The bottom line is this: It's not about whether or not these kids -- and yes, they are kids -- can drive a sprint car. Many of them have proven they can drive the piss out of these cars time and time again.

I think the sentiment is that some folks don't like to see people getting things handed to them. Did Cole Whitt have his wins handed to him? Hell no. But his and others' roads to that first win and the ones that followed were made easier by the chance to drive top-notch equipment right off the bat. Is it right or wrong? I have an opinion, but I always come back to two things: The racing is as good as I ever remember it being, and I still love it.

Is it like it was when my dad started, when he pieced together his first car over the course of more than a year for under $10,000, only to sell it and start all over when he was laid off? No, it's drastically different. But the sport is still here, and it's still better than anything else on a summer night.

It is what it is.