by Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Waltrip: If Tiger Woods injured himself, it only affects Tiger Woods. It doesn't affect the whole team. It doesn't affect anybody except Tiger Woods.

If you think about NASCAR like football, the driver is the quarterback, and you can substitute for a quarterback. You can substitute all you want to, and it doesn't affect the score. You don't take down the points that the starting quarterback scored and start all over again because you change quarterbacks. It's the same way in basketball. You can run subs in and out all you want. If one of your key guys gets hurt, you put somebody in his place and the game goes on.

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In NASCAR, you've got so many elements. You can substitute pit crew members so why do you want to make a guy that's injured — whether it's serious or minor — get in a car and drive one lap? Why do you want to put him through all of that anguish if all he's got to do is go around the race track one time to get points? What's the point?

I know a driver can't be replaced indefinitely. There has to be a specified amount of time or number of races. But it's not like NASCAR would allow a driver to show up one morning and say he can't driver because he has a headache. You'd have to have a doctor who travels with NASCAR quite a lot confirm that a driver has no business out there in a race car on the race track.