Sports Reporting Blog 5: NASCAR Fights and the High Country Grizzlies

A week or two ago I posted about NASCAR being back with the Daytona 500 and how they are trying to curtail falling ratings.

This week NASCAR showed everyone how concerned they are with the ratings and that they are willing to accept driver's discussing, or confronting, one another after races.

Although what happened between Joey Lagano and Kyle Busch could also be considered a fight.  After the race in Las Vegas last weekend Kyle Busch confronted Joey Lagano in the pits.  The confrontation consisted of Busch walking up to Lagano and his pit crew and attempt to punch him. The pit crew proceeds to tackle Busch and holding Lagano back so there is no further fighting.

The penalties by NASCAR is what showed they need their ratings back, and that they know it.  They handed no suspensions out and only warned the two to not retaliate on the track this week in Phoenix. In today's age most sports leagues would have suspended, or fined, the players, or drivers. 

But NASCAR realized this is part of what fans want.  We want to see drivers mad at one another because he pulled a move to wreck a driver for a win.  NASCAR got penalty happy to try and take bumping and aggressive driving out of racing. But that's what makes racing fun.

I'd rather not know what a driver is willing to do to win and watch it happen in front of me rather than know that he isn't allowed to make an aggressive move in fear of being fined or suspended. It's what was missing and it's what NASCAR seems to realize it needs back.

In local news, the High Country Grizzlies won their first game as a franchise beating the Georgia Firebirds 62-29 in Albany, Georgia last night.  The Grizzlies play their first home game Saturday at 7pm at The Holmes Center.