Smack: The blame game

1.Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, or Denny Hamlin -- who is ultimately responsible for Saturday night's mayhem at Richmond?

Joe Menzer: Part of me wants to say Hamlin is most responsible. I know he was heartbroken after leading three zillion laps and having a tire go down -- but once he knew it was going down, there was no way he was going to last 15 laps on it.

David Caraviello: While I don't think this was quite the conspiracy some think it is, you have to fault Hamlin for this. He goes to pit road when he should, the caution never comes out, and Junior and Kyle never tangle.

Raygan Swan: I'm going with Denny Hamlin because it's hard for me to understand why he couldn't find a way to get to the bottom of the track when he knew he had a tire going down, a caution that allowed Busch to catch Junior.

Joe Menzer: But then they were racing at Richmond, and it's very possible another caution may have come out anyway. Regardless, I don't believe Hamlin stayed out to "conspire" to help Kyle try to win. That's ridiculous.

David Caraviello: True, being a short track, the wreck at the end might have still happened anyway. That's quite a possibility, actually.

Joe Menzer: So let's take Hamlin out of the equation. What he did wasn't the smartest thing, and it was a contributing factor, but the other two likely would have had to race each other after another restart anyway. Who's at fault?

David Caraviello: I don't know how you can assign fault there at all. Both of them were racing for position, neither wanted to give. If you have to blame anyone, you blame both of them.

Joe Menzer: Agreed. And that is where so many misguided Junior fans are missing the boat. What was Kyle supposed to do? Let Junior win? They were both racing hard, trying to win the race. It was on of them "racin' deals." Not the first and certainly won't be the last, especially in the final laps at Richmond.

Raygan Swan: I think it's Junior's fault for not knowing better to keep clear of Kyle, because he knows his driving style. Maybe he should've taken precautionary measures, as ridiculous as that sounds, but hey, it's Kyle ... the so-called wild card.

David Caraviello: You have people claiming Kyle "turned his wheels into Junior." Please. Guys racing in close quarters lean on one another all the time. Like Busch and Craven at Darlington.

• Watch the video
• Rodman: Race to oblivion
• Menzer: Bad Kyle is good
• Rodman: Final thoughts
• Caraviello: No conspiracy

Raygan Swan: But as I saw it, Kyle went up a bit as Junior was coming down a bit, a racing incident.

Joe Menzer: Well, the only way he could have kept clear of him would have been to let him go past. And there was no way Junior was going to let that happen -- nor should he have. Truth is, they both could have given each other a little more room.

Raygan Swan: True, but Kyle is like a soccer mom late to practice on I-465.

Joe Menzer: I-465? Is that in Indiana? We've got I-485 here in Charlotte.

Raygan Swan:Yep. Kyle is crazy and will do anything for the win. Not maliciously, but he's like a missile on a target.

David Caraviello: Speaking of crazy, some elements of Junior Nation are in danger of slipping into the lunatic fringe. The e-mails on this are incredible. They all "know" Kyle and Hamlin conspired to get their man. Of course, their source is probably a cousin who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who used to work for Junior Johnson.

Joe Menzer: Kyle always drives on the edge, wants to get to the front. Nothing wrong with that, except sometimes -- and this appears to have been one of those times -- he could have and probably should have been just a tad more patient.

David Caraviello: He's going through the same phase Kurt did, getting into it with everybody on the track and sounding a little too arrogant off it. Kurt came through it all right. Kyle will, too.

Raygan Swan: And Joe, I have to think that Kyle and Junior have some weird tension between the two of them. Junior replaced Kyle at Hendrick, a place he loved and considered Rick Hendrick to be a father figure.

Joe Menzer: But being on the inside, he was in the better position of the two. Once he got under Junior and got a little loose, he had no choice but to turn into him to save himself and his car -- and his chances of winning. It's called racing.

Raygan Swan: They both went as hard as they could and the end result was Junior spinning up the track. If it were anyone else we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's just because it was the anniversary track of Junior's winless streak. And fans love to hate Kyle, which by the way, did you hear him tell Steve Wallace, "If you mess with the bull you get the horns?"

Joe Menzer: While you are right, Raygs, about there being some tension between the two because of the dynamics, I don't believe they were thinking about that at the time.

David Caraviello: Yeah, I can't see Kyle thinking in the heat of a Cup race, "This is the guy who cost me my job with a car owner I didn't always agree with anyway, so I'm going to get him!"

Raygan Swan: I certainly hope not. These metaphors ... we need some new material. It cracks me up to hear a 23-year-old talking John Wayne.

Joe Menzer: I told you two the same thing the first time we did Smack, didn't I? Or maybe I said if you mess with Joe, you get the horns? Can't remember.

Raygan Swan: Ha ha! No, sorry I don't remember that, but I heard you have a 10-gallon hat in your closet.

2. The Lady in Black has been repaved. Cars were going 200 mph at tire testing. What are we in store for this weekend at Darlington?

Joe Menzer: Well, the last five races there have been won by Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon. I expect all three to be strong, regardless of whatever the new track conditions bring. Gordon had one of his best driving efforts of the season at Richmond, considering the fact that his crew chief thought they were going to be in for a very long night at the beginning of the race.

Uncertainty

As the teams unload the haulers for this weekend's race at Darlington, questions loom about the newly repaved track.

• Complete story, click here

David Caraviello: If Gordon is going to break through, this is going to be the place. He has the benefit of the extra track time from the two tire tests, and proved last year he can win there when he has no business doing so. But the place is going to be unbelievably fast.

Raygan Swan: Well the drivers who aren't patient enough to save their tires, like needed before on the old surface, won't have a problem. A new surface puts everyone on equal footing, I suppose. But what about the speeds? The pole record by Ward Burton some years ago was 173 but now they are talking speeds much greater.

Joe Menzer: Well, not everyone. I still don't like A.J. Allmendinger's chances.

Raygan Swan: I never like his chances.

David Caraviello: Hey, what did A.J. ever do to you guys? I suspect that Ward's pole record is a goner. I'm getting the sense that the place is a lot faster than it was in 1985.

Raygan Swan: I'm going to pick Denny Hamlin for this one. At least he shouldn't have tire issues again, but I certainly don't want to watch 200 laps with him out front like last weekend in Richmond. He finished second to Gordon last year I believe

Joe Menzer: Shoot, I think it was 381 for Hamlin in the lead at Richmond!

Raygan Swan: That was a nice win last year for Gordon. His mom came into the media center and chatted about Ingrid and possible baby names. Lord, way too many.

Joe Menzer: We should defer to Caraviello on this subject. He's Mr. Darlington on our staff.

Raygan Swan: True.

Joe Menzer: I meant on the subject of what's going to happen at Darlington, not on the subject of babies and potential names, etc. (Unless something is going on that we don't know about!)

David Caraviello: Now, now, not yet. I have a wedding to get through first. As for Darlington, Raygan was right about the tires. It's going to be a whole different ballgame than it was before. The tire runs are going to be much longer, and guys are going to be able to stay out on old tires, something they couldn't do before. But it's so fast, expect a lot of single-file racing at least until the pavement weathers a bit.

Raygan Swan: Joe do you have your Mother's Day gift for your wife picked out yet? I wonder what Gordon gets Ingrid.

Joe Menzer: Nice segue, Raygs. And I have the "concept" picked out, if not yet the actual gift, if you know what I mean.

Raygan Swan: 10-4!

Joe Menzer: I can't reveal the actual gift at this time. (Like she is actually going to read Track Smack!)

David Caraviello: Watch it, Joe. I hear she's a big fan of A.J. Allmendinger.

3. Usually a lock-solid full house, this year Richmond became a sellout only on race day. Bigger tracks are struggling to sell tickets. How big a bite can this economy take out of NASCAR?

Joe Menzer: Well, I had a nice, long chat with Humpy Wheeler, who runs Lowe's Motor Speedway just outside of Charlotte, the other day -- and of course that was one of the subjects we broached.

Raygan Swan: Well, maybe Hillary can get the gas tax suspended so fans can afford to drive. The economy is going to make an impact. But ratings are up slightly, maybe because more people are staying home and watching.

If you're going to Lowe's Motor Speedway, expect something out of the ordinary.

David Caraviello: Raygan, I think that's exactly what's happening. The television ratings are up, but at the expense of grandstand seats. I've been in this gig for almost 10 years now -- and I can't ever remember Richmond taking until race day to sell out. Darlington has a nice little streak of three in a row, and that may be in jeopardy. But the big tracks, those like Charlotte with way over 100,000 seats, are the ones really sweating it.

Joe Menzer: Hillary? Is she still in the race? I thought after losing North Carolina, she was all but officially finished! I do believe John McCain may have had that gas tax idea first, by the way.

Raygan Swan: She won Indiana!

Joe Menzer: Um, yeah, but by the hair of her chinny-chin-chin. (She does have chin hair, I think). But she lost the more important state.

Raygan Swan: Oh believe me, I'm going for McCain but Hillary and Obama are the only people on the news these days, kind of like when Junior was a free agent. No one wants to talk about anyone else. So what else did Humpy have to say?

Joe Menzer: Yes, before we digress too much further into the politics of the land, let's talk more about the economics of NASCAR these days. All the track operators are well aware of the pinch fans are feeling at home -- not only in gas prices now, but in groceries and all across the board. It's giving them less and less to spend on entertainment -- like going to races.

Raygan Swan: Both painful subjects to talk about let alone debate. So track owners will suffer the most here.

Joe Menzer: Amen, sister. Anyway, Humpy has always lived by the philosophy that a quick nickel is better than a slow dime. So he has slashed ticket prices, which is about all he can do outside of also making sure all the other stuff is top-notch -- which it always is at Charlotte.

Raygan Swan: All you can eat grandstands? Those rock!

Joe Menzer: Plus, you know he's going to blow some stuff up before the Coca-Cola 600! Humpy said he's going back to the 1980s and he's not sure what battle is going to be re-enacted in the infield, but it's going to be really something. Lots of explosions, attack helicopters, troops running around. Good stuff. Oh, then there are the races. Not just the 600, but also the All-Star Race. And by the way, ticket sales shot up for that after the Junior-Kyle incident at Richmond.

David Caraviello: Ah, Kyle Busch, a track promoter's best friend. My favorite Humpy pre-race show was when he had aircraft on a mock strafing run over what appeared to be a South Asian enemy village. As planes flew low over the speedway, little grass huts in the infield blew up. Brilliant, if not quite politically correct.

Raygan Swan: I can't wait, and on the subject of gas prices, fans should remember they can get better fuel mileage if they don't run the A/C and have their tires full of air.

David Caraviello: Does Raygan moonlight at a GM dealership? She's Mrs. Goodwrench!

Joe Menzer: Geez, it's starting to sound like I'm trying to sell tickets for Humpy and you're trying to sell memberships to AAA.

"The Sound of Music" starring NASCAR.COM's Raygan Swan and David Caraviello.

Raygan Swan: That's all I have for the economy right now. I've been riding my bike to the grocery lately!

Joe Menzer: As much as you cook, I'm sure, it's hard to believe you can pile all those groceries on the back of a bike.

Raygan Swan: No piling, you gotta hang them on your handle bars. it messes with your steering but you do what you gotta do.

David Caraviello: Do all those groceries give your bicycle an aero push? Is it a little free off the center?

Joe Menzer: I thought maybe you had a basket on the back -- or the front, like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music.

Raygan Swan: Ummm, no, that's over-the-top nerdy!

Joe Menzer: I could see you playing the role of a nun gone bad. You ever play that one in drama class?

Raygan Swan: Nope! No acting in my resume yet, but DC perhaps?

Joe Menzer: Oh, yeah ... what was the dude's name in Sound of Music, the guy who turned the nun bad? That's got Caraviello written all over it.

David Caraviello: I do act like a writer sometimes. But play Christopher Plummer's role as Captain von Trapp?

Joe Menzer: That's something NASCAR fans would pay to see, no matter what the gas or ticket prices!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers