FanHouse Sprint All Star Challenge

If NASCAR was hoping the National Stock Car Racing Commission would bail them out of one of their biggest PR blunders in long while, it failed to do so.

The appeals board upheld the 12-race suspension and $200,000 fine against part-time and even smaller-time driver Carl Long after the driver-owner -- one who makes roughly $100,000 per year -- was found to have an engine that was roughly one-sixth of an inch too big of the 358 cubic inch limit during last month's All-Star Race.

In doing so, NASCAR either ended or completely changed the course of Carl Long's real job as an employee for another team and left the impression of being the big bad brother who forgot where he can from.

NASCAR dusted off the ol' penalty paddle Wednesday, and did so in historic form.

Carl Long, a part-time driver that has likely sold fewer team T-shirts in his career than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car number old or new, was slapped with a $200,000 fine after NASCAR found his engine to be too big during last weekend's All-Star festivities.

The dollar figure was the largest ever docked by the sanctioning body, and very easily could end Long's racing career.

Musings, rumblings and ramblings from Geoffrey Miller after Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Challenge

'Wooooooooo!' to LMS, NASCAR

I'm not sure who makes the final call on the All-Star race format, but Saturday night's version is about as a good as it gets. That 10-lap finale? Adjectives don't describe that, but honorary race director Ric Flair's trademark "Woooooo!" does.

'Woooooo!' Part Deux

The single funniest moment of the night? Joey Logano's Ric Flair imitation after being announced as the fan vote winner. [Watch here at 1:16]

I can no longer grin and bear it.

Never again will I propose a slight substitute or alteration, nor will I pitter-patter around the bush when asked what NASCAR can do to make racing better. Consider this the start of a crusade -- likely a powerless one, but meaningful nonetheless -- to help NASCAR see the ills of its head in the sand ways.

Race fans, it's imperative we see this through: NASCAR desperately needs to implement a double-file restart rule with the leaders up front for every single race on its 36-race schedule.

Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway
Time: Saturday 7:00 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: SPEED, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 63 degrees, 80% chance of rain
Distance: 4 segments, 100 laps (150 miles)
Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Winner: Kasey Kahne
The last time rain affected the All-Star event at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon walled his primary No. 24 in a 2001 first-turn crash thanks to rain on the track and later won the event in his backup. While that's a legendary story, the rain isn't -- and it might take center stage tonight.

If NASCAR's looking for a good way to spice up qualifying, they've already got the format ready to roll.

But before we tackle that issue, Jimmie Johnson will lead off Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway after he and his team dropped a fast time of 121.416 seconds in the three lap and four-tire pit stop qualifying process.

Johnson will lead Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth to the green flag for the first segment after one of the most-enjoyable ways to qualifying for a race the sport has come up with.