Hello Newman, 97 days til Daytona

It's over! 

There are so many things to take away from the final race of the 2014 #NASCAR season at Homestead.

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick for capping off a great season and for exonerating NASCAR, freeing them from having to explain how a winless driver could take the title. Then again, Ryan Newman, who finished second wouldn't have been winless if he had just had another .5 seconds. 

Ryan Newman didn't win the race or the championship, but he certainly did the next best thing. In fact, he couldn't have done any more or any better. There were likely many who were surprised by Newman's performance. I wasn't one of them. I've watched him race the same way during the entire season. I have been a Ryan Newman fan since 2004 and have rarely, if ever, seen him not give it his all. 

As some have pointed out in media reports, Newman had a 10th place car that he drove to a 2nd place finish. That is just what Newman does. Thing is, he has never been on the media radar before. Television viewers have rarely ever hear Newman's name. 

It was said yesterday, and I've written it previously in CHonTrack that Ryan Newman is NASCAR's Rodney Dangerfield. Ryan Newman is not a typical NASCAR driver. His remarks are not always predictable, never scripted, and certainly not controlled. Newman is a free spirit and isn't afraid to speak his mind. He is also quick-witted with a dry sense of humor, which isn't always easily understood. Personally, I find those traits endearing, but I can see where NASCAR would have a problem, especially since NASCAR is so fond of controlling every aspect of their sport. 

Ryan Newman simply won't be controlled. NASCAR is fortunate however, because Newman loves what he does and causing it harm is likely the furthest thing from his mind. He just won't be manipulated.

Once the viewing public gets to know Newman, they will respect and admire him. They got a little glimpse of who he is in the final race because he had a spotlight shone on him. His situation of earning enough points to be a championship contender while not winning a race all year put him in such a unique position. It almost didn't happen. To earn the final point he needed to advance to the final round of the Chase for the Championship, Newman drifted up the race track on the last lap to move Kyle Larson out of the way. Passing one more car was all he needed to advance. 

Jeff Gordon fans were off the wall about how Newman cheated Gordon out of his rightful place in the final round, despite the fact that Newman did nothing out of the ordinary and certainly nothing other drivers hadn't done. 

So had that incident with Kyle Larson not opened up the can of drama that it did, Newman likely would have continued to fly just under the radar. No one would have ever gotten to see what his fans have always known--that Newman never gives up, gets the most out of his race car every single race, earns every point he gets, and was certainly entitled to contend for the championship. 

His grace under fire is always evident too, as seen in this NASCAR video. 

During post-race interviews, the disappointment and fatigue clearly showing on his face, Newman still managed to smile and acknowledged the bright side of the entire season. Make no mistake; Newman wanted to win the race and the title, but he didn't cry about coming in second. 

In one interview, Newman even joked about his loss being Jeff Gordon's fault, because had Gordon won at Phoenix, Harvick wouldn't be in the chase and he would have finished first of the four that were. That was Newman's way of poking fun at all the negative comments that were leveled against him by Jeff Gordon fans after the Phoenix race.

NASCAR came out a winner too

It appears NASCAR got it right when they changed the Chase format. There seemed to be more interest in the final races of the season. There was certainly more excitement and certainly more drama. That translates into interest which will hopefully will fill the increasingly empty seats.

As it turned out, winning was the necessary component needed to earn the coveted Spring Cup Championship trophy. There was ultimately no need to backpedal, make excuses, or apologize. Had Harvick not prevailed, Newman would have ended his winless streak, thus making the entire point moot. 

So, 97 days til Daytona!

My take on NASCAR drama

Chicagoland Speedway, Wikipedia

The dust has settled, even after the long rainy spell that turned it all into mud.

The first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship is now behind us--finally! It was a long road to hoe, but the championship battle has commenced.

My observations to follow this long week of racing news is as follows:

Adding Jeff Gordon to the chase:

As much as I recognize that Jeff Gordon seemingly got robbed by the events during the race at Richmond that affected the final race of the regular 2013 season, I'm not sure it made sense to simply add his name to the roster. When that was done to add Ryan Newman to the Chase, NASCAR went out of its way to justify it. Newman wasn't simply given a chase berth because he would likely have won the race that was stolen from him when Clint Bowyer spun out his car, Newman was added because the points dictated it. He was tied with Martin Truex, Jr. who as a Michael Waltrip Racing driver was penalized 50 points. The same wasn't true for Gordon, which once again shows NASCAR's inconsistency, a problem they never quite seem to grapple with.

Michael Waltrip Racing penalties:

If it was possible to simply add Gordon to the chase, why wasn't the same action accorded Martin Truex, Jr.? He too was a victim of the overall incident at Richmond. Clearly he had no knowledge of the team orders for which he was an innocent beneficiary. Truex was the one victim in this whole story and he was the only one given no consideration. That was patently unfair. I believe Gordon was added because NASCAR tends to favor him. There have been countless other incidents, like when NASCAR calls a race for rain at just the right moment, or when caution is called for debris that no one sees.

Clint Bowyer points penalties

Clint Bowyer's spin, which started the events that changed the face of the championship field, was intentional, by all accounts except that of Bowyer himself. I believe it to be as well, based on the video of his in-car camera as well as so much feedback from drivers and former drivers turned analysts. NASCAR could have gone back to the technology available to them to prove the spin was intentional, but they didn't. Rather than make it right they would have had to admit they were wrong. The decision-makers are the same ones that initially said there was no problem with the spin. NASCAR doesn't often admit when they are wrong. But I think they were wrong! They should have investigated this further.

For Bowyer to receive a points penalty in the regular season points standings was ineffectual. The penalty should have been after the reseeding for the chase. This was totally wrong on NASCAR's part. The result of their action was moot. Bowyer should not have been allowed to run for the championship in the same manner than the rest of the field of drivers. By comparison, what happened to Bowyer and Truex--well--there is no comparison. Bowyer, who caused this mess came out smelling like a rose while Truex paid the price. That is wrong!

Penske Racing and Furniture Row Racing

Probation for Penske Racing--again--and Furniture Row Racing was meaningless, yet the video transmission about dealmaking was alarming. How many times have these deals altered the results of a race in the past? Will it happen again in the future? This did result in NASCAR cracking down on having only one spotter per team with no digital radios and cell phones allowed.

Restart rules

I applaud NASCAR for loosening the restart rules that were never followed anyway. This is the closest thing to an admission that they were wrong in trying to police restarts, for which they failed miserably.

Painfully long rain delay

NASCAR did the right thing by re-starting the race after the rain. It was a good race overall and certainly worth the wait.

Thank goodness for Twitter

Thanks to Twitter, I was able to follow all the nuances of the painfully long week of news related to what was deemed "spingate." I feel as though I was as informed as I wanted to be, limited only by my own curiosity. NASCAR news men and women did a Yeoman's job reporting all of the events surrounding this bizarre week that began at Richmond Saturday night and continued until the conclusion of the rain-delayed first race of the Chase Sunday night at Chicagoland. Heck, it was almost Monday morning by the time the race ended.

Kudos to the news media

A special shout out to all of them for keeping race fans apprised of what was happening during all the drama unfolding throughout the previous week. They did a fine job, interviewing drivers, staying on top of NASCAR officials, asking all the right questions, and coming up with excellent analysis. 

Richmond race controversy, problems, solutions

It is almost 36 hours after the race at Richmond--the final race in the regular 2013 season--when Clint Bowyer spun out and changed the dynamic of the race, the season, and the potential championship.

Twitter is still abuzz with tweets moving faster than cars drive on the race track. NASCAR fans who are furious that the Chase for the Championship has seemingly been tainted.

When I wrote about this yesterday, in Ryan Newman gets screwed again, I was unaware of Jeff Gordon's situation. He too was ripped off by seemingly unsavory action on the track by the Michael Waltrip Racing, (MWR) teammates--Clint Bowyer, #15; Brian Vickers, #55; and Martin Truex, Jr., #56. Personally, I don't think Truex did anything wrong, while the other two seemingly followed team orders.

To Jeff Gordon's credit, he tweeted yesterday, "Was feeling pretty bad about missing the #Chase but after seeing all the details coming out now I feel even worse for @RyanNewman39."
When I wrote about this yesterday, I had only seen the conversation and video replay where Bowyer seemingly jerked the wheel and manipulated the throttle to cause a spin just after he was briefed by his crew chief about Newman leading the race.

Clint Bowyer audio:

With nine laps to go

Spotter Brett Griffin: "#39 is going to win the race. … Well, that kinda sucks. Nine more right here."

Crew chief Brian Pattie: "Is your arm starting to hurt? I bet it's hot in there. Itch it."

Clint Bowyer: "Oh yeah."

Griffin: "Right with you, 88. Right with you, right with you, right with you."
Pattie: "I think that tire was going down the whole time, man."


Here is the video:

Brian Vickers audio:

With four laps to go

Crew: "We're probably going to pit here on green."

Vickers: "Are you talking to me?

Crew: "Yeah, we're going to pit."

Vickers: "What? I've got to pit? … I don't understand. Pit right now?"

Crew: "You've got to pit this time. We need that one point."

Vickers: "10-4. Do I got a tire going down?"

Crew: "Yeah. … Come down pit road right now, get a good look at it."

Vickers: "Did you find anything?"

Crew: "I'll see you after the race, Brian. I owe you a kiss."

Thanks to Jeff Gluck, USA Today Sports for this audio transcript

Race for the Chase was ever so close

Clint Bowyer was already slated to be in the Chase, despite the fact that he hadn't won a race all season. (Neither have Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or Kurt Busch, which is controversial in itself when they are contending for a championship over drivers who have won races!) Bowyer was solidly inside the top 10, so he had little to lose.

For Martin Truex, Jr. though, the second MWR racing team to potentially contend for a championship, he had to earn the final wildcard chase spot. To do so, Joey Logano would have to remain in the 10th place in points. Also, Truex would have to earn more points than Ryan Newman, with whom he had been so close, not just in this race, but throughout the year. Both had won a race during the season. 

Kasey Kahne with two wins was guaranteed a wildcard position. If Jeff Gordon raced his way into the top 10 in points, he would have knocked Logano out. Logano would have taken the second wildcard, knocking Truex and Newman out of contention. 

Ryan Newman was leading the race though, which would have guaranteed he would have the second wildcard, which would have knocked out Truex and Logano. It looked as though Newman would have won the race with 9 laps to go. That was when Bowyer spun and caused a caution resetting the field. Newman lost the lead after pitting.

By Bowyer spinning, Truex ended up tying with Newman in points. The tie went to him because he had one second place finish. Newman had none. It didn't matter that Newman finished ahead of him on the track or that Newman led several laps during that race. 

Tiebreaker: I find the tiebreaking criteria very disconcerting because NASCAR doesn't even keep a 2nd place finish statistic on their driver stats page. The criteria for a tiebreaker used to be the most top 5's and top 10's. In that case, Newman would have been the victor, since he had one more top 10 than Truex.

It is my contention that the position on the field at the conclusion of the race should be the tiebreaker. That would be logical, simple, straight forward, and not controversial. I guess NASCAR likes the controversy.

Although at first blush, NASCAR brass has stated there doesn't appear to be any wrongdoing, NASCAR fans and even the analysts Saturday night--Rusty Wallace, Brad Daughterty, and Ray Evernham--issued their opinion that Clint Bowyer definitely spun out on purpose to help his teammate Martin Truex, Jr.

That video can be seen here:

Not just Bowyer's spin to bring out the final caution, but the final restart is also questionable

When Carl Edwards, the eventual winner took the green flag, he was in the second position behind Paul Menard. Yet when the green flag waived, Edwards was clearly ahead of Menard. This observation was even pointed out by Dale Jarrett in the broadcast booth.

NASCAR fans are so upset they are petitioning Mike Helton to have Michael Waltrip Racing drivers disqualified from the Chase for the Championship.

The petition, as of Monday morning contained over 3,000 signatures. It is located at: here.

The following is the text, which includes the above video of Bowyer's spin: 

Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have been screwed out of Chase spots through the work of cheaters. Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex deserve to lose their chance at a championship for their actions at Richmond on Saturday, September 7. There is video evidence of Clint Bowyer spinning himself out to bring out a caution, which can be penalized at NASCAR's discretion. Bowyer's team also kept him in pit road for longer than necessary, and Vickers slowed down on the last lap to ensure Logano would make the top ten. Michael Waltrip Racing fixed the race and the championship and should be punished accordingly. NASCAR needs to put an end to teams and drivers who play by their own rules. This is not just for Jeff Gordon. This is not just for Ryan Newman. This is for the fans. We watch NASCAR expecting fair and competitive races, and that clearly did not happen at Richmond. Michael Waltrip Racing did not just affect the outcome of one race; they affected the next ten races AND the entire season. 

Earlier this year, NASCAR penalized Jimmie Johnson for jumping the restart. This should be done to Carl Edwards as well. Clearly, he should not have overtaken Menard in the final restart. 

If NASCAR penalizes Edwards, that would give the win to Kurt Busch and put Ryan Newman in second place. Newman would then tie with Martin Truex, Jr. in that category. They each have 6 top-5's finishes. Newman has one more tenth place finish, therefore, Newman should occupy the final Chase spot. Newman should be in; Truex would be out.

NASCAR says it is taking this situation under review and will not comment until a decision is reached. In the meantime, the beat goes on.

My view: Cheating to help yourself advance is one thing, but cheating to screw all others is quite another. I believe a line has been drawn for NASCAR to maintain any kind of credibility. Something needs to be done before the Chase commences next week at Chicagoland Speedway. There are already plenty of empty seats at race venues. That will only continue if this kind of blatant activity isn't addressed. 

I believe Carl Edwards should be penalized for his faulty restart. Ryan Newman earned and should be awarded the final wildcard place in the Championship Chase since he bested Truex during the final race. Clint Bowyer should be parked, for as long as NASCAR determines. And Michael Waltrip Racing should be penalized. 

More tweaking needed for Chase field

NASCAR needs to reward winners over points

I read an article recently that just made such perfect sense, that I thought I would share it here. It was written by Bill Fleischman for the Daily News in Philadelphia. I happened to catch it on Philly.com.

Fleischman proposed that the Chase for the Championship include drivers in the 11th through 20th position who have won races. He said they should be automatically included in the Chase. That makes sense, since there are several drivers in the top 10 that have not won a race all year. Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Brad Kezelowski, and Kurt Busch have not won races this year. Yet, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex, Joey Logano, and Ryan Newman, all outside the Chase as it now stands, have won races. Kahne has won two.

While NASCAR has tried to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup more geared to winning races, it is still conceivable that a champion could have a winless season. That just isn't right.

The way it stands right now, and of course this could change with the running Saturday night at Bristol, and the subsequent races at Atlanta and Richmond, four drivers, not including Tony Stewart who is out for the season, but who has won a race) there are four winning drivers in the top 20 that are not eligible for the Chase, and four winless drivers in the top 10 that are.

Fleischman pointed out the following:

"2010: Jaimie McMurray finished 14th in points, despite collecting three wins. Newman (15th), Juan Pablo Montoya (17th) and David Reutimann (18th) had one victory each."

2011: Clint Bowyer (13th), Kahne (14th), Menard (17th) and Marcos Ambrose (sic) (19th) all had one win.

2012: Kyle Busch (13th), Newman (14th), Logano (17th) and Ambrose (18th) each won once."

Fleischman contends that winners in the top 20 should be Chasers.

I agree, but would like to take it a little further. I would propose that all winning drivers be included in the Chase, since rarely are there drivers outside the top 20 that win a race.

Drivers that finished the season in the top 10 without winning a race all season include:
In 2010, Matt Kenseth, (5th); and Jeff Gordon, (9th).

In 2011, Dale Earnhardt, (7th).

In 2012, Martin Truex, Jr. finished in 11th over several other drivers who won races.

I like the way the points now determine the top drivers, but when the field is reset for the Chase, it should be focused on winning drivers first, and the highest number of points for non-winning drivers second. That is the opposite of the way it is now.

Once the field is reconfigured, the points should be set back to 0 for the Chase.

Winners need to be rewarded. Points for position don't take into consideration a bad break, having tire problems, or getting wrecked and not finishing a race. The positions should be based on driver's ability, not luck or points racing.

There really is no excuse for winning a race and not being in the Chase for the Championship. As Fleischman pointed out, a Chase run is good for sponsors and good for fans.