How can you enjoy a sport if you believe nothing is ever right or wrong?

   There is an interesting quagmire that encompasses a lot of discussions in NASCAR lately and it showed up again this week when NASCAR levied some harsh penalties on the team of Clint Bowyer, who won last weekend’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire.

   NASCAR really seems to raise the ire of fans whenever it makes a ruling on one of many issues covering some of the “gray areas” of the sport.

   The issues range from ruling whether someone was in the “act of passing,” or whether an on-track incident was “intentional” or not.

   Whether fans agree or disagree, most in those circumstances lament NASCAR having to make judgment decisions, often preferring more things in the sport were more “black and white.”

   That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, actually. But then fast forward to when NASCAR does issue black-and-white rulings, like how Bowyer’s New Hampshire car failed a post-race inspection under scrutiny at the research and development center.

   In this case, the car was outside, not only the initial measurements, but also the tolerance area NASCAR grants as well.

   You would think a clear cut case here, right? Nope.

   Instead, we hear about how “it was the smallest of margins,” or explanations – some plausible, some not – about how something else could have caused this measurement or that to be “slightly out of tolerance.”

   In either case, NASCAR can’t win.

   There will always be judgment calls in sports – it’s what produces some of the best fan arguments in sports.

   But when you also start questioning the legitimacy of black-and-white calls, or instead produce excuses for each and every one, you begin to proffer the theory that no one is ever right or wrong.

   It’s hard to see how anyone could enjoy a sport where none of the outcomes are ever accepted.

Entire Richard Childress Racing statement regarding Clint Bowyer's NASCAR penalty

The following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and chief executive officer of Richard Childress Racing, regarding NASCAR's penalty on the No. 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team after last week's race in New Hampshire:

"First of all, I'd like to apologize to our sponsors, our fans and everyone at RCR for the situation that has resulted from this ruling. RCR has a long-standing reputation of integrity on and off the race track. We pride ourselves on working within the rules established by the sanctioning body.

NASCAR informed us after the Richmond race that we were very close to their maximum tolerances. They also told us they were going to take our New Hampshire car to the NASCAR Technical Center after that race. It doesn't make any sense at all that we would send a car to New Hampshire that wasn't within NASCAR's tolerances. I am confident we fixed the area of concern and the New Hampshire car left the race shop well within the tolerances required by NASCAR.

We feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance by sixty thousandths of an inch, less than 1/16 of an inch, happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the rear bumper when it pushed the car into winner's circle. The rear bumper was also hit on the cool down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That's the only logical way that the left-rear of the car was found to be high at the tech center. We will appeal NASCAR's ruling and take it all the way to the NASCAR commissioner for a final ruling, if need be."

How long can Clint Bowyer race with nothing to lose?

   Any NASCAR fan had to be happy with the end of Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
  
   You had a driver, Clint Bowyer, who was willing to risk everything - perhaps any chance at his first Cup title - to earn the win in Sunday's race, allowing his gas tank to whither to fumes to get to Victory Lane.

   The payoff was great. Bowyer moved from 12th in the standings to second, trailing leader Denny Hamlin by 35 points entering next weekend's race at Dover, Del. He has gone from underdog to a top contender in the course of an afternoon.

   The question remains - and it was rightfully asked during the post-race news conference - how long can Bowyer and his No. 33 Richard Childress Racing team afford to race with nothing to lose? Because at some point now, there is everything to lose.

   Bowyer seems willing to continue with the same philosophy. Of course, it is what got him here. Yet there has to come a time when the risk outweighs the reward. Just ask Tony Stewart. Or Jeff Burton.

   I'm not saying it's time to start "points racing." Those words are just make NASCAR fans and media alike cringe.

   I'm just saying, while everyone would love to see Bowyer's penchant to approach this Chase with reckless abandon continue, I would not be surprised - nor should fans - if there comes a point, when Bowyer may need to get a tad more conservative.

    In any case, it seems Bowyer's championship quest - no matter how it turns out - should be one of the more entertaining to follow.

Where was the media outrage?

   At 2:15 p.m. Friday afternoon, several NASCAR media members had gathered in the media center at New Hampshire Motor Speedway waiting for the arrival of Kurt Busch for his scheduled media availability.

   They were still waiting at 2:30 p.m. And still at 2:45 p.m. (those who hadn't already left anyway). Busch was nowhere to be found, not even by NASCAR officials who attempted to track him down.

   Eventually NASCAR officials made an announcement that Busch would come in the media center following his qualifying attempt instead - no explanation offered.

   What is worse is no explanation was requested.

   Now think about this for a moment. If that had been Tony Stewart and he was scheduled to be in the media center at 2:15 p.m. and simply didn't show, can you imagine the outcry? At 2:16 p.m. there would be some media opening their laptops ready to fill their blank screens with musings of Stewart's disrespect and how NASCAR should hammer him mercilessly.

   Instead, the general consensus was a collective "Oh, well." And that's wrong.

   At the Bristol race, I said on Twitter that I thought some media members' dislike of Stewart was more personal than professional. And many disagreed with me. But let's look at the evidence.

   Busch simply didn't show for a scheduled media availability and were it not for NASCAR pointing out he would come in during qualifying, it probably would have gone unnoticed by many. If the rules should be touted and defended when Stewart breaks them, then it should be the same for every driver.

   Don't get me wrong. Stewart's actions are no more defensible than Busch's on Friday. My only point is one driver has been getting repeatedly raked over the coals for his conduct while others are left untouched for something at least as bad, if not worse.

   Now, that's personal.

Penske Racing won't stand in the way if Allgaier finds a ride elsewhere for 2011

   With no current sponsorship secured for a fulltime Nationwide series ride for 2011, Penske Racing president Tim Cindric said the organization would not stand in the way if driver Justin Allgaier is able to secure another ride for next season.

   “I’d hate to say he was free to go, but there is a mutual respect there,” Cindric told Sirius Satellite Radio’s Claire B. Lang on Wednesday night. “We haven’t been able to put (anything) together yet and we want to see him land on his feet.

   “Certainly if he has another opportunity out there, we would be more than happy to see him succeed and we would work with him on those fronts, although our first choice would be to keep him in one of our cars.”

   Allgaier, 24, is in his second full season driving for Penske in the Nationwide Series. He earned his first career win earlier this season at Bristol, Tenn. He is currently fourth in the series standings.

How about sending the Chase drivers on tour?

   Since NASCAR has already said it is considering making some “tweaks” to its Chase for the Sprint Cup format for 2011, I’ll like to add my own suggestion.

   After looking over the star-studded media lineup Chase drivers have had in New York City this week – insert sarcasm here – I think it’s time to revamp this whole Chase media blitz as well.

   When Chase drivers were appearing on shows such as “Late Night with David Letterman” or “Regis and Kelly,” I could see some benefit in the exposure. It could still be considered worthwhile even though the media event was held in a city that doesn’t host a NASCAR race.

   This year’s media “hit list” for Chase drivers in New York is very underwhelming.

   For one, there are multiple appearances on ESPN programs and Sirius Satellite Radio. That’s fine, except both are broadcast partners with NASCAR, so it’s not something those entities couldn’t do whether the media event was in New York, Charlotte or Martinsville, Va.

   Then there are the appearances on “mainstream media” outlets.

   You got Kevin Harvick on The Weather Channel. Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle were on something called “The Daily Line” on Versus. And Denny Hamlin was a guest on The CW Morning Show. Well, at least some of the drivers made it on Fox Business Channel.

   Here’s an idea.

   Instead of wasting time on media outlets that have little connection to NASCAR racing, how about sending the Chase drivers on a coordinated multi-market appearance, with at least one driver in each of the 10 markets which host Chase races over the next 10 weeks.

   You could, you know, help sell tickets to the races in those markets. Perhaps even generate some media exposure in the actual areas where NASCAR races are actually held.

   It certainly can’t go over any worse than last year’s pie-throwing contest.

Meet some of the NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees in person

 The NASCAR Hall of Fame has been inviting some of the nominees for the next Hall of Fame class to drop by the Hall and visit with those in attendance. Already this month, Bobby Allison, Jack Ingram and Ned Jarrett have visited the Hall. Richard Childress and Dale Inman are at the Hall today for a 1 p.m. appearance.

The visits coincide with voting season for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Once a year, a panel of experts convenes to vote on the next five inductees for the Hall. In addition, race fans can vote on http://www.nascar.com/ through the end of September on who they think should be nominated. The next class of inductees will be announced at 4 p.m. Oct. 13.

Also coming up this month at the Hall is a joint appearance by Rick Hendrick and Darrell Waltrip on Sept. 21. They will tell stories and take questions from Hall guests. In addition that day, the documentary film, "Together: The Hendrick Motorsports Story", will show every two hours in the Belk High Octane Theater and is included with NASCAR Hall of Fame general admission.