Who's to Blame?

Talladega was Talladega yesterday, especially near the end.

The cars were running four-wide. Bobby Labonte was on the inside, with Tony Stewart next to him on the outside line. Another car was to Tony's outside, too. That car came in on Tony, pinching him and forcing him into Bobby and, before you knew it, five or six cars were piled up on the outside wall. The car that caused it all kept on going.

In the final lap, several cars were battling for position. This same car hits another car, causing "The Big One" and depriving the fans of the exciting finish that was brewing between Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya and others.

One car caused both of the big wrecks at Talladega.

Now, if the driver had been someone like David Ragan, you know that the announcers and the other drivers would have been all over him. We've seen it happen before.

In both cases, though, the announcers ignored what was right before their eyes, what was clearly shown on the replays. The announcers refused to say what caused both of the the wrecks. And I think we all know why.

Because the truth is that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove recklessly and caused both of the big wrecks yesterday. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. caused substantial damage to almost half the cars in the field. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is to blame for what happened.

But you'll never hear it from the announcers or the other drivers, because Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the golden boy of NASCAR.

Aaron Larsen