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February 22, 2007

Martin Fans Stop Whining Please…NASCAR Was Right!
By Dennis Michelsen

This year's Daytona 500 might be best remembered for all of the rules infractions discovered before the race itself. That is a shame since the ending of the race might have been the best Daytona 500 finish of all time! But once again people have to ruin the excitement by bitching and moaning at NASCAR about the finish. "Oh you should have thrown the caution," says whiner number one. "Last time there was a finish like this you threw the yellow," says whiner number two. "The whole world, or at least NASCAR, is always against Mark Martin," says whiner number three. ENOUGH ALREADY! Hey Martin fans, stop the whining because NASCAR was right!

Sign of the Apocalypse
NASCAR has done more than their fair of things to irritate me over the years. Getting rid of classic tracks such as Rockingham and North Wilkesboro in the name of progress. What kind of progress is it when you run away from your past? When Brian France ended the Southern 500 tradition I was beside myself with anger! But this week when I started to see people suggesting that NASCAR blew the call and robbed Mark Martin of his Daytona 500 victory I felt sorry for NASCAR. Surely this is a sign of the apocalypse when I am bashing the NASCAR bashers!

Full Disclosure
While I do not have Mark Martin's caricature tattooed on my butt, you have to go a long way to find a more loyal fan than me. Mark is one of the classiest guys to ever strap into a stockcar and is a good role model for young fans too. This is a guy that made mistakes on the way up and instead of running away from his past he embraces it as a way to teach others to do the right thing. So before the Mark Martin fans go nuts bashing me for bashing them, I figured a little bit of full disclosure was in order. My neighbors were ready to call 9-1-1 on Sunday evening to report the crazy man screaming at his television set. (Or afterwards muttering, "Two stinkin' feet!")

Perfect Metaphor for Mark's Career
Ok folks, wasn't it somehow fitting that Mark Martin would fall just a few feet short of winning the biggest race of his career? There is no doubt that Martin is one of the greatest drivers of all time! Five times he has been the runner up for the Cup championship. Thirteen times he has ended the season in the top five in points. Martin is also the career leader in IROC Championships and Busch races won. But that elusive championship was never meant to be. A win in the Great American Race also has eluded his grasp. So what? Mark Martin is a champion on and off the track no matter what the trophies say!

Do you really think NASCAR let the field race to the finish because they hate Mark Martin? A win by Mark Martin and Ginn Racing would have been the perfect ending for NASCAR to a chaotic week. NASCAR also had no clue who would come out in front at the checkered flag anyway! Decisions are made in seconds but the critics get to make their complaints in slow motion! Yes I would like to see more consistency from NASCAR calls during races. But when they get the decision right and still get ridiculed it makes me feel sorry for NASCAR…at least for a few moments. So Mark Martin fans please stop your whining, handle the decision with class just like Mark did!