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. 

Final thoughts on Richmond; Fix points racing; Go for legitimate win!

Clint Bowyer

As much as everyone would like to put last week's Richmond race behind them, that may not be possible. NASCAR can choose to simply move on or they can make the necessary changes to ensure it doesn't happen again.
This has been a really busy week! What has been deemed "Spingate," has kept everyone on their toes, including those of us who have watched intently as the news began to unfold.

Reporters and commentators have been busy, not just filing stories about the upcoming Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, but posing questions associated with Spingate, when Clint Bowyer spun out in the closing laps of Saturday's Richmond race. It was the final race to determine the championship contenders, and a lot was on the line. Bowyer refuses to admit he spun out on purpose, changing the entire complexion of the race, but he may be the only one who won't admit it. Drivers and past drivers have all but accused the action as being intentional. NASCAR stepped in and assigned harsh penalties to Michael Waltrip Racing. The only person really affected by them was Martin Truex, Jr., the most innocent one of the MWR stable, but who was the beneficiary of his teammates' actions. Personally, I think he was completely innocent and had no idea what was happening. All he knew, is he was driving for his life, and with a busted wrist, no less. The result of the penalties took Truex out of contention for the chase and replaced him with Ryan Newman who was running in the lead when the spin occurred. In essence, the win was stolen from him. NASCAR made it right by him to assign penalties to MWR. the result was that he replaced Truex in the points standing, as he would have had the race reached its natural conclusion.

A shout out must be given to the reporters staying on top of this story. I know how hard they are working. When they aren't doing interviews, or filing stories, they are tweeting about their observations. They have been living this story just about 24-7. Kudos to them for a job well done, keeping us all informed.

While NASCAR officials have made monumental changes, with the alteration of the chase field, they continue to review radio communications between the teams of David Gilliland and Joey Logano to see if additional action should be taken. It seems Jeff Gordon feels he was robbed of the opportunity to compete for the championship because of team orders in the Ford camps of the #38 and #22 cars. While I don't anticipate another change in the chase field, it remains that Jeff Gordon is a very popular driver. I would never be surprised to see NASCAR help him out, possibly by adding a 13th car into the Chase.

From where I sit, NASCAR caused this perfect storm of controversy with their emphasis on points racing. They have the ability to change what they created.

While NASCAR's Chase for the Championship is a playoff of sorts, much like football has its super bowl and baseball has its pennant race and world series, NASCAR needs to change its structure. With so much on the line, cheating is practically inevitable and rarely discouraged. NASCAR may have looked the other way for many, many years, but with the open communication available today and social media where fans can talk to one another readily, NASCAR can no longer get away with business as usual. Besides, a little cheating to help yourself is one thing, but cheating to manipulate an entire race that determines the season is quite another. NASCAR has in essence been caught, doing what they have always done. Fans have long suspected cheating to manipulate races and favor certain drivers over others, but now it is out in the open.

NASCAR has to change before there are no fans.

One way to do that is to simplify the process. It has gotten way too complicated. Rules are made but not enforced consistently. Perhaps there are too many rules that contain gray areas.

The emphasis of racing should be as it always has--winning. The way it is now, winning is rewarded, but it is not the end all, be all as it should be. How many times do drivers lay back for hundreds of laps only to make a late charge toward the end? Perhaps races are too long. Whatever the case, every driver needs to fight his way to the lead to win the race.

"If you aren't first, you are last." There is something to that. For a driver to race his butt off to earn a point is ridiculous. He should race his butt off to try to win the race. That is what fans want to see. That is what they pay money for. And they don't want to see anything but a legitimate contest.

Related articles about Richmond

• Richmond race controversy, problems, solutions
• Richmond race fallout, virtually meaningless
• More tweaking needed for Chase field
• Confession; I'm a happy Ryan Newman fan

Richmond race fallout, virtually meaningless

Michael Waltrip Racing
received harsh penalties

After all the dust has settled, the learning curve is over and it is now time to assess the damage. Long before I was a Ryan Newman fan, I have been devoted to fairness, truth, honesty, and justice.

For me, while I'm happy Ryan is in the chase, all is not good in the world of NASCAR, never a paragon of virtue.

After what transpired Saturday night at Richmond, with the obvious attempt to manipulate the race results in its favor, Michael Waltrip got what amounts to a slap on the wrist. It may be the biggest penalties NASCAR ever handed out, but it isn't enough. Damage remains. Questions are still unanswered. Justice has not prevailed.

What I believe NASCAR really did, with the aid of MWR, was analyze the best way to justify what happened and to repair the damage the quickest, not necessarily the best or fairest way possible. What resulted was flawed because NASCAR's motives are flawed; its methods are flawed. NASCAR brass did not seek justice or fairness; they simply set out to make a positive statement to the myriad fans that were horrified by the actions on the track Saturday. NASCAR had no choice but to do something. So they did.

While it appears the right thing was done by Ryan Newman, NASCAR didn't do it because it was the right thing to do; they did it because it was the most logical thing to do to made them look good.

Ask angry Jeff Gordon fans if justice was served. They continue petitioning in an effort to have Clint Bowyer removed from the Chase in order for Gordon to compete for the championship. Gordon has lots of fans and none of them are happy to see their driver ripped off the way he was.

Gordon was a victim. He was 10th in points until his position was manipulated when Brian Vickers was called into pit, allowing Joey Logano to assume 10th place. In car audio revealed Ty Norris directing Vickers to pit because one more point was needed--the point that would give Logano a chase position leaving the opening for Truex in the wildcard spot.

I feel bad for Martin Truex, Jr., who thought he raced his way into the Chase, not knowing that he was being manipulated by unfair circumstances. It is ironic that he was supposed to be the benefactor, but ended up being the fall guy for the company he works for. And I don't think he even knew at the time.

The result of the penalties assessed by NASCAR are basically meaningless. 

Points only matter to drivers trying to earn a place in the chase. With the chase field set, points are of no consequence. Without a place in the chase, Truex and Vickers are basically unaffected by a points penalty. In Bowyer's case, he lost nothing, beyond his reputation. He's in the chase and with the points reset, the result, his position too, is unaffected. With millions of dollars on the line, let's face it, a monetary penalty to Michael Waltrip Racing--$300,000--is chump change. It may be the largest penalty NASCAR has ever leveled, but that must be put into perspective. That is about the amount of one driver earns in one race or for one endorsement.

The bottom line is that nothing will change because of this action, except that Newman will be guaranteed the spot he earned by doing his job well Saturday night. NASCAR did make that right.

NASCAR held a news conference yesterday to make its reactions to this situation known to the media, but it was not broadcast live to the public. That tells me there is still a problem. NASCAR isn't unlike a political campaign that wants to control the message. In this day and age, that is just not possible, but they haven't figured that out yet.

There was no mention by NASCAR about Carl Edwards, in second place, beating Paul Menard, the leader, to the line on the final restart allowing him to win the race. That is illegal by NASCAR's own definition, and fines have been leveled for it. It was explained away this time. NASCAR continues making rules and then haphazardly enforcing them.

Did NASCAR's action deter future cheating? I don't think so. All they did was show that if you cheat, just don't get caught, or watch what you say on the radio so you don't put us in this position again. That was evident in the fact that Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers, who allegedly followed team orders to change the outcome of the race, were not fined or parked. It was evident in the fact that Clint Bowyer refused to admit that he spun out on purpose. Nothing has changed for Michael Watrip or for NASCAR, evident in Waltrip's twitter comments that claim Ty Norris made a split-second call. Norris was suspended indefinitely. That translates into Norris simply being the MWR scapegoat.

I suspect the flaws in this over-regulated, highly-manipulated sport will continue with business as usual.

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. 

Ryan Newman gets screwed again!

I've watched the replays, heard the interviews, and read the reviews. Ryan Newman got screwed again.

Newman did everything right. He drove the wheels off his Quicken Loans Chevrolet. He was so close to winning the race that he could probably taste it. Then something went horribly wrong!

First: With Newman leading and less than ten laps to go, Clint Bowyer spins, seemingly out of nowhere. His teammate, Martin Truex, Jr., who drove a mediocre race all night, was the beneficiary when the field was reconfigured.

Rumors are flying in this Monday morning quarterbacking session. Are there suspicions that Bowyer's spin was a 'team order' issued by Michael Waltrip Racing in order to tip the scales of a very tight contest in favor of their driver--Truex.

Considering both Truex and Bowyer work for Michael Waltrip Racing, that is not much of a stretch. Waltrip has a history of cheating. Who can forget what has been called the biggest cheating scandal in NASCAR, when Waltrip was penalized for a jet fuel additive in his race car before his new Toyota team even took to the track at Daytona. NASCAR had to do something. Waltrip was penalized heavily, but he was still allowed to race. He isn't a stranger to the kind of behavior that could derail a seemingly good run either, evident in the incident in 2007 when he rolled his car not far from his home and cut out quick, being charged with leaving the scene of the accident. Who doesn't think Waltrip lied about being drunk to avoid the penalty? He was charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Newman and Waltrip are not friends. When Waltrip was driving, there were numerous racing incidents that caused bad blood between them.

Then there was the interview with Clint Bowyer. He looked guilty as sin when he was asked point blank if he spun out on purpose.

"No, I think we had a flat tire or something,..." as he changed the subject and refused to look Jamie Little in the eye or at the camera.

That combined with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who said, "He just spun right out. It was the craziest thing I ever saw."

It was common knowledge--even to Waltrip who wanted his driver to excel-- that a second win would ensure Newman made the Chase.

Second: Had there not been a caution, Newman, who was leading the race with nine laps to go, likely would have sailed to the finish. He had the fastest car on the track and already passed all the leaders. A win would have ensured a wildcard in the Chase. It should have stayed green. But it didn't. There is no question that Newman's pit crew dropped the ball, which left Newman to try to fight his way back with not enough time to do it. Stuff happens!

Third: It would have been one thing if Martin Truex, Jr. drove a competitive race with Newman. But that wasn't the case. Newman drove a near flawless race. The two tied in the points, but the tie went to Truex. Given the race to decide a winner, that was unfair. Newman finished ahead of Truex and he led laps. Those criteria should have been used to determine the tiebreaker.

Instead, NASCAR used the number of 2nd place finishes as the tiebreaker. Truex had one; Newman had none. However, if NASCAR would have followed their own rules and black-flagged Carl Edwards for jumping the restart, which is clearly visible on the replay, Newman would have finished second instead of third and would have tied Truex.

NASCAR's inconsistent race calls may also be responsible for Truex being in the chase instead of Newman.

In addition, NASCAR's bogus criteria for the tiebreaker leads much to be desired as well. It is not an easy thing for the public to review second-place finishes throughout the year. NASCAR doesn't even include that as a category on its statistics page. That may explain why they used to determine a tiebreaker by top 5's and top 10's. If that were the criteria, Newman would have edged out Truex.

Martin Truex Jr. in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Statistics for Martin Truex Jr. in 2013 Final Rank    Points  747 High Finish  1 Races  26 Bonus Points  11 Low Finish  41 Wins  1 Poles  0 Total Laps Led  255 Top 5 Finishes  6 Average Finish  15.69 % of Laps Led  3.45% Top 10 Finishes  11 Average Start  12.8 Total Laps  6,998 Top 20 Finishes  19 DNF's  3 % of Laps  94.77% Ryan Newman in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics for Ryan Newman in 2013 Final Rank    Points  741 High Finish  1 Races  26 Bonus Points  13 Low Finish  40 Wins  1 Poles  1 Total Laps Led  84 Top 5 Finishes  6 Average Finish  16.00 % of Laps Led  1.14% Top 10 Finishes  12 Average Start  16.7 Total Laps  6,972 Top 20 Finishes  19 DNF's  5 % of Laps  94.42%

Newman had 12 top 10 finishes and one pole, while Truex had 11 top 10's and no poles. They each had 6 top 5's.

Isn't it time NASCAR polices its own sport before it ceases to exist?

Caution: NASCAR inconsistent

Racing flags
(Photo credit: pixeldrawer)

NASCAR is good about making up its own rules, but consistency seems to elude them.

Every time we turn around, NASCAR makes up another rule. Yet, rarely does it abide by its own rules in a consistent manner. Whether it is imposing fines and penalties, showing bias for and/or against certain drivers and teams, or imposing guidelines on the sport itself, NASCAR's actions are all over the map.

Apparently when to throw a caution flag is the latest NASCAR controversy. This is hardly the first time.

At Sunday's Phoenix race Kyle Petty was correct when he said NASCAR missed two cautions. The first time they should have waved the yellow flag was after Clint Bowyer hit Jeff Burton the first time. Gordon scraped the wall. Parts were visibly flying off his car, leaving debris on the track. Had NASCAR erred on the side of caution, the melee between him and Bowyer would likely not have even occurred.

The second appropriate place for a caution was, of course on the final lap. For this one, they are taking some heat. I have yet to hear NASCAR admit that a mistake was made, although, I've read that the sanctioning body has acknowledged an error.

During the final laps of Sunday's race, Jeff Burton hit Danica Patrick, sending her into the wall. There should have been a caution, but NASCAR let the race continue despite Patrick's injured race car still sitting sideways on the race track. The damage put down a slippery oil slick, which was hit by several drivers, including Ryan Newman whose car went spinning, getting struck three separate times, at least. Patrick was hit again lifting her race car's rear end off the track. Mark Martin, Paul Menard, and Brad Kezelowski were also involved in the ensuing wreck.

There is no excuse for NASCAR not calling a caution in either instance, especially when in contrast, it is quick to call a caution for a tiny piece of debris that may or may not be visible to the naked eye.

When there is an incident on the track, often times, NASCAR will wait to see if a car can limp its way to the pit lane. If it can't a caution will be called, but not always. Why make that a judgement call? Want a rule; how about a caution flag being flown the moment there is an accident on the track?

This incident is just one more reason fans are sick of NASCAR and its inconsistent rules and ever-changing policies. These guys have more mandates than congress. Very little of what goes on in race tracks all across the country on Sundays resembles real racing. The competition has been bastardized by a hand. I cannot imagine the drivers are happy with the situation either. NASCAR really ought to figure out how to get along with the fans it aims to please, and the professional race car drivers it depends upon before it finds itself having a going out of business sale.

Related articles

• Danica Patrick's Best Cup Run Spoiled by Jeff Burton at Phoenix
• Gordon, Bowyer feud touches off altercation

Ryan Newman comes from behind to win at Martinsville

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife

 (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Ryan Newman added the exclamation point at the end of the Goody's Fast Relief 500 NASCAR race Sunday at Martinsville. 

It was an up and down day for Newman. It started on an up note with a decent qualifying effort. More importantly it ended even higher--with celebratory burnouts just before pulling into Victory Lane. The down side was in the middle.

Newman started the race in the third row after a decent qualifying effort. He had a fast race car that hovered in the top 10 during the first 100 laps. Then, after a caution was brought out by Kyle Busch, Newman sped down pit road, just about 2 miles per hour faster than allowed. The resulting  drive-through penalty put him back into the 21st position. He eventually went a lap down, but fought back handily. 

Newman never gives up. 

He eventually got his lap back and made his way back into the top 10. It looked like a good points day and a good finish until all hell broke loose in the last few laps. This is the point in the race where I always hold my breath. Anything can happen and usually does. 

The caution came out with a handful of laps left in the race when David Reutimann's car stopped in the middle of the track just past pit road. Reutimann was hastily and harshly criticized for not bringing the car down to pit road. No one was harder on him than he was on himself, however. He explained that he wanted to finish the race to stay in the top 35 in points. He shares the ride with Danica Patrick. Staying in the top 35 in owner points gives her an automatic starting spot in the select races she has decided to run this season in the Sprint Cup series. 

So, in what appeared to be the final restart, Newman was behind Clint Bowyer who tried to sneak past leaders Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Newman had told Crew Chief Tony Gibson before the restart that he was going for it. And that is exactly what he did. 

The two Hendrick cars had  more than 100 laps on their tires. They chose track position over pitting for fresh tires. Who can blame them? But, they knew they would be sitting ducks on the restart. From what I could see on the video, http://www.nascar.com/video/post-race/highlights/120401/cup-mar-high-four/index.html?MostPopular,  Bowyer, who had fresh tires was faster than Johnson and Gordon. Bowyer  came up on Gordon too fast so Bowyer swerved to the bottom. At the same time Brad Kezelowski who was faster than Johnson, ran into him. Johnson came down into Gordon's right side while Bowyer hit Gordon on the left. At about the same time Bowyer moved down to the inside, so did Newman, resulting in that tap into Bowyer. There just wasn't room for the three cars, so they all came together. 

While the three were wrecking, collecting Kezelowski in the process, with barely enough room, Newman just sneaked right past them all. 

The final restart saw a race between Newman and A.J. Almandinger. The two raced for the win, as Newman pulled ahead when it counted most. 

It was a beautiful thing to watch. Relive it here: http://www.nascar.com/video/post-race/final-laps/120401/cup-mar-high-final/index.html

I am shocked at the negative comments from some race fans who felt Bowyer's and/or Newman's final maneuvers ruined the race. Say what?! 

As many times as I've watched the replay, I have to agree with Kyle Petty and Dave Despain, both of which concluded that no one did anything wrong, except perhaps for Reutimann. Put in the same position as either Bowyer or Newman, any other race car driver would have done the same thing. 

I feel positive enough about the ending to the race at Martinsville to make up for any negativity out there. The race was great! It wasn't too long; it wasn't boring; and the end was the best I've seen in a while. 

Ryan Newman and his crew deserved this win. They have fought hard. Congratulations to them. 

Did NASCAR affect race to the chase? Just wondering?

It is very interesting that Clint Bowyer's car failed inspection after his win at New Hampshire, the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. It is even more interesting that reports indicated NASCAR had a problem the previous week, but did nothing about it.

So, is it NASCAR that kept Ryan Newman out of the chase? Given NASCAR's history and apparent dislike for Newman, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

Had Bowyer lost 150 points at Richmond, when according to Steve McCormick at About.com, Bowyer's team "very nearly failed inspection," that would have kept him from that coveted 12th place spot in points. McCormick went on to describe the problem as, "while not exactly the same, it was in the same area of the car."

If Bowyer's penalty of 150 points would have been assessed at Richmond, it would have put Newman into the chase. At the conclusion of the race Bowyer was 142 points ahead of Newman. Biffle moved into the 12th position, 98 points ahead of Newman.

Had NASCAR's arbitrary decision to dock Bowyer 150 points after Richmond, Newman would have been in and Bowyer out. At the very least, this is an interesting development, especially given the lack of transparency in NASCAR's penalty policy.

Any indication of there being a problem with Bowyer's car after it was inspected at Richmond causes me concern.

I have to agree with Dustin Long's comments that The Chase became a sideshow after NASCAR's penalty to Clint Bowyer yesterday. And while Long referred to the potential manipulation of chse contenders through an appeals process that puts all the decision-making into NASCAR's hands.

Long also added, "The fact that NASCAR could not or would not explain the exact nature of the infraction, the fact that NASCAR seems to have in place a selective use of warnings, that officials have a cavalier attitude when it comes to motives (they said Wednesday that they don’t know if the infraction would improve performance nor did they care), that the car passed pre-race inspection is all going to lead some to think the penalty was excessive and arbitrary."