I’ve found this year that there aren’t many things more entertaining during a race than to listen to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and cousin/crew chief Tony Eury Jr. go at it over the scanner.

They often disagree on strategy, and Junior isn’t a bit shy about berating Eury if something isn’t right.

It’s also fun to listen to Tony Stewart when things get hot. And Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin also have their moments when you have to do a double-take to let sink in what was just said.

It really is good entertainment, but is it something the fans whould be allowed to listen to? No other sport allows its fans to listen to such private talk. Would Bill Belichick or Tom Coughlin allow their conversations with coordinators to be aired?

After Stewart’s rant against his crew at Richmond made numerous highlight shows (including a mention on nearly every conceivable ESPN format), there have been complaints that such talk between driver and crew chief should be private. Do you want your coversations with your boss or co-worker aired for all to hear?

Then last week Junior was given a bit of advice from owner Rick Hendrick to maybe be a bit more positive during a race. It was meant to be from owner to employee, but we all got to hear it and it’s been a hot topic ever since.

The good part is we get to hear raw emotion, the side of sport most fans in other sports don’t get to enjoy. The bad part is the drivers often come off sounding like, well, jerks.

“There are plenty of times, after you say it, you realize how many scanners are up there and then you think, ‘That was not good,’” Jimmie Johnson said. “This year at Las Vegas when we were so bad, I think I told Chad I would pull it down pit road and let him have a shot at it, it was so bad and we were arguing so bad on the radio. We said a lot of colorful things on the radio.

“After the race, we had a huge event for Lowe’s that took place and they had a thousand people in this tent outside afterwards — all their store managers. I walked in to that event with my head down, feeling terrible about the race, and I walk in the door, I see kids and lots of people in Lowe’s attire. They said, ‘Man, it sounded rough today on the radio.’ It hit me then, I felt so guilty that I said all the things I did on the radio. That put it in perspective more than anything.

“It is a competitive sport; our butts are on the line and there are things that come out. If you put a camera down there on the field for a football game, you are going to hear some colorful things. I am not trying to justify what we say or do. But you say things in a competitive sport that you probably don’t want to sometimes.”

In a way, it’s surprising NASCAR has allowed the coversations to be aired, but if officials really want fans to get to see the emotion and desire these guys have, then why not? Drivers, crew chiefs, owners and sponsors may not like it, but the fans do. What other reason do we need?

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