NASCAR fights fading away?

USA Today has a good story about NASCAR's evolution, about how the sport has gone from moonshiners who frequently brawled after a race, to a highly polished, image-conscious sport. Today, fighting after a race can cost a driver his sponshorship, and therefore his job.

The paper mentioned a race I have on tape, the 1979 Daytona 500. It was the first time a NASCAR race was televised live, flag to flag. At the end Cale Yarborough fought with the Allison brothers. It's a classic, and helped promote the port.

We need more brawling in NASCAR.

From USA Today, emphasis added:

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While promoting races in the minor leagues, Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage told a group of drivers not to fight but to "get out to the start-finish line if you do." Cup team owner Ray Evernham says that applied when he raced in the '80s at Wall Stadium, a New Jersey track known for wrecks followed by roughhousing.

"If you fought on the track, it was a one-week suspension, and if you fought in the pits, it was two weeks," Evernham says. "One day I asked why, and a race official says, 'Because at least if you fight on the racetrack, the fans can see it.'"

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