by Darrell Waltrip

Updated: May 8, 2008, 3:28 PM EST 180 comments

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One saying is, "You can be racin' or you can be ridin'." These young guys today see a race car and they think race. At the same time, some guys see a race car and they think they will race some and ride awhile because the races are so long — which is perfectly understandable. It's just two totally different styles.

These young guys who hop in these race cars only know to run as hard and as long as they can go. To them, that's racing.

There are other guys that say, "Ok, go race yourselves to death, maybe you will beat yourself and I will slide right in there for the win." Maybe that's what Clint Bowyer was thinking Saturday night.

Another expression is, "There's rubbin' and there's wreckin'." There is an old theory in short track racing that you have heard us use a lot that eight tires are better than four. There's another principal about short track racing. If you have donuts on the left side of your race car, then you were in the way. That means you were being pushed up out of the way. If you have donuts on the right side of your race car, then you were racing. That means you were sticking it down underneath people and moving them up out of the way and going on.

On a short track most of the time, that's what it takes to be successful. You can't follow a guy around all night long and politely pass him. You have to get under him, move him out of the way and go on. It's simply typical short track racing all across America. That's just what you do. That's rubbin'.

You aren't taking a cheap shot on your competitor. I hate cheap shots, which is also called the bump and run. There's no such thing as a bump and run. You either hit the guy and moved him out of your way or you didn't. These are terms you typically find at any Saturday night short track across the country.

So what happened Saturday night at Richmond had happened all night long. It happens on every short track. Look at Bristol and look at Martinsville. It just happens. Short track racing is about being aggressive. You can't do like you do at other speedways were you use the draft or a faster car. Short track racing is about pushing it to the limit and fight, fight, fight all race long. That's also why short track racing is so exciting.

I just wanted to give you some insight into some of the terms we use. Did you catch Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s interview on FOX after the race at Richmond? I wanted to go down there and hug his neck. For a man who was trying to win for the first time in two years and then gets knocked out of the way with just a few laps to go, that was absolutely the sweetest interview.

The young man wasn't angry, pointing fingers or ranting and raving. He was under control and well spoken. You have to love the guy for doing that. He remembered last year when he wrecked Kyle Busch in Kansas. The rest of us didn't remember it and it had no bearing on what happened at Richmond, but it just shows that we all make mistakes.

Yes, Kyle is aggressive. You know that, I know that, and trust me, Dale Jr. knows that. When Kyle got under Dale Jr. in Turn 2, Dale knew he was in trouble. Running side by side, he knew there was going to be some contact. But he went down into Turn 3 thinking that if he can keep Kyle pinned down there, if he gets a little bit loose then he will just bodyslam me and we will both continue on. Unfortunately, Kyle got loose, tried to save his car and ended up hitting Dale's car in a worse spot, which was a little more to the rear of the car, and it spun him out.

I know that everyone is on Kyle's case. But daggone it folks, what have we asked for the past three or four years? We wanted guys with personalities who would go out there and put on a show. Carl Edwards, when his car is good and when Kyle's car is bad it seems, they are working hard and putting on a show.

Plus, you have Dale Jr. running great. He is consistent and running right up there at the front. He is going to win his races. I stand by my prediction that before the 2008 season is over, Dale Jr. will have won at least six races. I bet you when the end of the year rolls around, he will be one of the guys you have to beat for the championship.

Oh, by the way:

As far as my brother goes, folks, he is my brother and I love him to death. Some of you are all up in arms because I didn't comment on what happened between him and Casey Mears. Larry McReynolds was there as was Mike Joy and Jeff Hammond. In cases involving my brother, I always defer to those guys to make a comment. Then I will either agree or disagree with them, whatever the situation might be.

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Michael lost his cool. Let's call it "racetrack rage." We all have experienced it on short tracks. Folks, it's temporary, fleeting and it passes in an instant. You do things, make mistakes and then wish you could take them back. But we are all human and that's what we do.

Michael used his car to retaliate and he shouldn't have done that. NASCAR saw what he did. It didn't need a whole lot of words when you have an in-car camera showing what he did. The fact that NASCAR parked Michael shows you how severe that was.

Oh, by the way too:

As far as what happened with Kyle Busch on Friday night in the Nationwide race — he had every right to go down and address the issue with Stephen Wallace. After the checkered flag, Stephen went into Turn 1 and rammed into Kyle's car.

I just want to say this. When I was 30, I didn't think the same way as I did when I was 20. When I looked back and saw the way I acted when I was 20, I knew I had to change the way I acted. When I was 40, I didn't think the way I did when I was 30. Sometimes when I looked back, I was embarrassed by how I acted. Then when I was 50, everything changed. My perspective about life, family, God and racing — it all changed.

My point is as you grow up, you mature and change. We all have done it. Some like myself, Dale Sr, Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon and others have had to do it in front of the cameras and in front of all you race fans. Sure, when you are 23 years old, you do some things that when you look back when you are older, you just wish you hadn't done. Every 10 years you kind of go through that. At least that's been my experience.

Oh, by the way 3:

B.J. Thomas had a country song years ago called "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song". You know what? We could play that song after every race and it would apply to someone every week.