Tony Stewart snubbing fans at AMS. Taken by Jackie Montedonico

No athlete has ever made it to the top without the help of his fans. Tony Stewart is no exception.

Unfortunately, he’s forgotten that.

Most NASCAR drivers will take the time out of their hectic schedule to pose for pictures and sign autographs for fans. While it may not be a huge deal for the drivers, as a fan, the fact that those guys are willing to take the time for you can really make you feel good. Guys like Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and Clint Bowyer are more than willing to spend a moment or two with the fans of the sport.

Sadly, one of NASCAR’s biggest stars doesn’t do that. 2-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart has calmed down in the public eye, but when the cameras are turned off, it’s the same ol’ Tony.

I have had the chance to see Tony in person twice, and both times, he snubbed both myself and the small crowd of die-hard fans around me. When I say small, I mean about 10 or 15 people who aren’t being pushy, but are simply asking nicely if Tony will take just 2 minutes out of his schedule to pose for a picture or sign an autograph.

Such a small gesture could make someone’s life complete. Believe me, I know. But it’s just not worth Tony’s time.

I’ve heard other stories like mine. Several fans have had trouble getting Tony to take any time with them. I’ve even heard many horror stories about how Tony has cussed at children before, telling them to “Eff off” when they ask politely for his autograph.

I know he’s a champion in a major sport, but that does not give him the right to be like that. Darrell Waltrip is a three-time champion, and he’s the most awesome guy you could ever meet. Ricky Carmichael has won several AMA Supercross championships, and he’s as affable as the next guy. Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. is awesome, and Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman is more than happy to take the time to please a few fans.

But Tony Stewart? Uh-uh.

It’s sad, really. I’d like to be able to cheer for Stewart. He seems like a decent guy on camera. But when the cameras are turned off, the fans are like dirt to him. Unfortunately, guys like Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray, believe it or not, are of the same mindset, just not to that extent. God created all men to be equal. But sadly, Tony Stewart doesn’t see things that way.

Tony Stewart should be nicer to his fans.

After Sunday’s horrifying crash involving Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, it’s easy for us to sit back and say that NASCAR should draw a line and tighten the reins on the drivers so that nobody gets hurt.

Before NASCAR decides to do anything drastic, I have a message for them:

Don’t change a thing, except for the wing.

Stay the course. The fans demanded you to let the drivers have at it, and on Sunday, they got what they wanted. Yes, it was scary. But in a few weeks, the thing that caused the problem won’t be a problem anymore.

Carl Edwards was wrong in what he did. But the wing is the sole reason Keselowski’s car went over. By the time we get to the next high-speed track, that thing will be gone. And any further incidents like this will result in much less severe accidents, unless they occur on a restrictor plate track.

NASCAR, stick to your guns here. Remember, the fans whined about the racing being too dangerous last year when Edwards went in the fence. And when you tightened the reins further, the racing flat-out sucked. Don’t make that same mistake again. In a few weeks, the problem will have sorted itself out, and everything will be fine. We’ll have safe, but great racing.

NASCAR, in spite of what happened on Sunday, don’t change a thing. Except the wing.

Carl Edwards was put on a 3-race probation today for his actions against Brad Keselowski Sunday in Atlanta.

Many people believed that Edwards should have received a heftier punishment; namely a suspension. But one writer believes that Edwards should have received much more than that: Jail time.

David Whitley of Fanhouse wrote an article stating why Edwards should go to jail. In my opinion, Mr. Whitley’s claims are ridiculous. You are about to see his main points(in italics) and my counter-points:

“Nobody was killed at the Kobalt Tools 500, but Edwards would have been arrested if he’d pulled that stunt on I-85.”

 Yes, but it didn’t occur on I-85. It happened on a race track. 1-85 is an interstate where innocent citizens drive. The race track is a closed circuit. The guys in the cars and the fans in the stands know the risks.

“He also had a co-conspirator in NASCAR. Fans were complaining that racing had gotten too sanitary. So before the season the governing body encouraged drivers to trade more paint.”

Yes, before the race NASCAR told Carl Edwards to kill Brad Keselowski as well a few anonymous fans. Right…

“As for NASCAR rules, he at least broke one unwritten one. It states that if you’re going to wreck somebody, you do it on a one-mile track or shorter where the danger is minimized.”

But he didn’t break any written rules.

“He said he was surprised Keselowski’s car turned into a Frisbee, but why? Just last year at Talladega, Keselowski inadvertently bumped Edwards and sent his car flying.”

Because Talladega is a much bigger and faster track.

“Edwards had the three things needed to convince a jury of guilt — means, motive and opportunity.”

Guilty of what? He didn’t kill anybody. He didn’t hurt anybody. He attempted to do neither. Are they gonna find him guilty of vehicular assault? Did Dale Earnhardt ever get charged for vehicular assault? What about Kyle Busch? Tony Stewart? What about Keselowski himself?

“He should be sent to jail for what he did to Brad Keselowski. And NASCAR should be charged with aiding and abetting… If I’m a prosecutor, I’d like my chances against Edwards. “

Really? We’re going there? It was a sporting event. Tempers are going to flare. It’s part of that competitive edge that makes athletes great. A football player doesn’t get thrown in jail because of a blind-side hit. A baseball player doesn’t get thrown in jail for pegging an opposing player.  Why should a NASCAR driver get thrown in jail for wrecking another driver?

It sounds to me as if Mr. Whitley once had a dream: He wanted to be a tort lawyer. One of those greedy liberal idiots who wants to sue every big company for what it’s worth… and then some.

Instead, he got stuck being a NASCAR writer. That must be hard for him, writing about a big company whose grass-roots are in the southeast.

C’mon Prosecuting Attorney Whitley, take Carl to court. You aren’t gonna find him guilty of anything.

I’ll even be his defense attorney.

Overshadowed by the drama of Sunday’s Cup race in Atlanta was an incident that occured in Saturday’s Truck Series race. I wish to discuss this incident further.

NASCAR may have messed over another young star Saturday.

Kevin Harvick dominated the E-Z Go 200 Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but the race was Taylor Malsam’s for the taking. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver got the lucky dog after a caution came out with about 50 laps to go, and got back on the lead lap.

Malsam topped off on fuel, while the rest of the field did not. The sophomore driver could make it to the end of the race without stopping again. But the rest of the field would have to come back down pit road one more time.

Malsam worked his way up to 7th. But when the the rest of the field would be forced to come down pit road, Malsam would inherit a huge lead, and wind up cruising to his first career Truck Series victory. That is, assuming the caution flag didn’t wave before the leaders were forced to pit.

With 20 laps to go, it did.

For what, we still don’t know. We know that Donny Lia in the #07 truck had a tire go down. It didn’t blow out, and he never hit the wall. But NASCAR threw the yellow flag anyway, claiming that there was “debris” laid down from the tire. The mystery debris was never shown, and after the leaders were able to pit under caution, the race continued.

The caution was never questioned, in spite of the fact that there was no reason for it to be brought out. And Harvick would drive away from the field and win the race.

Taylor Malsam, the poor driver whom NASCAR may have stolen away the win from, finished 13th.

On Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, we witnessed one of the most frightening wrecks in recent memory.

While running 6th with 3 laps to go, Brad Keselowski got spun out by Carl Edwards on the frontstretch, and flipped into the wall. Keselowski was unhurt, as were the fans in the stands.

Edwards had been wrecked by Keselowski earlier in the race, and was running over 100 laps down when he wrecked Keselowski. The two have had their run-ins in the past, and Edwards admitted, in so many words, that the wreck was retaliation on his part.

So now the question is, should Carl Edwards be suspended for the race at Bristol, two weeks from now?

The arguments:

Yes. While Keselowski may have had payback coming for a long time, Edwards’ actions were wrong. He was over 100 laps off the pace, and wrecked a guy who was running in the top 10. What’s much worse is that, due to the severity of the wreck, Edwards’ actions could have badly hurt, if not killed somebody. And in spite of the severity of the wreck, Edwards did not seem remorseful about his actions.

No. NASCAR loosened the reins on the drivers, and told them to have at it. Keselowski put himself in a bad position by messing with Edwards more than once, and Edwards finally had enough. Sure, the crash was severe. But if NASCAR had a car that could stay on the ground, we wouldn’t have had this problem to begin with. How was Edwards supposed to know the car would go over? NASCAR can’t suspend Edwards, because technically, he didn’t break any rules.

What do you think?

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Carl Edwards didn’t just wreck Brad Keselowski on a whim. He weighed his options first.

This is what Edwards had to say on his Facebook page following the race:

“My options: Considering that Brad wrecks me with no regard for anyone’s safety or hard work, should I: A-Keep letting him wreck me? B-Confront him after the race? C-Wait til Bristol and collect other cars? or D-Take care of it now? I want to be clear that I was surprised at his flight and very relieved when he walked away. Every person has to decide what code they want to live by and hopefully this explains mine.”

When he puts it that way, it seems as though Edwards has a point. He couldn’t just let Keselowski keep pushing him around. Obviously, confronting Keselowski after the race hasn’t done any good in the past. And he didn’t want to get other cars caught up in his mess. That left one very messy, yet hopefully effective option.

It’s good to know Edwards didn’t want to see Keselowski get hurt. And it’s nice to hear Edwards’ point of view on the matter. I still say what he did was wrong, but it appears he didn’t have any other options.

Hopefully NASCAR will see this and decide that no further measures need to be taken. Let the racers race!

The boys of NASCAR were in Hotlanta this week, and the action was just that: Hot. So which drivers were on fire in Atlanta and which ones may be in hot water? We’ve got you covered!

Hot: Kurt Busch. Kurt won the Battle of the Beers with Kasey Kahne and showed that his ‘09 performance was no fluke, as he backed it up with a “W” in the “ATL”. Watch out for the Miller Lite driver in two weeks when the series goes to his favorite track: Bristol!

Not: Brad Keselowski. While his teammate was making headlines for all the right reasons, Brad K. was making them for all the wrong reasons. Upside-down and in the wall? He deserved the payback, but not like that.

Hot: Matt Kenseth. Here’s a stat for you: Matt Kenseth hasn’t finished outside the top 10 yet this decade. The crew chief change is looking pretty good, as Matt sits 2nd in the standings.

Not: Carl Edwards. If you like payback, then you loved what Edwards did to Keselowski in Atlanta. But it was wrong. Very wrong. And if NASCAR decides to take drastic measures, one can’t hold it against them. The question now becomes, will we even see Carl in Bristol?

Hot: Juan Pablo Montoya. If anybody needed a good run this week, it was Montoya. After two DNFs in the first three races, Montoya flexed his muscles in Atlanta and showed that he will be a contender again in 2010.

Not: Mark Martin. Martin got out of his camper Sunday morning and realized it was too warm outside for it to be Atlanta in March. So when he left the track, The Hendrick crew had to replace him with an ARCA rookie, who forgot to slow down when his spotter cried “Caution’s out!!!” after a multi-car wreck with two laps to go.

Hot: Richard Petty Motorsports. Kasey Kahne is for real this season. AJ Allmendinger showed some promise in Atlanta, finishing 6th. And how about Paul Menard? His 5th-place run on Sunday puts him in the top 10 in points for the first time in his career.

Not: David Reutimann. The Reuti-fans were getting pretty excited for awhile, as David had the Aarons Dream Machine in the top 10 for most of the day. But the dream turned into a nightmare when Rudi’s engine went kaput.

Hot: Scott Speed. Another solid run for the Speedster on Sunday, as Scott earned his first top 10 of the year. Don’t look now, but the Red Bull driver is in a Chase spot after 4 races.

Not: Jamie McMurray. The Daytona 500 winner ticked off his teammate last week. This week, he ticked off a few more drivers by causing a 7-car wreck with two laps to go. You’d best start believing in curses, because the Curse of the Daytona 500 Winner is real.

The boys of NASCAR are in Not-so-Hotlanta today. Hopefully we’ll see a great race with minimal tire problems!

But if, for whatever reason, you are unable to see the race at all, regardless of tire problems, don’t fret. We’ve got you covered with live timing and scoring of the Kobalt Tools 500, courtesy of Foxsports.com. For live timing and scoring, click on the link below:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/cup/raceTrax?gameId=20100307029&state=RACE