October 26, 2009
Time for Teams to Hire an Enforcer
By Dennis Michelsen
We are witnessing greatness in the NASCAR Sprint Cup division like we have never seen before in the history of racing! Jimmie Johnson is cruising to his fourth title in a row and with this team in its prime the only question is how many in a row can they win? Drivers in today's NASCAR are much more civilized than those back in the day. If someone way back when showed this kind of dominance the competitors would have teamed up to beat him! Since it is clear no one can compete with the amazing greatness of Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team there is only one way to get him off his pedestal. It is time for teams to hire an enforcer!

Slowing Down Greatness
Many years ago in the NHL if a team's top scorer went on a great scoring spree the competition fought back by sending in the enforcer! Nobody got hurt but each and every team had their guy to keep the peace. Today's NHL is a kinder and gentler version of the sport and while there are a few goons the era of the enforcer is gone. But without enforcers some teams do get away with dominating the opposition with speed. Occasionally a team will pick on the better team's good guys and sometimes it can get out of hand without a true enforcer there to keep the peace.

NASCAR's Likely Candidates
There are a lot of NASCAR drivers who know they will never be able to compete for a championship. Others are so wild and crazy on the track they could get away with wrecking someone without any suspicion that it was on purpose! NASCAR racing is seeing television ratings drop and empty seats at tracks that used to sell out. Adding the era of the enforcer to NASCAR's Sprint Cup division will give jobs to drivers that otherwise might not have a future in the sport! Fans will tune in to see the carnage and the associated payback. Oh sure some will argue this will turn NASCAR into Roller Derby but imagine the possibilities! Suddenly Sam Hornish Jr will be in high demand for his propensity to spin out the opposing team's star. Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears won't have to change teams every year! Don't even get me started on guys like Steve Wallace!

Fork in the Road is Here
The NASCAR competition has two choices. They can continue to take their lumps year after year watching Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson dominate or they can send in the goon squad! Perhaps guys like Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs can form enforcer satellite teams to hunt down the great Johnson and keep him from a fifth straight title next year. More crashes will mean more job security for the guys back in the fab shop too. Let's put an end to the era of the lollygagging Chase for the Championship and let's start a new day in the sport. It's time for teams to hire an enforcer!

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