Opinion ’Äì NASCAR has turned soft

By Mike Harper

Thanks Tom Sorensen for the lead in.

I’Äôve been itching to write about this topic. I’Äôve even typed it up and backspaced over the darn thing because I can’Äôt sugarcoat my opinions. So figured I would wait until the season was over so I could yell it from the top of the grandstand. Got a bullhorn?

Thanks to Tom Sorensen and his column published on ThatsRacin.com, everyone who has a ticket should jump on board Tom’Äôs train and ride it with him. Bottom line, Tom is absolutely right, if you would like to replicate the thrills at Homestead-Miami Speedway, go to Wendy's and watch the drive-through. Man that’Äôs brilliant!

I’Äôm willing to push the envelope a tad bit further than Tom. I’Äôll name names.

The Mark Martin philosophy, you know the one, "move over and race them later" especially those non-Chasers who are scared to race the Chase drivers because they might take out a championship contender is hogwash!

First, has Mark won a championship in the Nextel Cup Series using this philosophy? Exactly, he hasn’Äôt. Don’Äôt get me wrong, I like Mark Martin. So before all you Martin fans start sending me the hate email, keep in mind I’Äôve been very pro-Martin this season. I even picked him to win the championship. But his "give and take" advise might work for some, but it doesn’Äôt for others.

Jimmie Johnson doesn’Äôt live by giving and taking. Normally he is on the taking end and guess what? He won a championship.

At Phoenix, Johnson started 29th and was able to cut his way through the field up into the top 10. He achieved this in less than 30 laps. The majority of his competition moved out of his way and let him go. It was the same story at Homestead-Miami with the exception of Kevin Harvick, who made it difficult for Johnson to pass him early in the race and was criticized for it by Johnson. So racing should only happen during the last 25 laps of a race? Is that it?

It amazes me when a driver like Harvick or Ryan Newman gets raked over the coals for racing his competition during the early to middle stages of a race. What’Äôs wrong with making your competition work for a pass or have him use up his stuff in an attempt to pass you on lap 20? Isn’Äôt that racing?

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