Should NASCAR be rethinking its policy of "Have at it" in wake of the Atlanta Motor Speedway crashes? (Photo: Getty Images)

They need to stand up and demand professional, civil behavior in the sport, and if they don’t they’re dishonoring the legacy of the people who helped bring NASCAR from the rough and tumble bullrings of the South to the national scene.

They need to stand up and tell their fans in no uncertain terms that the sport has been over-hyped. They need to spread the word to the public and to their younger peers that rivalries are good but irresponsible driving is not.

They need to tell their fans that the fact that the Car of Tomorrow is safer does not mean that a driver or fan won’t be hurt or killed.

They need to point out that NASCAR racing is about dueling for positions, with mutual respect among drivers, and strategy and doing everything possible on the track and on pit road to get the best result possible.

They need to use the media to get the word out instead of trying to spend as little time as possible with the press.

They need to explain to fans that just as motorists on the highway have to trust that oncoming drivers will stay in their lane and abide by the rules of the road, NASCAR drivers need to know they can do their jobs without worrying about a competitor having no regard for common decency.

They need to demand that something be done about the track at Talladega, where a “boring” race last year got all of this mess started.

Drivers and race teams and sponsors and promoters need to be prepared to run a race with a top driver sitting out a race as punishment.

Carl Edwards is a great guy, and has been one of the most helpful to many of us in the media over the years, but when a driver pulls a stunt like Edwards did at Atlanta he needs to sit out a race so he can rethink his and the sport’s priorities.

If he or any other driver is frustrated by pressure from his sponsors or team owners, the sponsors and team owners should back off and work on fixing whatever the problem may be.

For years, NASCAR has grown while portraying its athletes as role models and for the most part they have been.

But wrecking another driver intentionally sends a terrible message.

Demolition Derbies are amateur events that belong at county fairs or local short tracks.

NASCAR racing should be a professional sport. It’s time for its stars to step up and insist that it be that way.

Rick Minter is a veteran, award-winning sports journalist who joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1991 covering motorsports as well as serving as a bureau chief. From 2000-2008 Minter focused on racing exclusively, traveling the NASCAR circuit as the paper’s motorsports writer.


Rick can be reached at rminter@racintoday.com