The past two races of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season have come down to dramatic fuel mileage battles.
Last Sunday’s Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway saw what was almost a dream night for JR Nation, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading on the last lap coming out of turn four, in sight of the checkered flag.
Fans in JR Nation were collectively holding their breath, wondering, “Could this be the night he breaks his now 105 winless streak?”
However, with the ominous words of Darrell Waltrip, "I think he's slowing down!," that held breath turned to a sigh of defeat as Kevin Harvick took the lead and Dale Jr. coasted across the finish line in seventh place.
We saw a similar story in the inaugural STP 400 at Kansas with about 55 laps to go. Teams started to pit, but just two teams stayed out longer than the rest. This set up yet another race based off of fuel mileage and fuel strategy.
Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both stayed out about fifteen laps longer than the rest of the field, putting them just in the window to not have to pit again.
However, when all was said and done, it was Brad Keselowski who drove his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge into Victory Lane, with Dale Jr. and Hamlin finishing second and third respectively.
Now, one must ask themselves the following:
Is this the kind of racing NASCAR needs, or will it be harmful to the sport?
You have to expect that races will come down to fuel mileage at times, but how frequently can this happen before fans start to grow bored of it?
Sure, these last two races have provided some great drama, but the fans want to see the cars racing each other for the win, not riding around, holding back, saving gas and hoping that the guy in front of them runs out.
This is a debate that has been going on for a while, and probably will keep on being debated for some time.
Yes, there is going to be pros and cons to both sides of the argument as there is with anything in sports, much less with life.
Every fan and driver will have a different opinion on the matter. Some will love it, while some will hate it.
Ultimately, every fan can agree that variety is good for any sport, including NASCAR.
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