It gets harder and harder for me to watch 100+ egomaniacs run around the field these days. Good football is great entertainment, Great football is even better, but what goes on before the game and between plays can just get under my skin.

Maybe they need to take an idea from NASCAR; the Driver’s Meeting. Get all these idiots, or at least the starters, in a room with Mike Helton….I mean Paul Tagliabue, and tell them what is expected of them, what the league wants to see from it’s players and staff, and most importantly what the consequences would be if these lines were crossed. The owners, coaches, and officials would be present and on an equal plane.

Obviously Mr. Tagliabue can’t be in several places at the same time, but a representative on his behalf could stand in. He could pick one game on Sunday during the regular season, some Monday nights and a few weekday games during the late season. I’m sure it won’t be too hard to figure out what games are going to be more of a spectacle than an actual game. Attendees would not know who would be giving the meeting until minutes before.

No ego stroking. No questions about what is expected right from the top; from coaches, players and officials. If it won’t be tolerated, it will be mentioned. I think this makes it easier for NASCAR to uphold its rules and enforce its penalties when the driver heard it for themselves only minutes before the start. Football could use this to keep the egos in check, and keep the professional in professional football.

"I don't believe the trophy makes the man," said Mark Martin. "Tony Stewart, in my eyes, is the greatest race car driver I've watched drive in this era. A.J. Foyt might have been that when I was a little boy, but Tony Stewart is my driving hero."

I don’t believe this was his examining stats. I believe this is Martin’s evaluation of him looking out the windshield of a car; race after race. Grinding it out against a fellow compeditor. This in my mind makes it more credible than any armchair driver with an internet connection and some web space. (Hey, who's he talking about!)

How many people on the planet are qualified to make this type of observation? Who’s been a full time driver since 1999, and raced every race since then? Only 12 drivers would fill this description. These are the only ones who can make this type of observation. If the compliment coming from Mark wasn’t big enough, he being one of the most experienced of the 12 has to make it even better. This should be right up there with Tony's win at the Brickyard and his second championship, and I think he'd agree.

If you haven’t found these articles by digging through Jayski.com, you need to bookmark this guy and check back once a week.

Strap In! written by “Big” Bigelow in the Caledonian-Record is one of my favorite articles to read. It’s always full of useful facts and info. I’ve used some in the past (w/ credit and links), but would like to share the rest of the stories (it’s plural, don’t sue!) he’s written with you.

Denny Hamlin; for holding off Johnson at the start, that’s 5 points. Bobby Labonte and Carl Edwards; for getting in front of Johnson, but not catching Tony, that’s 5 points each. I almost had to thank Robby Gordon, and that would have been sickening. But he sucks, and couldn’t stay in front of Jimmy for the last lap.

Exacting your revenge on Kurt Bush is stupid and childish. You complained about how much money you’d be out of minus one team, but you throw away thousands of dollars by guaranteeing Kurt won’t get 9th, possibly 8th place in the chase. You’re giving Mayfield the 9th place finish he’d never gotten any other way, and the money that goes with it. You didn’t fool anyone with that speech about how you’re so vested in the 5th team that you can’t buy lunch, when it’s obvious you could buy lunch for the entire grandstands at Phoenix. If you think this is the karma Kurt had coming to him, then get ready for the rebound. We judge people in court in the United States, with a jury of their peers. You have played judge, jury, and executioner on Kurt Bush. Maybe you should grow a little square mustache to match your demeanor. And then,... not releasing him to race for another team? He's not going to drive for you anymore. No reason he couldn't move over right now. This just proves that you are just in this for the revenge. That seals it, you and Robby Gordon are made for each other. Maybe you should put him in the 97 next year? No one would ever question the great Jack Roush. So in true blog style, you’re an idiot. I’m not even a Kurt Bush fan, nor a fan of the #2 car. Said that, you bet I’ll be routing for the #2 to beat all the Roush cars next year.

Sure it seems like NASCAR is gunning for you with the 4 team rule, but I’m not sure that’s the case. I think they're trying to stop the steady rise in a few of the other teams. Gibbs, Evernham, Ganassi, and Childress are really who they’re making this rule for. They are the ones that are just one step from moving to five car teams. Stopping it before it gets out of hand is a great idea. Imagine wanting to start a Cup team, but realizing if you can’t field 3 or more teams in the first year, you don’t have a chance. Your initial investment would be more like buying a pro football team than a NASCAR team. Smaller startup teams would not be able to qualify for most races, much less see the green flag. Let’s cut through to the money. That’s where a smaller team may not be able to secure good, long term sponsor. That’s also where the other two rule changes come into place. They are much more about the money up front, but we all know that’s where all rule changes are really aimed. Testing and tire leasing are to help the smaller teams, and so is the cap on cars owned. C’mon Jack, stop saying NASCAR is gunning for you. They’re just trying to give the Robby Gordon’s out there a better chance. I’m not a fan of Robby, in fact there should be a rule not allowing him on the race track.

The chase is working. First I’d like to thank Jayski.com for tracking all the stats an anal retentive guy like me needs to be a NASCAR fan. The stats from this post can all be found there. I hate to say it, but its working. I’ve been cussing this whole chase points system since the day it was announced. There was nothing wrong with the old points system. Sure, there were run away years, but there were close ones, too. Sure it was possible for someone to win a championship without winning a race, and there still is. They didn’t fix that, and that’s what I believe got this whole chase thing started. Thanks Kenseth.

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The points would be like this with 2 races left: 1. Tony: 4921 2. Biffle: 4619 (-302) 3. Johnson: 4582 (-339) 4. through 10. Mathematically eliminated

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It would be one of those years where Tony would only need a “tap in par” to win it. Make it through two technical inspections, cross the starting line, and it’s ours. As a Tony fan, I’ve got mixed emotions about the whole thing. Sure, a second championship will be awesome; but I probably wouldn’t be as glued to the TV as I will for the next two races. Another funny thing is that Jeremy Mayfield would still be in 10th, and Jamie McMurray is in 11th, and so on back to 15th place. The difference; none of them have a chance to get to the head table in NYC now. I think it will be most noticeable when there’s no Jeff Gordon speech this year, first time since I can remember. The damn thing is working. They were right, and it took me almost two years to realize it.

Check out this extensive article on the Home Depot Racing Team on ESPN.com Thanks to Jayski.com for pointing me to it.