NASCAR All-Star Race?

Looking back at Saturday's All-Star race, and I'm still not sure I understand everything I saw.

Brian Vickers wrecks Mike Bliss (and by wreck, I mean WRECK) to win the Open, and says he didn't do it on purpose? Well, he hit Mike's car square on the left side of the rear bumper in a turn, so I don't think he was trying to help him across the start / finish line, do you? Either Vickers has been taking lessons from his teammate, Jimmie (Not My Fault) Johnson in post race interview techniques, or he's struggling with the whole concept of going AROUND the other cars.

In the All-Star race itself, Joe Nemechek and Kevin Harvick nearly wind up in a fist fight over a wreck neither of them caused? Evidently, Harvick's spotter told him that Nemecheck caused the wreck, and things got a little ugly from there. Joe was so far sideways by the time he crossed Harvick's path that he could look through Kevin's windshield and wave hello to him, but the spotter thought it was Joe's fault? I'm just guessing here, obviously, but I have a feeling that the spotter took his eyes off the track to check out Pam Anderson's outfit, and when he looked back up, Kevin was already wrecked. Having found himself in a spot where he needed to think fast, he quickly blamed Joe, since Joe's car was right there next to Kevin's after everyone was finished spinning. Kevin went after Joe, when he really should have gone after Pam for showing up at the race dressed like that in the first place. (Or maybe he should have just gone after her for showing up at the race, period, since her presence was about as relevant as the proverbial tits on a boar.)

Tony Stewart causes a huge wreck and isn't skewered by fans and media alike for being wreckless and/or hotheaded? I'm really puzzled by this one. It was clear that the wreck was mostly a "racing deal", but that has never stopped people from blasting Stewart in the past. I've seen no mention of Tony needing more anger management classes, or Tony being too impatient or any of the many other criticisms sent his way in years past. Is it possible that people have finally realized that Stewart is not evil personified and that sometimes things just happen? Or is it more likely that pretty much everyone was looking at Pam Anderson's outfit and decided to just blame it all on Joe Nemechek? I'm going with the second option.

Ryan wrecks Rusty and Rusty doesn't criticize him? Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman do not get along at all, no secret there. But, Ryan ends up collecting Rusty after driving too hard too early into a turn and spinning, and Rusty doesn't even cast a hint of blame Ryan's way? In years past, Rusty would have been quite willing to lay the blame at the feet of the person responsible. Are we seeing a more mellow Rusty Wallace, content to just go out and race in his final full season in Cup? Or is it more likely that aliens have landed, beamed the real Rusty Wallace aboard the mother ship, and sent back a perfect (but kinder and gentler) clone? We'll know for sure if Rusty starts complaining about difficulty sitting in the car, since I'm sure the anal probes have to leave a guy pretty tender back there.

What else happened? Martin Truex, Jr won the fan vote, even though he's not a full time Cup driver, Mark Martin won the race in a "retro" paint scheme and thousands of fans were temporarily mortified, thinking they'd seen a sky diver plummet to his death in the parking lot.

The broadcasters on FOX told us there was a full moon, but had they not, would there have been any doubt?