Yes, we know you’re mad at Gordon and how dare he pass Dale Earnhardt on the wins list. And you have a right to boo him and jeer him as he celebrates.
Then you go 40 steps too far and throw something at Gordon on the track. That leaves you feeling two ways: You’re still po’d because the win still stands or you somehow feel better about yourself.

Yeah, I guess you did show him.

What’s going to happen if Tony Stewart passes Earnhardt on the wins list? Will he get the same treatment?

What would happen if Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed his dad on the list? Would he get the same treatment? After all, he would only knock Senior further down the wins list.

I can hear it — of course not, that’s his son for heaven’s sake! But you’ve already shown that you have little regard for Junior. His full, unedited comment from last week’s media teleconference:

“I’d consider it [throwing beer cans] nasty. I think I just don’t feel comfortable with beer cans flying onto the racetrack. I’m out there in my racecar. I don’t feel comfortable with beer cans flying on the racetrack at any point in time, to be honest with you,” he said. “You see a lot of them are full, half full, hitting people ’cause they’re not making it over the fence, knocking people in the back of the head. I’ve seen that happen on occasion. It’s a dangerous business. I don’t think it’s cool. It ain’t cool at all.

“Go out in the parking lot and wail a couple beers at your car. Don’t throw them at my car or anybody else’s, for that matter. Take a couple shots at your own. I think it’s ridiculous, to be honest with you. The first time it happened between me and Jeff, it was funny. Then I heard later that people got hit in the head. You could see it on TV, beer cans, full beer cans, were being thrown onto the track.

“If a full beer can doesn’t make it on the track, hits somebody in the head sitting down in row four or five, maybe an innocent fan, maybe a first-time fan, maybe it’s a female or a child, that’s ridiculous. Once I found that out I realized the seriousness of that situation.

“Maybe get some toilet paper. If you’re unhappy with it, throw some toilet paper. It’s hell to clean up, but it won’t hurt anybody.”

So your favorite driver strongly advises against such an action. What? Junior doesn’t tell you what to do? Well, I guess you showed him, too.

You rail against the stereotypes of NASCAR fans, yet you help perpetuate them by your actions. You lower yourself to the standards set by the idiots who start soccer riots in other countries.

We expect this sort of thing from yahoos in Philly, where boorish behavior is almost as much a spectator sport as the game itself. (Sabres coach Lindy Ruff got nailed in the head with a cup of beer, J.D. Drew was the target for batteries, a handful of people booed Michael Irvin as he lay motionless on the turf, etc.)

I know how things in Philly work; I grew up an hour north of there as a dedicated Eagles fan. Now, part of my job is covering the Redskins, part of the rivalry-filled NFC East.

Though I like to think I cover the Redskins with the fairness they deserve. I certainly do my best to do that. And I like to think I’ve moved past the point where I felt so powerless that the only way I could react to a negative was to throw something — on the field, at the TV, at our cats.

In other words, I grew up.

Perhaps it’s time some Earnhardt fans did too.

(Photo by Reinhold Matay/Associated Press)

No matter what, NASCAR is at a crossroads. There’s the court battle with AT&T (arguments were heard this week) and its most talented driver calling the credibility of the sport into question.

I can’t imagine Brian France is terribly happy at the moment. His fortress is under attack from several directions, and he hasn’t got a lot of recourse. If I were him, I’d demand that the silliness stops. Now.

Certainly he knows the stories, probably better than most. If they’re true — and he would never confirm them — they need to stop. Even if they’re not, they need a PR offensive to show the people that pay the bills (fans and sponsors) that their competition will be above board from here on out.

AP writer Jenna Fryer spent time in NASCAR’s race operations booth a few years ago. Now’s the time for NASCAR to invite more reporters in there. Hire a director of oversight and give him/her the same leeway that Robin Pemberton has (though I’d have to give that a little more thought to figure out some details on that).

This is a wake-up call to NASCAR. Transparency never needed to be a consideration for them; now, more than ever, it must be.

They, after all, were the ones that wanted to be big-time. Now they are, warts and all.

• IN DRAFTING MODE: I’m writing this part on Thursday night for a couple of reasons: to maximize the time I get in the office on Friday and to get my mind right for Saturday’s NFL Draft.

Both of those reasons are tied together, which you’ll be able to tell if you pick up a copy of Saturday’s paper: Those two pages on the NFL Draft and one of the stories was all done by yours truly. (The slots graphic alone took the better part of a day and a half to complete.) There’s still more to do; since I can write from home — but I can’t exactly work on a page from home — well, here we are.

With that in mind, let’s carry on the theme. If NASCAR ever decides to go the parity-at-all-costs route like the NFL (and let’s hope they don’t), perhaps we can envision a NASCAR Draft. Of course this could never happen for a variety of reasons, not in a small part because of the teams’ status as independent contractors. (As opposed to NFL franchises.) By that definition, NASCAR has no right to tell teams who to hire; about the only involvement they have is deciding if a driver is qualified to compete, a la David Ragan last year.

If we were to set up a Nextel Cup draft, here’s my mock draft for the top five picks:

“With the first pick in the 2007 Nextel Cup draft, Michael Waltrip Racing selects Tony Stewart.” A no-brainer, if you can live with Stewart being Stewart — surly, sometimes combative, never lacking an opinion (see above). But especially over the past few seasons, the outbursts have not outweighed the wins. He’s the most talented driver on the circuit, and few would argue with that.

“With the second pick in the 2007 Nextel Cup draft, Team Red Bull selects Dale Earnhardt Jr.” OK, I know some will scream at the mere thought of Earnhardt driving a Toyota (perhaps no one louder than a select group in Detroit). But this is a purely hypothetical exercise, so relax. Junior’s an easy number two; if the entire NFL were to re-draft — rookies, veterans, everyone — Peyton Manning would not last beyond number two. Why? He’s a proven commodity, insanely popular and very talented at what he does. Same with Junior — only with a more rabid fan base.

“With the third pick in the 2007 Nextel Cup draft, Petty Enterprises selects Jeff Gordon.” Another easy pick. If this were 10 years ago, Gordon would be the No. 1 pick without question. With all that he’s accomplished, some believe that he’s got nothing left to prove; and it’s been a while since he won a championship, so that’s why Gordon gets relegated to No. 3. But he’s a guy who can be competitive each week and, come September, will be in the hunt for a spot in the Chase. Plus, Gordon is reunited with former crew chief Robbie Loomis, now Petty’s VP of Race Operations.

“With the fourth pick in the 2007 Nextel Cup draft, Bill Davis Racing selects Matt Kenseth.” Best driver still on the board. Kenseth’s a lock for a top five at places like California and Michigan and is often a factor at short tracks too. Though it’s possible Kenseth might hold out until crew chief Robbie Reiser goes to BDR in a package deal.

“With the fifth pick in the 2007 Nextel Cup draft, Wood Brothers selects Denny Hamlin.” The Wood brothers stay true to the Commonwealth with Chesterfield native Hamlin in the ‘good-for-years-and-years’ draft slot. Hamlin has a promising career in front of him, and has proven himself a steady driver who’s capable of winning as well. It’s actually a tough choice between Hamlin and Kyle Busch, but Hamlin gets the nod for bringing less baggage.

That’s a pretty good top five. But remember, this isn’t necessarily a ranking of the best drivers in the Cup series. I took the approach that if I were starting a Cup team and could have any driver I wanted, who would I take? Talent plays into it, certainly (like Stewart), but there were other factors: how they carry themselves, how competitive they are, etc.

To rank the best drivers in Cup would, by default, also be at least some commentary on the teams as well. This list is not that.

(Photo by Mark Avery/Associated Press)

Director of public relations Keith Green said there was the matter of simply making sure everything — everything — was in order before the club officially welcomed outsiders.

“There are things you have to make sure of when you do a project of that magnitude,” Green said. “Lots of I’s dotted and T’s crossed: making sure the paperwork is done for all the furniture we have, making sure all the TVs work, those kinds of things. You know the saying — you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Early next week, track staff will participate in a teleconference with representatives from NASCAR and Fox, which will broadcast the race. Again, more details need to be worked out: where Fox wants to put its cameras; the timing leading up to the green flag; where victory lane will be in case the race is shortened by rain.

“Not a lot of things you’d think of unless you were a race promoter,” Green said.

They’re also expecting delivery of the race trophies sometime this week or, more likely, early next week. Cup trophies are often very distinct, and might not look anything like your standard trophy. Texas’ trophy looked like a pair of boots, while Phoenix gave away a Fender Stratocaster, which Jeff Gordon tried to play in victory lane. (At the right of the photo, there appears to be a more standard-looking trophy, too.)

Green said their trophy will feature a pillow with a crown, fitting since the race is sponsored by Crown Royal. Representatives from that company were involved in the trophy design, too. The process of ordering a trophy actually began months ago.

“It’s not something you can slap together in a couple of weeks,” Green said.

• BACK FRIDAY: I’ll be off tomorrow to squeeze in a day off for Saturday’s NFL draft. See you then…

(Photo by Ken Sklute/Associated Press)

And as we all know, everything with Earnhardt is magnified. His popularity causes that, certainly; but as much a part of it is the unique circumstance Earnhardt is in. His team bears his name, after all.

That may make it sound like the team’s holding more chips, but it’s just the opposite. Earnhardt has the power.

If he ever came onto the open market, the competition would be insane - and I use that term not in the hyperbolic sense. It’s not hard to imagine Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress elbowing each other out of the way to get in line.

But it’s hard to see it coming to that. If they do decide to give him the majority ownership of the company, it’s tough to say no to that. (Though it’s fun to picture him running in a Hendrick car or a Childress car or even a Joe Gibbs car - one that would give him a chance to win every week.) Though an Associated Press story from yesterday indicates that if Earnhardt wanted control, he’d have to buy it - a la John Henry buying into Roush Racing.

DEI doesn’t have much choice in the matter. If Earnhardt left, that would leave Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard as the flagship drivers; neither has earned such a distinction yet. And no matter who DEI replaced Earnhardt with, no driver out there would bring the credibility and popularity that he does.

It’s a situation that bears watching. We’ll update if anything comes of the conference call this afternoon.

UPDATE (6:15 p.m.): Earnhardt didn’t have much to say in the teleconference: “Unfortunately, I know you guys want to know more ... and I want to tell you more than that, but there’s not more to tell,” he said. “Whenever we get the information, when I have what I have, know what I know, believe me, I won’t hold it out for long. Really nothing to report at this time.”

Someone, however, did ask him point blank if he expected to remain with DEI. He was non-committal, but in a positive way (i.e., saying he hoped so without exactly saying he hoped so): “I’m pretty excited that things are going to be fine, things are going to work out with our negotiations,” he said.