Petty’s championships came as a result of better equipment when other teams didn’t have the resources to keep up. Earnhardt’s came under a more level playing field.

Back in the day, I was a huge Earnhardt fan. No one could match the 3 car in my book. After his passing I had to find another driver to root for. Jimmie Johnson came along and proved that he had the goods to be a helluva driver.

Forty-seven wins later, he’s climbing the list of all-time victories. Do we also discount that total? If so, do we take away any of Gordon’s career victories because of the modern system?

Championships are won, regardless of the points system, by being consistent throughout the season. I can recall a couple of drivers winning the title with one or even zero victories on the season under the old system. How fair is that?

And back to the conspiracy theory – how many times did Johnson fail to win the Cup under the Chase format? If it had been a true conspiracy, Kurt Busch wouldn’t have won it. Neither would Matt Kenseth or any of the other drivers to win it (Tony Stewart anyone?).

On to the overall sport…There should and must be something done to improve the races. How about fewer cookie cutter tracks (Texas, California, Chicago…) and more Bristols, Talledegas (with passing and bump drafting), Daytonas and Martinsvilles.

Go back to the roots of the sport and embrace it rather than run away from it. Becoming all big city and forgetting North Wilkesboro is a crime. Who really likes watching a race at Las Vegas on TV?

Watching Bristol…now THAT’S racing!