Analysis: NASCAR wins with fighting, wrecking

Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

FONTANA, Calif. – Five races into the season, and NASCAR drivers are feuding, fighting and wrecking.

That's exactly what NASCAR has been looking for, and all it does is add to the buildup for the next race – at Martinsville Speedway – in two weeks.

"If NASCAR wants us to let the guys have at it, it shouldn't be any different than hockey," Tony Stewart said Sunday after throwing a punch at Joey Logano on pit road. "Let the guys have at it, and then when one guy goes to the ground, it's over."

It's unclear whether NASCAR will see it that way. The sanctioning body could decide Tuesday -- the weekday these decisions usually are revealed -- whether to fine Stewart or put him on probation for his role in the fight. However, this is what officials have been asking the drivers to do in recent years.

Certainly, NASCAR doesn't want drivers to get inju red. Denny Hamlin was hospitalized with a compression fracture in his lower back -- an injury that occurs when a vertebrae collapses. He was airlifted to a hospital after a hard crash into an interior wall -- the result of a dustup with rival Logano while racing for the lead on the last lap.

But the verbal barbs, on-track bumping and a few punches are all things NASCAR hopes can help inject some excitement into the sport again.

If there's a question as to whether the soap opera elements are cause for hand-wringing in the NASCAR offices, there shouldn't be.

Last year, NASCAR hired agency Ogilvy & Mather to relaunch its branding. The result was a series of commercials which show violent crashes (cars airborne and flipping), fights and other dramatic incidents – including the aftermath of Juan Pablo Montoya's collision with a jet dryer in last year's Daytona 500.

That's a distinct departure from NASCAR's marketing in the mid-2000s, in which crashes were never used as promotional material.

It all goes back to a familiar dilemma in motorsports: How much drama should be used to promote the racing?

"Drama always attracts fans and viewers," two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk tweeted Monday. But at the same time, he added, "@dennyhamlin is lucky to survive that crash and @joeylogano is lucky to survive @tonystewart."

For now, the era of "Boys, have at it" continues. NASCAR remains ultra-sensitive to criticism about its decisions and its new Gen 6 cars – it fined Hamlin $25,000 for comments along those lines -- but drivers are encouraged to spar with each other.

NASCAR has seen a decline in attendance and TV ratings in recent years, a combination of the economy and changing fan tastes. Big-name drivers such as three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr., voted NASCAR's most popular 10 years running, are among those still looking for sponsorship for some races this season.

Fans seem to have responded to the recent incidents. The fans in the grandstands at Auto Club Speedway roared when the screens showed Stewart's altercation with Logano, and NASCAR's overnight TV ratings one week after Logano feuded with Hamlin were up 32 percent, according to Fox.

And the drivers seem happy to embrace all the drama – provided they're not involved.

Clint Bowyer, for example, quickly grew weary of discussing his role in a fight with Jeff Gordon's team last fall at Phoenix International Raceway after Gordon intentionally crashed him, severely hurting Bowyer's chance at a championship. But asked about the Hamlin/Logano rivalry two days before Fontana, Bowyer said he was "so proud" of the drivers for causing fireworks.

"It's just good to see that," Bowyer said. "… It's entertainment. It's fun to see people get pissed off."

When Hamlin and Logano lobbed Twitter barbs at one another after Bristol – which included Hamlin's "hush little child" – even non-tweeter Earnhardt Jr. made sure to get updates.

"I think everybody in this room enjoyed all that stuff Sunday night," he said. "It was pretty funny watching them go back and forth."

And if there's payback coming for anyone – Logano, Gordon or any number of drivers who have unresolved ill will toward another competitor -- Martinsville should serve as the perfect place to exact revenge with less worrisome outcomes.

The smallest track on the circuit at 0.526 miles, drivers travel at dramatically slower speeds than a place like Fontana. There's not as much risk of physical injury, but drivers can certainly prevent a rival from winning the race – and perhaps fight about it afterward.

At Fontana, a 2-mile oval where cars can top 200 mph on the straightaways, the potential for injury is greater than at Martinsville, where the pole speed for last fall's race was just over 97 mph.

Brad Keselowski, Logano's teammate and the defending Sprint Cup champion, said he hesitated to refer to the rivalries as "feuds," but rather "emotions shown with authenticity." A fight, he said, is the kind of "water cooler conversation" fans love.

"Whether it is joy or anger, that is what the fans crave," he said. "They want to see us be human, and humans are emotional."

Follow Jeff Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck