NASCAR Drivers Yearn For Give And Take

Is it really fair to expect every driver to race like Mark Martin?

Mark Martin is widely respected by his peers in the garage, not just because he practices give and take every weekend. He's respected because he's a great driver. Lately, every driver that complains about the lack of give and take always points to Martin as the give and take ambassador in NASCAR.

Would NASCAR really be better off if all 43 competitors raced with the same approach as Martin, Jeff Burton, or Bobby Labonte?

I think the give and take complaint has been blown out of porportion. Every driver has their own style.

Ryan Newman doesn't just move out of the way when a faster car approaches him. He races them as hard as he can fo any position at any point during the race. He has every right to. And he shouldn't be crucified for it.

At Darlington in 2005, Newman was pressured by the faster Kasey Kahne for second position, but he persistently raced Kahne, and eventually he pulled away and passed Greg Biffle for the lead. Newman would have won that race if it weren't for a caution flag with less than four laps to go.

As soon as Tony Stewart and some of these other guys accept the fact that NASCAR is made up of a variety of driving styles and personalities, the more at ease they'll be.

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