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. 

NASCAR must cope with Talladega

No other race track on NASCAR's 36-race circuit gets as much publicity as the Talladega Super Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. While it is one of NASCAR's most popular tracks, what is being said is far from good news.

NASCAR's present controversy surrounding safety at last Sunday's race on the high-banked oval, has ramped up along with race speeds, of about 200 mph. Two cars went airborne in separate accidents in what Talladega fans refer to as the inevitable "big one.”

In the closing laps of the race, Ryan Newman's #39 went backwards into the air, back-flipped onto the hood of the #29 car driven by Kevin Harvick, skidded upside down into the wall, where it rolled and pirouetted several times, finally coming to rest in the grass, on its roof. Radio silence immediately after the crash added to the heart-stopping action as emergency workers hurried to aid the driver. The top of the roof had to be cut off to gain access. Race cars were stopped seemingly in their tracks, on the field in a red flag condition. Silence fell over the grandstands while safety crews righted Newman's car. He emerged sore, but uninjured.

Then on the last lap, veteran driver Mark Martin's #5 car, bumped from behind, rolled over, righted itself again, enabling him to simply get out and walk away. A dozen other cars were involved. Newman's wreck took out five.

Talladega in the spring

Sunday's race was reminiscent of last spring when 17-year old Blake Bobbitt suffered a broken jaw after a crash that caused parts of a crumpled race car to hurl toward her through the fence. This too, was in the last laps of the race as the #99 car driven by Carl Edwards was bumped from behind. His car went airborne just as Newman was racing to the checkered flag along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski. Edwards' car flew into Newman's windshield, which propelled it higher and into the fence. The fence held, but debris shot through it, hitting Bobbitt in the face. Several other fans were injured as well, though not severely.

Following the spring crash, Newman, one of the only drivers with an engineering degree, made an impassioned plea for work on the design of the cars to ensure they stay on the ground. Ironically, it was Newman's car that left the ground on Sunday, the very next trip to Talladega.

NASCAR controversy

Part of the controversy surrounding racing at Talladega involves NASCAR as a sanctioning body. Supporters laud NASCAR's safety innovations and rules that were evident by Newman walking away from such a horrific wreck. There are also the detractors. Some claim NASCAR needs to do more to ensure driver safety. Others want the many rules repealed.

Commentator Larry McReynolds was the first to say that perhaps NASCAR has made too many rules.

NASCAR has mandated the design of the cars, to take away any aerodynamic advantage for race teams. The race car is in its first full year. Known as the COT (car of tomorrow), it was developed over a few years. It is anything but a stock car, which is what NASCAR, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing stands for. The inspiration for the COT car was safety.

Another NASCAR mandate is to slow the engines at super speedway tracks—Talladega and Daytona. A restrictor plate is used to limit the engine's horsepower by decreasing the amount of air that flows through the carburetor.

The draft, when one car tucks up tightly to another, manipulates the air flow over both, has become a product of restrictor plate racing, however. Drafting, reduces the drag of the first car, resulting in more speed. Another product is bump drafting, which is a push from the second car to propel the first forward. It must be done squarely, or it can turn the car, causing disastrous consequences. It has long been prohibited in the corners, but just hours before Sunday's race NASCAR officials said bump drafting in the corners would bring driver penalties.

NASCAR has also banned driving below the yellow line, between the racing surface and the apron, if it means advancing a position. This rule contributed to the crash in the spring. Brad Keselowski refused to drive his #88 car below the yellow line. Had he done so and finished first, the infraction would have cost him the win. So when Edwards tried to block a hard-charging Keselowski. Edwards' car went flying. Keselowski won the race.

Potential mayhem results in boring racing

Talladega is known for spectacular wrecks. To avoid the potential mayhem on each lap, drivers have elected to just ride around for most of the race until it is time for a mad sprint toward the finish line in the last few laps. Until then, cars are lined up in one long line, nose-to-tail, much like rush hour traffic on a busy interstate, but at speeds teasing 190 mph. NASCAR fans complain that the race has become boring, except for the spectacular endings and "the big one" for which restrictor-plate racing has become known.

Just driving during a race adds another element in NASCAR's controversy corner.

Three-time champion Jimmy Johnson has been criticized for running at the back of the pack for the entire race. Diehard NASCAR fans have little patience for a champion that plays the strategy game in a race.

Johnson finished sixth, earning enough points to all but ensure a likely fourth consecutive title.

Should a championship race car driver be respected for playing the smart and safe strategy or chastised for hiding out at the back of the pack?

Newman's remarks

After Newman was released from the in-field care center Sunday, his remarks added fuel to the controversy.

"It's just a product of this racing and what NASCAR has put us into with this box and these restrictor plates with these types of cars," Newman said. "The more rules, the more NASCAR is telling us how to drive the race cars, the less we can race, and the less we can put on a show for the fans."

"I will go back in the day, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, all those guys, they respected each other. In the end there were some big accidents, but geez, we don't need the cars getting upside down like this. This is ridiculous." Newman said, adding that there is technology available that can help. He said it was a shame that not more is being done.

With three races left in the season, NASCAR will likely have to spend some of the off-season dealing with issues associated with restrictor-plate racing at Talladega, such as long periods of single-file racing, keeping the COT cars from going airborne, a review of rules, fan discontent, and the ever present driver safety.