by Jeff Hammond

Jeff Hammond: That's a double-edged question with a double-edged answer. Yes, NASCAR can ask the teams to take out the reinforcement bars to curtail that problem, but so much of it is a by-product of equal competition. If you can't pass a guy, and you can help somebody else pass by bumping them, the extra reinforcement does make a difference.

Here's the problem that faces NASCAR. People in the sport always complain about having more rules and judgment calls. But at the same time, when drivers can't control themselves, they turn to NASCAR to do something. For example, teams complained about guys speeding on pit road and taking advantage of other competitors so they told NASCAR that they wanted electronic timing to replace handheld timing. NASCAR gave it to them, and when they started catching people, the teams asked "What are you doing that for?" NASCAR was only doing what the teams asked them to do, institute an automated timing system that determines who is speeding and who is not. It's black and white. They aren't making the calls. The computer is. But drivers started fussing about it.

It's the same thing with the bumpers. Drivers want NASCAR to keep them from driving like a bunch of idiots. They want NASCAR to take charge of it. But when NASCAR starts making rules and judgment calls on bad and potentially deadly situations, then the drivers start complaining and so do the fans. That's why I say this is an argument that really falls back on the drivers.

McGee's driver countdown Boogity's back Sun. Feb. 26 with the Auto Club 500 presented by Q from Fontana, Calif. 20. Bobby Labonte 19. Busch/Vickers 18. Denny Hamlin 17. Jeff Burton 16. Joe Nemechek 15. Casey Mears 14. Dale Jarrett 12. Kasey Kahne 11. Jeremy Mayfield 10. Kevin Harvick 9. Kurt Busch 8. Ryan Newman 7. Carl Edwards 6. Tony Stewart 5. Mark Martin 4. Matt Kenseth 3. Jeff Gordon 2. Jimmie Johnson 1. Greg Biffle

The drivers can control bump drafting. Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson drafted. They had the slingshot. They had all those things, and they didn't have to bump into one another. Sure, they would get behind each other's bumpers and push each other down the straightaway, but they didn't to it to the point of wrecking.

Unfortunately, folks, you're going to have to be careful what you ask for. If NASCAR makes changes and the competition gets boring, who are the fans and drivers going to blame? That's NASCAR's dilemma. While trying to protect the superstars from injury, but they don't want to take away the show and the excitement of racing. When you start tinkering in areas that affect both deals, you're going to have to be ready for the fallout. I wonder whether or not the fans and drivers really understand what they are asking for.

Bad call on Edwards

Cary from Princeton Minn.: After watching Carl Edwards get penalized for going below the yellow line in the Budweiser Shootout, I don't know what to think. Edwards lost positions and avoided a crash. What do they want? A demolition derby? Tony Stewart is right; someone going to get hurt and bad.

Jeff Hammond: On his first infraction, Carl Edwards went below the yellow line and passed another driver. NASCAR put him to the back of the line, and it was a fair and just penalty. When he was trying to avoid the drivers that were stopping on pit road, NASCAR went overboard to make a point. I don't agree with the second call.

In an effort to create a safer cockpit area, it's harder to see hand signals that let drivers know what's going on. Everybody is trying to run the bottom of the racetrack. If the car in front of you doesn't do a good job of letting you know that the two cars in front of him decide to pit, he might duck out to the right while you're trying to get a run on him. You have to take the necessary steps to prevent a wreck.

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Edwards did not gain any positions on the racetrack, and he was going to pass the guys making pit stops anyway so I don't understand the logic behind the call. NASCAR may come back with a very legitimate explanation for why they did what they did, and I would be interested to hear it. But the way I understand the rules and what Edwards did to avoid an accident, it's a bad call.

Do time if commit crime

Billy from Allentown, Pa.: Should NASCAR suspend Chad Knaus for his disqualification in qualifying for the Daytona 500? NASCAR says they are trying to fix their problems. If this is so, Knaus should be suspended just as Kevin Harvick's crew chief Todd Berrier was suspended last year.

Jeff Hammond: Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. If Chad Knaus is found guilty of doing something that's outside the realm of the rules — just like Todd Berrier last year — he deserves the punishment that fits the crime. Today, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that NASCAR is not playing. If a crew chief chooses to push that envelope, and NASCAR feels like he's done something along the lines of what Berrier did, he needs to be suspended and made a lesson out of. That's the problem right now. NASCAR has started something, and they have to finish what they've started.

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FOX race analyst Jeff Hammond led Darrell Waltrip to two of DW's three Winston Cup championships as his crew chief. They also teamed to win the 1989 Daytona 500.

For autographed copies of Jeff Hammond's new book "Real Men Work in the Pits" plus magnets, hats and more, check out www.dwstore.com.

For photos and appearances, visit Jeff's web site www.jeffhammond.com.