This is the Statt Mann Baby!! Time to Scatt a little bit.

The track updates in Las Vegas brought mixed reviews this week. Several drivers went so far as to call the track unsafe because of the higher speeds.

If you believe the people at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, all the updates to the track this past year were done to make the racing more competitive and exciting for the fans.

But the headlines were filled with driver complaints about the speed. Several marquee drivers said the track was too fast and the racing was dangerous.

I’m in the camp that speed creates risk not excitement. I believe racing is competition and not just hang-on-tight speed, and the numbers support me.

The closest finish in NASCAR history was at Darlington four years ago this week. Ricky Craven beat Kurt Busch by just two-thousandths of a second at the wire.

Look at the Top Ten closest NASCAR Cup finishes. Most were at restrictor plate tracks where the racing is artificially close, or at slower tracks like Darlington, Rockingham or Homestead.

At most tracks, history doesn’t support this wild idea that racing is better when everyone is flying headlong into who knows what as fast as they can get there.

Obviously Las Vegas track owner Bruton Smith is putting his chips on speed. He owns Atlanta and Texas where high speeds bring the headlines and classic finishes. It appears he’s betting that Vegas can bring the same jackpots AND the drivers, tire suppliers and fans will come around and ante up their approval of the idea too.

Peace.