1. Why Does Martin Truex Jr. Deserve to Be Out of the Chase?
Most people have been questioning NASCAR's decision to fine Truex fifty points and put him out of the Chase. They have been saying that NASCAR had nothing to determine that Truex was involved in the actions made by his team. I have a few things to say about that. The first thing is that there is no “I” in team. What I mean by this is that Truex didn't do anything to manipulate the Chase, but his team had a hand in this. Because of this, Truex should take a fall along with his team. That is just the way it works. Secondly, there is no way in this world Truex did not know anything about the manipulation. Michael Waltrip and others around his team have said there was not a plan in place, but we know there was something planned. If Truex was out of the Chase with a few laps left to go, the team was going to do anything they could to get him in the Chase. I mean, do you guys really think this was a spur of the moment thing? That is like somebody going in a Wal-Mart and stealing something just because they wanted to. They walked in that place to steal something. Enough said. Finally, it just isn't right in my opinion. I know you guys are thinking that the sport was built on bending the rules and doing everything to win, but it is different now. We are at the point that the sport needs to represent what we are in America. I don't like it, but that is how the image of the sport needs to be. This means eliminating all the cheating we have going on and making sure the image of our sport is a good one. I applaud NASCAR for making sure this image of our sport stays as good as it can possibly be.
2. Do I Think Jeff Gordon Deserves to Be in the Chase?
In case you have been living under a rock the past few days and don't know the Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports situation, I will explain. The spotter for the #38 team told driver, David Gilliland, that Joey Logano needed some points to get in the Chase late at Richmond. Gilliland began to fall back and Logano was able to pass him and get a point towards the championship. NASCAR found out about this move a few days after penalizing Michael Waltrip Racing and now both Front Row and Penske are placed on probation. Because of these moves, Jeff Gordon was given an unprecedented thirteenth spot in the Chase. I actually watched the press conference live and I was completely astonished. Not only did Brian France sound like his usual self with his “foot stuck in his mouth”, but he and Mike Helton seemed like Gordon deserved this spot. He really doesn't if you think about it. I mean, he wasn't really cost a championship spot by the moves of the teams said to have committed controversies. In my opinion, he fought hard for a Chase spot, but Joey Logano beat him in the end. To me, this is as clear cut as you can get. Nonetheless, Gordon was given a Chase spot and I can't really be mad because it doesn't affect me in any way.
3. Are the MWR Penalties Too Harsh?
Because of the controversy situation with Michael Waltrip Racing, all three crew chiefs were placed on probation until the end of 2013, all three drivers were docked fifty driver points, Ty Norris, the Vice President and General Manager of MWR, was suspended indefinitely, and the team was fined 300,000 dollars. Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports, two teams who basically did the same thing, were only put on probation until the end of the year. With the penalties for MWR standing alone, I think they are completely fair. The team made a call to get their driver into the Chase at all costs and in the end, it cost them a lot. Plus, NASCAR has brought in more of a suit wearing, don't cheat mentality the last few years and it shows with these penalties. When compared to the Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports penalties, these penalties are absolutely too harsh. I mean, come on. You have a team get just completely demolished with penalties while the other two teams, who are pretty much charged with the same thing, only get probation until the end of the year. To me, Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports should have faced at least similar penalties to the ones Michael Waltrip Racing faced.
4. Did Clint Bowyer Intentionally Spin Himself Out to Help His Teammate?
The reason the whole controversy incident with MWR started was the spin Clint Bowyer had late in the race. In case you guys have not heard about it, I will give a little summary. With six laps to go in the race at Richmond, Bowyer went around in turn 4 allowing the caution to come out. Just before that, Ryan Newman had grabbed the lead and this would have left Martin Truex Jr., his teammate, out of the Chase. Thus, the spin looked extremely suspicious and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the comment that it looked really weird to him. When the spin happened and I heard “Bowyer around”, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind he spun that thing on purpose. I mean, come on. Do you seriously think Clint Bowyer, a driver who did not have a win heading into the Chase and needed one for bonus points, would have a spin while running near the front? Absolutely no way in this world. Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer, and whoever else is a part of the team can say he did not wreck intentionally until the sun no longer shines on this earth, but the simple fact of the matter is that he did. No professional driver can sit there and let a car spin out that lazily unless they want to help a teammate, get a caution, or even make sure they can get down pit road in time. There is just no way and if you don't think he spun on purpose, you might not know the sport well enough or how to drive a race car.
5. Was the Plan Laid Out Before the Race By Michael Waltrip Racing to Get Truex in the Chase at All Costs?
Another major factor from the Michael Waltrip Racing situation was the fact that the team said they did not lay out the plan before the race. Many members of the team have said that the plan came together at the last minute and they dug their grave when Ty Norris made the call to get Brian Vickers down pit road so Truex could get an added point. If you legitimately believe that or I am expected to believe that, you and the whole race team are flat out wrong. Now, I will not say this without at least some partial evidence. First off, Brian Pattie, Bowyer's crew chief, made a pretty suspect statement before Bowyer spun. He said, “Is your arm starting to hurt? I bet it's hot in there. Itch it.” Bowyer responded by saying, “Oh, yeah.” Immediately after this, Bowyer went for his spin and the caution came out. I know some of you don't understand what that has to do with anything, but that sounds like a planned thing. That was the code word for Bowyer to spin out and give Truex a chance to get in the Chase. To add to that, from Bowyer's in car camera, you can see that Bowyer made no attempt to even save the car. Finally, Brian Vickers conversation with his spotter, Ty Norris, seemed suspect. Norris called Vickers into the pits and Vickers was supposed to act completely surprised. He did that well and followed orders allowing Truex to get in the Chase. To me, these issues make it very clear cut that the whole controversy was planned way in advance of the race.
The Chase has officially started with the completion of the race last night at Chicago, but we are still talking about the issues surrounding Richmond. These issues could be long lasting in terms of the Chase and the final race of the year could still be affected by the penalties at Richmond. Plus, Michael Waltrip Racing's credibility could be on edge for the rest of the team's existence due to this controversy. Also, Clint Bowyer and others around the team could lose a lot of respect in the garage and people are talking about Bowyer being taken out a lot during the Chase and the future. I thank you guys for reading a special edition of my thoughts. If you have differing opinions on the issues, please let me know what you think in the comments. As always, I will continue writing for you guys. Just to let you guys know I was unable to stay up and watch the rest of the first Chase race at Chicagoland, but I plan to finish watching the race and write a recap sometime this week. I hope to be able to do that as soon as possible and until we meet again.
Credits:
-Clint Bowyer Richmond Radio Communication:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brrgyDs3CfE
-Penalties for Michael Waltrip Racing following Richmond:
http://www.jayski.com/news/archives/2013/story/_/page/September-2013-NASCAR-News#20130909e
-Image:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=XpLzTS$Wl1rsM$4o$OqrlM$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYsxBLD4LAhokoGADVZTW3uDWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg
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