Charlotte, N.C. ? So you thought the Lions-Bears game certifiably mad – plain cuckoo.

Well, how about Sunday’s water-logged Japanese Grand Prix, run in a monsoonal downpour and a descending fog at the foot of Mount Fuji, and then the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Kansas City, which ended in darkness and finger-pointing.

And while we’re talking crazy and controversial, let’s not forget Tony Stewart, who got caught again cursing on TV, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who rammed Kyle Busch in the LifeLock 400 like an 8-year-old brat in a bumper car.

If you enjoy your racing wet, wild and woolly, you got it over the weekend. I tuned into the Japanese GP just after midnight and for the next few hours sat up in bed totally mesmerized at what unfolded.

Racing in the rain is the great equalizer in open-wheel racing, with a few drivers excelling but most attempting to merely survive. Competing in the atrocious conditions like those at Fuji International Speedway on the weekend was sheer lunacy, however .

Rain pelted off the drivers’ visors, torrents of water washed across the racetrack and made life downright dangerous. The spray off the tires blinded anyone caught behind the car in front.

Yet, through all this, one driver remained cool, calm and collected: Lewis Hamilton, the outrageously talented rookie from England, piloted his Mercedes-McLaren to victory while others around him lost their composure, wrecking themselves, rivals and even teammates.

It was truly an amazing performance by Hamilton, 22, the first black driver in F1, who is now 12 points clear of defending world champion Fernando Alonso – who whacked the barriers hard – in the battle for the title.

It was a great drive, in a race which should have been red-flagged around 2 a.m.

At Kansas Speedway, Greg Biffle ended a 28-race winless streak when he ran out of gas under caution, crossed the finish line behind a group of drivers, including Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson, and was still declared the winner.

In a race that was stopped twice by rain and shortened 85 laps because of fading light, nothing should have surprised you, with the exception, perhaps, of Earnhardt’s treatment of Busch. After all, Junior will drive next year at Hendrick Motorsports, for whom Busch, who joins Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, is still trying to win a championship.

Earnhardt clobbered Busch on Lap 28, sending him spinning into the outside wall and finishing his day. Earnhardt, who is not involved in the Chase for the Championship, placed 10th, while Busch, who was furious with Junior’s behavior, finished 41st.

And then we have Stewart, who swore at an ESPN cameraman during a live segment after practice. Stewart was fined $25,000 for swearing after his victory at Indianapolis in July. This time, NASCAR thought Stewart was an innocent victim of bad timing and will take no action.

Fumbles, interceptions, blocked field goals – Detroit and Chicago was certainly wild and woolly at Ford Field. They just didn’t play in the rain!