Nascar

Depending on your maturity level, NASCAR's "boys, have at it" laissez-faire attitude is spectacular or the most idiotic form of reality TV on the planet. The second notion may be a reach, as long as the mutants from "Jersey Shore" inhabit the earth, but NASCAR seems to have taken its business to an art form in terms of immaturity. Please call the Kindergarten Cops. Somebody just got his hair pulled. That's right. We had another royal rumble last weekend, fresh on the heels of the Boris Said-Greg Biffle sparring session at Watkins Glen, where Said called Biffle a "scaredy-cat" and asked fans to text him Biffle's address so he could beat him up. Now this: Jerry Baxter, the crew chief for Patrick Carpentier, pulled the hair of Steven Wallace after Saturday's Nationwide Series race in Montreal.

Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch have just been downgraded to the undercard in NASCAR's contentious Summer Slam Series. Make way for Greg Biffle and Boris Said. Their post-race road rage at Watkins Glen on Monday had all the feisty elements necessary for a full-blown rivalry. It doesn't get any better than Said calling Biffle a "scaredy cat" and asking people to text him Biffle's address so he can make an unexpected house call and show him a little vigilante justice. NASCAR officials are investigating the incident because punches were thrown.

Rules keep it clean Dave Fairbank Newport News Daily Press It probably lies somewhere between a Latter-day Saints church retreat and world-class cycling. Two guys pinched for selling weed, out of hundreds of pit jockeys and wrench-turners, isn't exactly cause for alarm. That said, in just about any population sample from the planet's wealthiest and most pharmacologically dependent society, there's going to be a notable number of recreational users.

Parody has been the operative word in NASCAR for a long time, coinciding with a five-year championship run by Jimmie Johnson. Competition? It was a joke. Fast forward to this season, when another P-word dominates the headlines: Parity. Ryan Newman's victory in New Hampshire gave the Sprint Cup circuit 13 winners in 19 races — equaling the total from the entire 2010 season. The modern NASCAR record is 19 winners, set in 2001. Although that will be tough to break, there's no question that the rumble of stock cars brings all sorts of unique and intriguing possibilities every weekend.

While Baltimore gets all gussied up for its IndyCar debut on Labor Day weekend, the people who have turned NASCAR into America's favorite motorsport want you to know that they love Charm City, too. That's why NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace was acting as an impromptu tour director on the Annapolitan II in the Inner Harbor on Tuesday morning, entertaining a boatload of racing fans with his North Carolina drawl and his admittedly limited knowledge of...

Ryan Newman capped off a banner weekend for Stewart-Haas Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway by winning Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Newman, the pole sitter, conserved enough fuel and then held off his Stewart- Haas Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, in the closing laps to snap a 47-race winless streak in the Sprint Cup Series. He did not pit during a round of stops under caution with less than 60 laps remaining. Newman finished 0.8 seconds ahead of Stewart, as SHR claimed its first 1-2 finish since the racing organization made its debut in the series at the start of the 2009 season.

Welcome back, Denny Hamlin. Where have you been? It seems you disappeared a long time ago. We sent out an APB after Homestead last November, when you let Jimmie Johnson slip by you for the Cup championship on the final race of the season. You really weren't much of a player in Las Vegas for the awards ceremony. It was a bummer of a time anyway, since you were forced to witness the coronation of a king who wasn't you. And then the season started, and Victory Lane became elusive — until finally you were anointed a champion last weekend in Michigan.

Same rules for all Jim Peltz Los Angeles Times Of course not, if we're talking about decking someone in the garage or otherwise causing harm (or potential harm). Owners, drivers, crew members, Brian France, Mike Helton — they all should be held to the same standard. Did you notice how Helton, NASCAR's president, described Kyle Busch when Helton took up the matter with the media last weekend at Kansas Speedway? He referred to Busch as "another NASCAR member.

There were a few "oh-oh" moments in the press box Sunday night in Charlotte. The obvious one was when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas on the last lap. But there were also a few intertwined before then, particularly when Kyle Busch was out in front. NASCAR's notorious bad boy led twice for 55 laps and ran in the top 10 for much of the night before a couple of late-race spins took him out of contention. He finished 32nd. If Busch had won, there undoubtedly would have been a few uncomfortable moments during the interview session.

Will Kimi Raikkonen cut a similar path of success in NASCAR as former Formula One teammate Juan Pablo Montoya ? The proving grounds start this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Raikkonen is slated to make his NASCAR debut in Friday's Camping World Truck Series race. Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula One champion, will drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports. "Both (Montoya and Raikkonen) are recognized as being incredibly brave and fast, especially on cold tires," said Bob Varsha , a longtime F1 announcer on Speed.