Regan Smith crossed the finish line first in Sunday’s AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway but Tony Stewart celebrated his 33rd career Sprint Cup victory. So why didn’t Smith drive into victory lane?

--(Cont'd From Front Page)-- NASCAR said it was because he improved his position by passing under the yellow line, which was plainly obvious as Smith’s No. 01 Chevrolet was next to the grass instead of up on the banking as he thundered through the tri-oval heading to the checkered flag.

For long-time NASCAR fans, the idea that a drive r can race “out of bounds” is somewhat ridiculous. Since the sport’s inception, you raced wherever you could find traction or didn’t crash your racecar.

Talladega, which opened in 1969, is the biggest and roomiest racetrack on the schedule for NASCAR’s top three divisions. Five cars or trucks can fit side by side with room left over. But from the time the speedway opened through July 2001, drivers were allowed to use all of the asphalt they could – from the concrete retaining wall down to the grass.

Drivers would often snake down below that yellow line down the backstretch to break the draft. Others would slingshot down below the yellow line through the tri-oval to make breathtaking passes, often clearing the competition with just a few feet to spare before the banking of turn one began.

But somewhere along the line, NASCAR decided their judgment was better than those strapped in the cockpit and legislated an “out of bounds” rule stating that anyone improving their position below the yellow line would be penalized.

Unless, that is, you were forced below the yellow line. And of course determining who was forced below the yellow line is left open for interpretation.

After several years of existence, the rule’s implementation and interpretation took another twist.

In 2007, Craftsman Truck driver Johnny Benson made a dive below the yellow line at Daytona in a three-wide run to the checkered on the final lap. Benson improved his position from third to second, and it was allowed to stand. NASCAR’s Owen Kearns said “all is fair on the last lap” and Benson went on to make a similar move on the final lap last October at Talladega. Ramsey Poston, another NASCAR spokesman, has made similar comments in a variety of media outlets.

Inconsistent in its decisions or not, the bottom line is the rule is unnecessary.

Racecar drivers will always push the envelope, just as they have since the first two cars pulled up to a stop sign in the early 1900s and their drivers decided to see which one was the fastest. NASCAR’s best had found a way to make it work at Daytona and Talladega for decades yet suddenly another NASCAR rule makes the box in which they can compete ever smaller.

Leveling the playing field is one thing. But chopping part of that playing field off entirely is another. And that’s what’s happened with the yellow line rule. Instead of decreasing the number of crashes – as was intended – all this rule has done is added a level of confusion that is not needed.

Racing is an inherently simple sport. It starts at point A and ends at point B, the first one there wins. Yet NASCAR has complicated it with a number of procedures that make it virtually impossible to follow – even for long-time, veteran fans. No passing zones, drivers getting laps back when the caution flag waves, pit road commitment lines, all add unnecessary levels of confusion.

NASCAR should eliminate the yellow line rule. Race drivers know what’s in their best interest. Sure, some may crash while trying to race below the yellow line and then squeezing back into traffic at the last instant. But so what? How is that different than the other crashes at Daytona or Talladega? If NASCAR really wanted to eliminate the crashes at these two tracks, something would have been done to ditch the restrictor plate years ago.

But that’s an argument for another day.

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