Head2Head: Standard for retaliation repercussions

It doesn't happen very often -- retaliation once the race ends -- but if NASCAR wants to show it is credible and doesn't want drivers taking the law into their own hands, now is the time for officials to set a firm penalty on the cool-down spinout.

We saw the move Saturday night in Phoenix when Dale Earnhardt Jr. let Casey Mears know how unhappy he was by clipping the No. 07 and sending him around. It was intentional, it was blatant, it was dangerous, and it was wrong.

It's not like this is an isolated thing. Every year there are a handful of incidents once the race ends, and NASCAR needs to nip them in the bud.

It's simple -- a driver can't be judge and jury. He might be mad about an on-track incident but that does not give him the right to crash the other driver -- even if it's on the cool-down lap when it's not as dangerous as during the race.

If a pitcher retaliates in baseball, he's shown the showers. NASCAR needs its own set penalty.

It costs a driver 100 points if alterations are found on the new car -- blatant or not. So a 50-point penalty for any post-race incident with a vehicle I think is sufficient.

I know fans love the drama; they like to see the personalities of the drivers. But these need to stop before it gets out of control. A driver may be upset with another, but they CANNOT be allowed to use their car as the voice of their frustration.

After what seemed like an eternity, fans finally got what they wanted Saturday night in Phoenix. No, I'm not referring to Mark Martin's first win since 2005 (although many wanted that as well). I'm talking about drivers showing some emotion.

The pressure has been mounting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. While his teammates visit Victory Lane and dominate the points, it was another race for the most popular driver, another pit problem, another car not to his liking, another lead vaporized.

To make matters worse, he got kicked while he was down by Casey Mears -- intentionally or not. The result: another finish of 20th or worse, his fourth of the season. He's tired of making excuses and he's as mad as a NASCAR purist forced to watch a Digger cartoon ... so he delivers payback.

Junior hit Mears at a snail's pace and nowhere near the driver's side door. Mears suffered minimal damage and he returned the favor. In my mind, it's a wash. If it happened at higher speeds or drivers, officials or crewmen were put at risk, I'd recommend a stiff penalty. In this case, they made their peace, nobody was in jeopardy of getting hurt, and they provided some excitement.

In NASCAR's heyday, punches were thrown without consequence. Let's not get bent out of shape over a little wrinkled sheet metal. Darrell Waltrip recently begged for more passion and fans have been craving it. Junior and Mears delivered. Let's not punish them for it.