Nobody asked but here's what I think anyway.

Why did Dale Jarrett have to apologize for the truth? In an era when Dale Jarrett has concentrated on redefining the obligations of the Winston Cup champion the media had absolutely no right to roast this gentle giant for his attempts to impart the facts.

There was no reason for the fourth estate to act as if they had been attacked when Jarrett showed frustration at making his point.

The fans watch the race from the comfort of the easy chair or the discomfort of an aluminum seat which bakes you in the summer and freezes the tushy any other time. The media sits back in climate controlled facilities with varying degrees of catering.

Jarrett and his fellow drivers have a completely different view. And, ultimately, it's the view of the driver that counts. If driving a race car was easy Jarrett would be driving golf balls instead of a Ford Taurus.

Driving a race car hasn't gotten easier over time. It's gotten more and more difficult. The days of banging a few fenders simply no longer exist. That's the point Jarrett tried to make in Atlanta. The fourth estate just wasn't willing to listen. The minds of the "keyboard kops" were made up. Racing was boring and it was getting worse by the minute. And, it was all the fault of the drivers.

One quick point. It is the task of the reporter to report. In reporting it's impossible not to draw conclusions. That doesn't mean those conclusions are the right ones. Just like many probably won't agree with what they read right here.

There is no denying the facts.

The first three races of the season lacked what makes for a good show. Missing were lead changes, side by side competition and the ever popular yellow flag. Daytona, by those standards, was a snooze. Rockingham was not, but the fourth estate was so focused on the empty seats they couldn't see the racing for the blinding reflection caused by a clouded sun against bare aluminum seating. Vegas was hit by rain, so throw the CarsDirect.Com 400 out of the mix. Atlanta was simply a blast. The Cracker Barrel 500 was anything and everything a race fan could want. However, there was nothing Dale Jarrett liked about the race.

It's all perspective. Television set, grandstands, media center, or front windshield perspective is everything.

Each of us can whine, cry, complain, and even throw a fit, but until we come to understand what the driver not only sees through his front windshield but also feels through the seat of his pants we have not right to call the races boring.

Dave Marcis has been around as long as anyone on the Winston Cup circuit. He has, from his very years of experience, seen it all. Marcis says speeds at all the racetracks are too fast. The margin of error is almost zero. Aerodynamics is another problem. Racecars don't react well to each other in clean air. And, today's cars have nothing but clean air surrounding them, even when another car comes alongside. Cut 20 miles per hour from the speeds, 200 horsepower from the engines and dirty up the air is how Marcis would bring back the margin of error the driver's need to race side by side.

Marcis doesn't apologize for the racing we see on the racetrack. Drivers drive race cars. Car owners build race cars to NASCAR specifications taken from production models. You want to blame someone? Point the finger at the sanctioning body and the manufacturers. Heck, point the finger at the oil shortages of the 1970's. It was those shortages which brought about government regulations which resulted in slicker sleeker rounder more aerodynamic passenger cars. Blame who you want. Just don't blame Dale Jarrett.

And don't ask for an apology when you get an honest answer.

Stan Creekmore is a veteran writer whose work can be found in National Speed Sport News, Inside Track (Canada) and other racing related print and electronic news magazines. Visit his website at The Racing Insider or email him at nwriter@earthlink.net

Photography was supplied by Sherryl Dennison-Creekmore who's work is regularly published in National Speed Sport News, Inside Track (Canada) and other electronic news magazines. Visit her website at NASCAR Photography or email her at sherryllyn@earthlink.net