Ray Lewis. People forgot his trial when he won. I'd never compare him to Ray Rice. Ray Rice was convicted of a crime. Ray Lewis and Tony were not convicted of any wrong doing but people still judge regardless.

Thanks tsr for all the great things that you do for us racing fans and racing teams.

All good on this side! Completely agree re:NASCAR....that is the nature of this beast that has taken over the premier spot in motorsports in the States. They've been manipulating races probably longer than I've been alive! Sadly, they've made their name off of rubbin's racing. Personally, I think any other driver would have made the same exact move with as wide as Hamlin left that door open.

My bad, I think I mis-interpreted your post, and I meant Ray Rice, not sure why my fingers typed Lewis, guess cause his deal was more current.

[QUOTE=Stevensville Mike;449913]O
I do not wish to argue any point here, however I do stand firm that NASCAR can manipulate races and outcomes more than anyone, and they did so this past Sunday. They got what they want now. It is what it is and a fan of that series should always know what to expect.

I agree that NASCAR can and does manipulate races. But how can you be so sure that they did in this case?

___________
Wes Stafford

[quote=Midget 89;449997] I think he's referring to the debris caution that was thrown shortly after the announcers were discussing how beneficial it would be for Tony if the caution flag were to fly. And while I agree with him in the sense that debris cautions in NASCAR seem to come at times when their story lines can be helped, the drivers have to do their part too. I don't really see how they could "fix" Stewart holding Truex and Hamlin off for all of those laps and fix that last lap to happen how it did. I also have no idea why, if they are truly manipulating races and seasons, they would do so in a way that resulted in Johnson winning 5 championships in a row and 6 out of 8. His dominance is, in my opinion, one of the main reasons NASCAR is struggling as they probably lost some fans during his run. I do believe the cynicism is warranted, just as long as it is kept within reason.

Thanks for clarifying that for me, GYATK94. It was the caution I was referring to. With that move, NASCAR set the table. It was up to everyone else to eat their share.

Good point, though, when referring to the Johnson era of championships. I agree that this, along with the common templates issue of years' past, is one of the main reasons for the decline in popularity. Ironically, it all started with the implementation of the Chase. Kurt Busch won the first won and then it all went the 48's way.

Back on topic, though - Tony got the win under the rules and formula set forth by the sanctioning body. NASCAR got the shot in the arm they needed for promoting the last ten races. Promotional geniuses they are.

And their season goes well into November.