When the movie Days of Thunder came out, all my non-racing acquaintances marveled at how racing passes were executed. "Is that how you guys do it?" I chastised them and said, "That's not really how it's done. That's all Hollywood effect". Apparently I was wrong. All of todays drivers, fendered and open wheel, took that sorry movie as their personal version of the Smith's Driving School and think that's how you race.

I don't care for any form of racing where the aim is to crash the leader out. If you want a career using the PIT maneuver, become a highway patrolman. What I saw at the end of that race (and the only reason I saw it was I thought the race would have been over by then) was a driver with a slightly faster car try to make an extremely ill advised slide job on the last corner. He was no where near close enough to drift up and try to take the line. If he doesn't know better, then he needs to move back down to the hobby stock ranks and learn to drive. Without all the corporate money and cameras watching, that stunt gets you a knuckle sandwich and a tire iron up side the head. But because we all have to act like THIS is racing, they have their little cuddlefest at the end of the night and everyone laughs it off like it's no big deal. He was just going for the win!

I love T-Mez and this story isn't about him. He's a high flying rim rider that adds excitement to the show, but I don't like it any better when his "slide or die" shenanigans end up with someone in the wall. Properly executed slide jobs are like ballet on dirt. It draws people into the sport as they see the incredible car control and precision with which these PROFESSIONALS are able to make CLEAN passes. Watching someone get fed a right rear because "I needed to get by to win" is not racing. If destruction is what sells tickets, then wait for the demolition derby or the bubble car races. I understand that Figure 8 school buses are entertaining as well.

But don't bring that... style, to the race track.