thought the racing at Indy was great before they started running 230 or 240. Go back and look at the history of Indy – when they were running around 200 mph, those were great races, with A. J. and the Unsers.
   "But then speed became faster…and the racing went in another direction.
   "Now compare that to our sport. And look at our sport and look at some of these places we race. Our sport is heading in that direction – because we're more focused on speed than on the show we put on on Sunday."
   To the point – right next to Petty was a picture of Junior Johnson, circa 1965, with "360 hp" emblazoned on the hood, as was the style back then. Now days NASCAR engines pump out 830 horsepower….at the same size tracks, and with much better tires. So is the racing any better now, with this much more power?
   Debatable.
   "Same track….but better engines, better tires, better brakes, better aero," Petty says. "You don't need a lot of horsepower to put on a good show here. If you had 400 horsepower, that would be plenty.
   "But I don't know how to limit horsepower like that. Plates stink. Limit engines to 260 cubic inches….340….120….pick a number. Just limit your cubic inches, and that will bring the speed down, but it won't take your acceleration away like that plate does.
   "At Talladega they could just drop back to 200 cubic inches, and that would be plenty of power and still give you acceleration."