I could not believe it. I read it and then re read it. Sterling Marlin was out for the rest of the season. But he is a Winston Cup points contender? What do you mean he is out for the rest of the season? What did I miss?

If you watched Kansas, you knew the 40 Dodge had wrecked. Sterling Marlin was not going to gain on the point leader in the Protection One 400. But up until a few weeks ago, he was the point leader. Except for the 1st race he was a top the standings all season long. You could catch him, but catching him and passing him proved to be two different things. We hear this in racing all the time. It was never truer than this season's battle to be on top in the points.

The last couple of races were tough for the Coors Light team. They had fallen to second after Loudon then 4th after Dover. But they were still within the grasp of taking the Winston Cup championship home. All was not lost. This was the tightest points battle in Winston Cup and he was a contender. Why get out now, there is just 7 to go?

Mark Martin was the point leader coming into Kansas. His car was not amongst the front runners most of the race but the team hung in there and with 20 to go he was fighting for a 10th place position. Then there was trouble. It was something in the engine. He stalls on pit road. Panic sets in for the 6 fans. No, not now! If you were a Mark Martin fan, all you screamed was "just run for 18 more laps!" That was all! Then you watched in total disbelief the crew pushing the car behind the wall. You saw it. You knew there was a problem. Then Martin was done. And with just 18 to go!

Earlier Sterling Marlin was interviewed after his crash. He looked okay and the fans just figured he would be back for Talladega the following week. Wrong. The announcement came 3 days after Kansas and 2 days before the cars would arrive at the big track in Alabama. Sterling Marlin is out for the rest of the season.

But what about the Sterling Marlin fans? You cheered from Rockingham in February for your driver to win the Winston Cup title. He was doing it. It looked good. Yes, he had his share of troubles. Blown engines, flat tires, bad pit stops and even crashes. But the team was doing what needed to be done to battle for the Championship trophy. Then out of the blue, with 7 races to go, he is out. Done for the 2002 season. There was no silly season rumor to prepare for this news. Who wouldn't have been shocked? The 40 fans never saw it coming, not like the Martin fans at Kansas. No one could have seen this one coming.

A Winston Cup points contender is out and the season isn't over. Out due to an injury that left the driver possibly not able to give his all to the team to complete the run for the championship. And this news comes on the heels of another much publicized story. Dale Earnhardt Jr. confessed to having a concussion from an accident he suffered in April in the California race. Now, he admits he was not 100% but raced anyway. He couldn't afford to miss any races. He couldn't lose an opportunity for the valuable Winston Cup points. After all, he was a favorite. It was still early in the season. He could have been a contender.

Sterling Marlin has been on top of the standings for 25 races. Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't even cracked the top 10 yet. I personally think that Earnhardt used the concussion as an excuse for his poor season. Why else would we be hearing about an accident that happened in April at the end of September? If he was not 100% and raced anyway didn't he risk the lives of the other drivers on the track? Doesn't that show a lack of respect for his fellow competitors, the NASCAR family? Is he that selfish?

Marlin's decision not to race proved that racing wasn't about one person or one team. It wasn't only about the points or the title. That he is not the only driver who would be affected by his decision to race. No, there are 42 other drivers out there running high speeds and risking their lives for that trophy in the name of entertainment. We do hear a lot about safety, don't we?

Yes, we have come to hear that the drivers know the risk when they strap themselves in the racecar, but to take that risk for your fellow drivers as well, and for imaginary points? Now we see a driver who has a legitimate shot at the title sit out the rest of the season because he is not 100%. Who is one driver to risk more than his own life?

Sterling Marlin taking himself out of the title chase had to have been a hard thing to do. He hasn't won a Winston Cup championship yet in his career so this had to be a heartbreaker for him, his team and his family. With 7 races to go, couldn't he have gotten away with it? Sure he could have risked further injury to himself and possibly to another driver but it would have been for the 2002 Winston Cup Championship. Isn't that worth the risk? Junior thought so. I ask you, "who is really of championship caliber here"?

- gertie