Well, this has been enjoyable. And I'm glad we've had fun AND a decent argument at the same time. Further, I'm exceptionally happy that my esteemed colleague on the other side of the auto racing aisle has raised one point in particular. So as my follow-up to last evening's exchange, I would like to focus on one, and only one argument raised by Mr. Flag; in that argument lies the fundamental difference between the series. Your take on this position alone likely determines whether or not you prefer NASCAR or some other form of racing (be it IndyCar, F1, Champ Car, Grand Am, ... whatever). So here we go, my final formal contribution on this issue:

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Not to get cute, but I have just one number for you: 25,122. The number of "quality passes" of a Top 15 car in the races to-date. ... 25,122. Twenty-five thousand one hundred twenty-two passes ... That's approximately 1,300 "quality passes" per race so far this season.

How can you make passing boring? Do it 25,122 times over the course of the first half of the season. You've made my point. NASCAR has rendered what should be a thing of beauty into something as commonplace as a heartbeat. How can you possibly appreciate 25,122 passes? It's a bizarre twist of the language that the term "quality pass" would be applied to something so commonplace, so expected, so normal.

------------- ------------------

----------------Quality Passing------------------------------------ -------WHOOPS! No quality pass on this lap,------
-------------------at Daytona-------------------------------_------- -But wait! Likely debris found by NASCAR---

SIDE NOTE: Hardcore Cup fans will likely find it disturbing to learn that KURT BUSCH is the current leader in terms of quality passes executed through the first nineteen races of this season (1,144 - Kurt has been a busy, busy passaholic). I don't think this is particularly relevant to anything, but will likely cause some of our NASCAR faithful to vomit within moments.

QUALITY PASS LEADER

Anyways, ... back to the giant number: 25,122 "quality passes" so far this season (excuse me, ... I've got to explain to my wife again why I'm laughing as I type) ... there, ... I'm o.k. again.

This is something akin to McDonalds serving billions of "quality hamburgers" and judging, therefore, McDonalds burgers to be the best in the world. Sure they're good. McDonalds may be the best fast food franchise in the world; it's certainly the most popular. One of the truly great business successes the world has ever seen. But the most flavorful or highest quality? ... please

I also stand by my earlier statement, that watching a Cup race is very similar - save for the interminably unbearable difference in the amount of time spanned by each event - to watching an NBA game. None of the stuff that happens during the first three and one-half quarters of an NBA game counts; no matter what happens during that period of time, it's all just filler until the last couple of minutes when the outcome of the game is determined. Just like a Cup race.

For the last half of the twentieth century, Indy-type racing was the cock of the walk baby! Stock car races were an amusing diversion for all but current or former moonshiners until the mid-70's. I curse the day the arrogant Tony George decided to take on the uber-arrogant directors of CART, splitting the series and nearly destroying open wheeled racing here in the States and his beloved Indy 500 with it and at the same time breathing life what became known as Cup racing. IndyCar has found a formula that works beautifully, but the market share is gone - and it's a tough thing to regain market share in the entertainment business. Someday, Champ Car will fold and the open wheel series will be one again. I don't know if they'll recover a decent portion of their lost market share, or the emerging X-games market, even if they do come together as early as 2009, but I hope and pray so. The sport of auto racing in the U.S. will suffer badly if its only major choice is a steady diet of 50,000+ "quality passes" per season.