Debris Yellow Flags Causing NASCAR Controversy

Every week, the NASCAR team seems to throw debris cautions when there is no debris on the race track. Some members in NASCAR have admitted to this, saying it equals better racing and more excitement.

For years, NASCAR has said it wants to be more like the stick and ball sports. That was the reason they used for the Chase format in 2004, because they wanted it more like baseball and football's playoffs. That makes sense. Add excitement to the end of the year, and I am all for change.

However, when was the last time a baseball game was stopped in the middle of the eighth inning when the score was 10-1 and Bud Selig said "OK. For entertainment purposes, the score is 10-9." Never!

So what's up with the debris cautions? If Major League Baseball did that, people would stop watching, which maybe is why NASCAR's attendance and ratings have been down the last three seasons.

A prime example of this theory is last years Coca-Cola 600, when after the race I was watching NASCAR Confidential on SPEED. Robin Pemberton, head of competition, turned to Humpy Wheeler and said "We did the best we could for you."

Huh? What the hell does NASCAR have to do with the race? They shouldn't interfere with the competition of the sport under the guise of excitement.

When a fan pays money for a ticket, they want to see a legit winner of the race. The driver who dominated the event should win the race. Not someone who got a lucky break due to a debris caution when there was no debris. If I paid money for that ticket, I would think I have been robbed coming out of that track.

It makes you question the integrity of the sport of NASCAR. Is NASCAR becoming like the NBA? What's the difference between Mike Helton and Tim Donahey?

Tony Stewart brought another answer to debris caution to light when he hinted at the fact that NASCAR threw debris cautions when certain people were in the lucky dog spot. That comment was directed toward Juan Pablo Montoya and NASCAR throwing the yellow for him. Why would NASCAR do this? Is it to keep the ratings up in Columbia and have the Hispanic population in the USA still watch?

Stewart's comments outraged NASCAR; they fined him $100,000 for not showing up to fill his media requirements, something NASCAR has never fined anyone for. NASCAR's outraged was a really unique reaction to outrageous comments. NASCAR was afraid, it seemed, that the fans might question their integrity.

Then it happened again last week. NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt J., was in the lucky dog position when a debris caution came out for some oil on the track. Oil? Whose oil? No one was blowing up.

Coincidence? Maybe not. Because another debris caution came out when Jr. was about to fall a lap down. How convenient. Jr. ended up finishing 11th and his fans were pleased.

I guess the most important thing in NASCAR is that Junior's fans are happy, even if the only way he held onto his spot was a phantom yellow flag (hmm...sounds like another popular sport). NASCAR doesn't seem to care that the race was altered and some drivers got the short end of the stick.

If debris cautions continue to fly, so will the conspiracy theories. It better end soon, or else NASCAR will find itself without fans and in trouble, like the NBA.