Smack: 'Dega dilemma and Johnson's Chase mastery

1. Did NASCAR make the right call in disallowing Regan Smith's winning Talladega finish for passing below the yellow line?

Joe Menzer: Well, calling it a "winning Talladega finish" is a misnomer for starters. He didn't win anything. He went below the yellow line, it was against the rules, and he finished 18th as a result.

David Caraviello: I think they did the right thing. I wasn't there, but from what I saw on television, it looked like Regan peeked low around Tony, was blocked, and then went even lower. That doesn't fit my definition of "forced."

Duane Cross: Regardless of any Truck race or the Dale Earnhardt Jr./Matt Kenseth race at 'Dega in 2003, NASCAR made the right call this time. And what's paramount is that it should be adhered to moving forward, so not to create any more controversy.

Joe Menzer: He peeked high first, but only a little. He could have peeked higher, which would have forced Tony to move up higher, and then he might have been able to make a legal move to the bottom.

David Caraviello: Joe learned all those moves from years of racing rental cars.

Duane Cross: But Joe usually dents up his more than Regan did. The fans are right: NASCAR has been inconsistent with its enforcement of the rules. Take this opportunity to move forward and stick to the rules -- period.

Joe Menzer: The bottom line -- I like saying that in this case -- is that, yes, they got the call right in declaring Stewart the winner. But what they got wrong were the signals they sent afterward. One official said one thing, an old radio interview with another said something else. Still another official supposedly confirmed "off the record" that "anything goes" on the last lap.

David Caraviello: There's an old saying in poker: The cards speak. Regardless of what anyone thinks, the cards you put down have the final say. Should be the same here. Regardless of how tongue-tied NASCAR has been in its rules interpretations, the video speaks for itself.

Joe Menzer: And then they didn't fully clarify until more than 24 hours later! That's crazy!

Disallowed dash

• Watch the dramatic finish
• Menzer: Issue is perception
• Cross: NASCAR got it right
• NASCAR's official statement

David Caraviello: Yeah, Joe. It's one thing to make a judgment call. It's another thing for the judgments of several different people to not fall in line -- which makes it seem like they had to get everyone on the same page.

Duane Cross: And to that point Joe, it was good that Mike Helton issued a black and white statement on Monday. Hopefully everyone at World Headquarters will be singing from the same page in the hymnal.

Joe Menzer: Yes, but to clarify going forward, what constitutes going below the line? Is it if two wheels touch the line, like a toe touching the 3-point line in basketball, or is it the whole car, or what?

Duane Cross: And for the record, there's a difference between having the inside position and having a fender inside a guy. Regan had the fender in, but not the position.

Joe Menzer: I had a fender in when some nut drilled my rental car from behind in Chicago over the summer, but that's another story.

David Caraviello: In that same vein, isn't there a big difference between "blocked" and "forced"? To me, "forced" means the driver has no choice but to go in one direction. I didn't see Smith as being forced.

Duane Cross: Now, could Regan have pushed the issue and spun Tony -- no question. Maybe next time?

David Caraviello: Strange thing is, he does that, he wins the race. No questions.

Joe Menzer: Well, I wouldn't say "no questions." He would have been vilified for it by some; praised as a hero who "did what he had to do to win" by others.

David Caraviello: But Joe, no question that the win would stand. Ask Brian Vickers about that one.

Duane Cross: Yep -- and then this is a moot point ... and the fans' retinas wouldn't still be hurting from having to see Zippy on that bright yellow shirt. Guys, that was painful. Looked like high noon in the desert.

Joe Menzer: Right on. And the question you have to ask is, WWTD. As in What Would Tony Do in the same situation? Probably would have spun him out, right?

David Caraviello: I don't think Tony has a reputation for spinning people out at the front. Now, if he's running poorly and mad at someone, he might try it (again, ask Brian Vickers). But I think Stewart has too much respect for the other top drivers to do stuff like that.

Joe Menzer: How much respect do you think Tony has for Regan Smith? And how badly do you think he wanted to win after getting shut out for, what, 43 races? I think he might have done the dirty deed.

Duane Cross: And I think Regan showed a lot of class and respect for not spinning out Tony. He deserves a lot of credit for not wiping out the field coming to the stripe.

Joe Menzer: God help us all, by the way, if we start wearing WWTD bracelets!

Duane Cross: They're available in the Superstore -- $9.99 for three. (Continued)