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Busch Dominates, Wins History 300 at Charlotte
posted by Amy Henderson
Saturday May 25, 2013
Kyle Busch led 186 laps en route to a dominating victory in the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. It was a record seventh CMS win for Busch and his overall in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Busch’s victory was the most dominant in a 200-lap Nationwide Series race at Charlotte since 1986, when Dale Earnhardt led 194 laps en route to the win. Kasey Kahne looked like he might have something for Busch after a series of late cautions set up a dash to the finish, but the No. 5 faded in the final alps while the No. 54 rolled to the win. Joey Logano, rookie Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5, with Larson the highest finishing Nationwide Series regular in the race. Larson’s charge through the field in the second half of the race, using the high groove to pass several cars, had the young driver closing on the leaders before a string of cautions shuffled the field. The first half of the race was a test of patience for race teams. Austin Dillon started from the pole but quickly faded, leading just one lap and finishing 14th. The caution didn’t fly for the first 39 laps, until debris in turn three brought the yellow flag out of hiding. Close racing on the restart led to a second yellow flag at lap 47 as Robert Richardson, Johanna Long and Reed Sorenson were all involved in a crash that ended Richardson’s day and caused damage to both Long’s and Sorenson’s machines. The third of seven cautions, for debris, flew at lap 88. The field would not see another caution until lap 154. That yellow flag came out on that lap for debris once again. The final 43 laps were punctuated by three more caution periods, starting at lap 166 with a spin by Travis Pastrana, who hit the inside wall on the backstretch hard enough to lift all four wheels off the ground, reminiscent of Denny Hamlin’s hit at Fontana that sidelined Hamlin for more than a month, but unlike that crash, there was a SAFER barrier where Pastrana slammed the wall, and the driver walked away unhurt. John Wes Townley and Joe Nemechek also sustained damage trying to avoid Pastrana and the cars checking up around him. Just seven laps after the race went back to green, Sorenson spun in Turn 2 for caution number six, and the field went back to green for just two laps before the final caution came out on lap 185 for a crash between Dakoda Armstrong and Michael Annett, who was making his first series start since being injured in a crash at Daytona. That incident set up the 13-lap shootout between Busch and Kahne before Busch pulled away for the win, leaving Logano and Larson to duke it out with Harvick for the rest of the top 5. Trevor Bayne finished sixth, and Justin Allgaier, Matt Kenseth, Parker Kligerman, and Regan Smith rounded out the top 10. Busch was quick to credit his team after the victory. “It was a really great race for us,” said Busch in the media center at Charlotte after the race. “We’ve had a lot of fast race cars this year, and it’s a testament to our team and (crew chief) Adam Stevens and the work that the guys put in. They do such a great job for me, and being able to go out there with some good-driving cars and lead a lot of laps and put them in Victory Lane, I think it’s just a true testament to how good our organization is and how hard these guys work. They never forget what they’re supposed to do. We have to have good race cars from practice and qualifying and into the race, and so having those adjustments all set and having things ready to go is what makes us look so good. “ Smith leaves Charlotte with a 29-point advantage over Hornish in Nationwide Series standings. Allgaier moves into third, 40 back of Smith, and Elliott Sadler dropped to fourth after finishing 13th. Sadler’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Brian Vickers, holds on to fifth spot after a pit gamble didn’t pay off, leaving Vickers, who had been racing with the leaders, with an 11th-place result. Kligerman, Dillon, Brian Scott, Larson, and Alex Bowman finish off the top 10 in points.
Hamlin Snags Coca-Cola 600 Pole With Track Record Time
posted by Amy Henderson
Thursday May 23, 2013
Denny Hamlin shattered the track qualifying record at Charlotte Motor Speedway as he rocketed to the pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Hamlin had a lap time of 27.604 seconds, or 195.624 miles per hour. Several drivers drove past the old record, set by Greg Biffle in 2012, but it was Hamlin who came out at the top of the heap and holds the new record. Kurt Busch will start on the outside of the front row. Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Clint Bowyer round out the top 5. Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman hold down sixth through tenth places. The pole is Hamlin’s second of 2013; he also started in front at Fontana before an injury in that race sidelined him for over a month. Hamlin says that his back feels “nearly 100%” and that it doesn’t cause him pain while driving. He added that winning the pole helped solidify for him that he is back at a competitive level, but he wants one more thing before he’ll be satisfied. “I think winning would do that. I think ultimately getting the big trophy on Sunday is the validation that you’re truly back,” said Hamlin after his lap. “For me, it’s going to take some wins and some really good consistency throughout these summer months to put ourselves in position to have a chance at a championship. That’s what we’re here for. Even these small victories though give me that confidence that I’m still capable, and I’m still able to do the job at 100 percent like I should be. Any kind of confidence booster for me — it’s always a plus on Sunday.” The Cup teams are next on track Saturday at 10 AM for the weekend’s second practice. Final practice for Sunday’s race is Saturday afternoon at one o’clock. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to start at 6 PM on Sunday and will air on FOX.
Jimmie Johnson wins the Sprint All-Star race.....again
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 19, 2013
Five-time is now four-time when it comes to the Sprint All-Star race. Coming into Saturday night’s race, Johnson was tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for most wins in the annual event with three wins. Johnson bided his time, restarted the last segment in the second spot, dueled Kasey Kahne for two laps to secure the lead and pulled away to a convincing win. Joey Logano started the last segment in the seventh position, took advantage of a slip up by Kyle Busch on the start of the final segment, and ultimately came home in the runner-up spot. Kyle Busch rebounded from his slip up to muscle his way back to third. Kahne started the final segment on the pole but couldn’t hold off Johnson on the first few laps of the restart and ended up fourth. Kurt Busch won two segments, was the first on pit road for the money pit stop, but finished the event in fifth place. Jimmie Johnson summed up his results in two words, “we’re lucky”. It was tongue in cheek but Johnson was poking fun at the people who continue to accuse the No. 48 of preferential treatment, fixed races, and a blind eye to cheating. Johnson has one of the highest winning percentages in NASCAR history and it comes from natural talent and chemistry with his crew. This race also now ties Johnson with Davey Allison as the only two drivers to win the race in back-to-back years. Logano and Busch visited with the media after the race to speak about their runs. Logano was understandably upbeat about his second while Busch was quite dejected, having another All-Star race slip out of his grasp. Kahne spoke about the elephant in the room that is the length of the segments in the race during his post race availability on pit road. He noted that the inherent problem with the format is that the car is designed with downforce, on a track that is cool and has a bunch of grip. The only way to make the races exciting after the first couple of laps of racing would be to extend the segments to the The first 20 lap segment was won by Kurt Busch. Segment two went to his brother Kyle. That segment win allowed Bruton Smith to breathe more easily since he put up a $1,000,000 bonus to anyone who won all four of the segments. Segment three also went to the younger Busch, while the fourth segment win was tallied in brother Kurt’ s account.
Kyle Busch wins the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 17, 2013
‘Rowdy’ Busch was back in his familiar No. 51 truck at his favorite track on the Truck schedule. Busch led 80 laps and thought he should have led more but had a fuel issue on pit road that resulted in him having to battle back through the field. The race was slowed by eight cautions that helped him work his way back through the field. Busch beat Brendan Gaughan to the finish by .488 seconds, while Max Gresham chased them both to the line for his first top three finish of his Truck career. Matt Crafton came home in fourth place after having to battle through a couple of tire mishaps during the event. Ty Dillon rounded out the top 5 for his first finish that high this season. Busch led the race three times for his 80 laps. Miguel Paludo was second on the laps led board with 33. Gaughan, Gresham and Dillon also scored bonus points for leading laps. There were two cautions in the first 72 laps of the race while 29 of the last 62 laps were completed under the yellow flag. Jeb Burton started the race on the pole but did not lead a lap. He did however end the race as the Rookie of the Race for his 13th place finish. Matt Crafton leads Burton by 22 points in the season standings after five races this season.
Matt Kenseth Snatches Victory from the Jaws of Defeat at Darlington
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 12, 2013
Kyle Busch appeared to be headed for another weekend sweep after winning the Nationwide race at Darlington on Friday night. However, a funny thing happened as they were bringing out the dustpan. Matt Kenseth chased down the dominant car of the night, passed him with relative ease and then strolled away to a 3.165 second victory. Kenseth led the final 13 laps after Busch had held the point for 265 of the 354 laps leading up to Kenseth’s race winning pass. After Kenseth worked around Busch, the No. 18 slid rapidly backwards over the final eight laps to fall from second to sixth place. Joe Gibbs Racing did manage a 1-2 finish after sweeping the podium in Friday night’s Nationwide tilt. Denny Hamlin, in his first full race back in the car since his vertebrae fracture at California, soldiered through the pain of his arms, neck and shoulders more than his recovered back to wrestle a second place finish away from the Lady in Black. Coming home in third was Jeff Gordon, who turned his 700th career start into a top 3 finish. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 in the Bojangles Southern 500. Kurt Busch started the race on the pole and led the first 51 laps before coming to the pits for a green flag stop. After the stops cycled through Busch was back at the point for 18 more laps before his brother began his domination. The race went green for the first 302 laps save a seven lap caution stint from lap 125 to lap 131. The final 65 laps saw four more cautions that flew for accidents involving Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne. The race saw four leaders including Jeff Gordon in addition to the Busch brothers and Kenseth. The win is Kenseth’s 27th of his career and breaks a tie between himself and his teammate Kyle Busch. The win is Kenseth’s third this season which is the most among all of the competitors in the Cup series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Rookie of the Race. Jeff Gordon’s top 5 finish was his 300th of his career. He joins Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only four drivers in the history of the sport to accomplish such a feat.
Busch Dominates at Darlington as JGR Sets Nationwide Series Record
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 10, 2013
Kyle Busch dominated the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 on Friday night en route to his 56th career Nationwide Series victory and fifth series win of 2013. Joe Gibbs Racing in general was the class of the field all night at Darlington Raceway, claiming four of the top 5 finishing spots, with only fourth-place Joey Logano keeping them from sweeping the top four spots. It was a historic night for JGR, as no team has ever before placed four cars in the top 5. Elliott Sadler finished second to Busch and Brian Vickers third, with Logano and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top 5. Busch led 107 of 147 laps on the way to the win. Sadler was the best among the Nationwide Regulars, finishing second despite an early spin in Turn 2, and gained points on leader Regan Smith, who finished seventh. Kyle Larson continued to impress at the Lady in Black, posting a sixth-place finish in his first Darlington start as he runs for rookie honors. Sam Hornish, Jr., who remained second in points, finished eighth while Kasey Kahne and Justin Allgaier filled the top 10. Smith now leads Nationwide Series points by 28 over Hornish. Sadler jumps two spots to third on his second-place run as Justin Allgaier fell one place to fourth. Vickers gained three sports and is now fifth, 49 behind Smith. Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson round out the top 10.
Joe Gibbs Racing Penalties Reduced Following Appeal
posted by Summer Bedgood
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Joe Gibbs Racing had many of their penalties for the No. 20 team reduced during the appeal process on Wednesday. Driver Matt Kenseth and owner Joe Gibbs had their points penalties reduced from 50 to 12 points. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s suspension has also been dropped from seven races to one, though he will still be forced to pay the $200,000 fine. Not all of the penalties were reduced, however. Toyota Racing’s manufacturer points penalty was increased from five points to seven. All other penalties were dropped, including the suspension of Joe Gibbs’ owners license, the loss of bonus points for the Chase earned at Kansas Speedway, and the loss of eligibility into the Sprint Unlimited garnered from the pole at Kansas Speedway. JGR has accepted the penalties and will not appeal further. Following a dominant win at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago, Kenseth’s car failed post-race inspection when it was found that a connecting rod was 2.7 grams below the minimum weight. Toyota Racing Development accepted the blame for the incident. The reduction moves Kenseth up to fourth in points, 66 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. JGR has not announced who will replace Ratcliff this weekend in Darlington. The appeal was heard by Mark Arute, Dennis McGlynn, and Jack Housby. NASCAR cannot appeal the revised penalties.
Penske Has Suspensions Reduced On Appeal
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Roger Penske’s team got some relief Tuesday from NASCAR’s Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook, as he chose to reduce penalties assessed to that organization at Texas Motor Speedway in early April. Middlebrook, after hearing the evidence from both sides Tuesday chose to reduce all suspensions in the case from six to two weeks, plus NASCAR’s All-Star Race on May 18th. That means the final consequences for both teams are the following: No. 2 car No. 22 car Other Middlebrook’s official statement was short, simply stating, “After looking at all the facts, data, and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties. However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the All-Star race to two points races and the All-Star Race.” However, it seemed both sides, after presenting their cases were far more pleased with how the case was handled during this portion of the appeal. “We were able to talk about areas we worked in,” said Roger Penske, referring to the “gray area” of the NASCAR rulebook officials ultimately felt stepped over the line. “I’m very happy with the outcome. This sport has been built on innovation. All of us have tried to innovate in areas not defined in the rulebook. We were in that area.” In conversations with the parties involved, it was clear the controversy surrounded parts designed to increase the rear-end angle at the back of both cars. In past years, with innovation limited through the Car of Tomorrow templates teams have played around with suspension systems designed to make the rear end of the car easier to “move.” The more the car skews in the corner, the easier it can be to handle and gain extra speed. However, NASCAR had made rules designed to curb those types of innovations this year and made the determination Penske parts to build the rear suspension were unapproved. Why they had gone undetected in previous inspections was never addressed, along with claims someone else in the garage had alerted officials to possible inappropriate car construction. One thing Penske did admit, though is had this decision been issued by the initial appeals panel, he would not have pressed his luck with Middlebrook. “All of us,” he said. “Have lost points for certain infractions over the years. The key thing is to have people back at the racetrack operating in full control.” The end results leave Logano 18th in points, 146 behind championship leader Jimmie Johnson and 43 outside a Chase position. Keselowski is far more stable; fifth in points, he’s 69 behind and 45 ahead of 11th-place Matt Kenseth. Neither of the Penske cars have won a race this season. “Moved on from last few weeks,” Keselowski tweeted Wednesday morning. “And ready to focus on @TooToughToTame (Darlington Raceway).” The next round of NASCAR penalty appeals, focusing on Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth will be heard on Wednesday morning. Connect with Tom!
Penske Racing LOSES Penalty Case, Will Appeal To NSCRC John Middlebrook
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 1, 2013
A three-member panel Wednesday unanimously upheld penalties assessed to Penske Racing after pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Comprised of Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, Bowman-Gray President Dale Pinilis and former NASCAR VP Paul Brooks, the trio determined the sanctioning body’s evidence was enough to “convict” Penske to the tune of points lost, suspensions given and $200,000 in fines. Roger Penske, in response has pledged to send a final appeal to National Stock Car Racing Commissioner John Middlebrook. That hearing will occur Tuesday, May 7th at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Here’s a quick list of what penalties are pending (everything but the points deductions will be deferred, pending Middlebrook’s approval until after the final appeal): No. 2 team No. 22 team Both teams NASCAR’s representation included Sprint Cup Director John Darby but not Vice President Robin Pemberton, who was whisked away to Florida on jury duty. Owner Roger Penske was in attendance to defend the allegations along with Team Manager Travis Geisler, Tim Cindric, Walt Czarnecki, Joey Logano’s crew chief Todd Gordon along with several other key principles. UPDATE: The National Stock Car Racing Commission issued a brief statement, reviewing the penalties and then explaining the following. “Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.” “The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.” Connect with Tom!
Kyle Busch Wins Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday April 26, 2013
Who says Joe Gibbs Racing teammates don’t get along? Kyle Busch is certainly receiving gifts, from Denny Hamlin in the form of shiny trophies from winning the latter’s annual charity event. Rowdy was romping through the field again at Richmond Thursday night, taking control at the race’s midpoint and cruising during the latter stages to win the Showdown for the third time in the past six years. In a race that benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation, created to help those with cystic fibrosis Busch had his late model hitting on all cyilnders down the stretch. Pulling away from fellow Cup driver David Ragan, in the final segment of the 75-lap race the outcome was simply never in doubt following a 5-minute break for pit stops prior to Lap 47. Ben Rhodes, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., and Garrett Campbell rounded out the top-5 finishers. Other Cup drivers, including defending race champion Tony Stewart were in the field but never a factor up front. Smoke, actually extending his slumping start to 2013 into this race got wrecked before the halfway point and wound up 28th. Matt Kenseth, still distraught after a midweek penalty virtually negated his win at Kansas was never truly competitive, either; he finished 22nd. Also on Thursday night, African-American driver Ryan Gifford won the first K&N Pro Series East race of his young career. Surviving a five-lap shootout, following a red flag he cruised home over Brandon Gdovic. Connect with Tom! |
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TweetDouble Standards in Play as Gordon Avoids a Deserved Suspension
The Yellow Stripe · Danny Peters · Monday November 12, 2012
Well that was quite the race wasn’t it?
In fact, so much happened between Jeff Gordon’s deliberate and premeditated wrecking of Clint Bowyer just before the leader took the white flag, I almost forgot there was still a race to finish whilst the fifteen-minute red flag delay occurred. In many ways Kevin Harvick’s victory and Brad Keselowski all but sealing his first Sprint Cup championship became little more than afterthoughts, given the melee and general carnage after Gordon’s remarkably ill-advised on track actions.

Jeff Gordon might be a little sorry for what he did on Sunday, but not too much. He didn’t get the suspension many thought he deserved.
In a break with protocol, NASCAR issued penalties on Monday (typically they are issued on the Tuesday) for the events that transpired at Phoenix International Raceway this past Sunday. Jeff Gordon was fined $100,000, docked 25 points and placed on probation until December 31st while Brian Pattie, Bowyer’s crew chief, was fined $25,000 and also placed on probation until the turn of the year. All of which really amounts to just about nothing. How much use is probation with one race to go? Are these drivers going to be in trouble if they sup too many glasses of wine at the banquet? It’s farcical. It really is.
How is what Jeff Gordon did any worse than Kyle Busch taking out Ron Hornaday at the tail end of last season? Answer: It’s not. And the problem stems with the whole “have at it boys and have a good time” principle introduced a few years back.
On the events that led to Kyle’s suspension from that weekend’s Cup race, NASCAR president Mike Helton commented: “When we gave the responsibility back to the drivers, there was a clear understanding that a line could be crossed. As annoying as this is to hear, we’ve always said we would know it when we see it. We saw it last night.”
So,what pray did they see in what Jeff Gordon did that was any different? Both took out championship contenders at speed using their cars as weapons. You might have to be a Rhodes Scholar to truly answer that one because the simple fact is that it was no different, no different at all. Gordon should have been parked and there were plenty of folks who would agree with that.
Denny Hamlin @dennyhamlin for one, who tweeted post race, “Great turnaround week for our FedEx team. 1 more to go! On another note. The 24 should be parked! He took out 5 cars in that BS!”
Hamlin’s teammate (at least for one more race) Joey Logano @joeylogano wasn’t shy in his opinion either, tweeting, “When I was young I thought @JeffGordonWeb was the best driver. Now I’ve lost a lot of respect for him. #verydumb.”
Both drivers are spot on. Gordon was remarkably stupid. Had he had a proper set of balls he would have waited until Bowyer exited his car at the end of the race and handled it like a man on pit road. Instead, he chose the cowardly option that also took out both Logano and Aric Almirola and very nearly took out Keselowski in the process.
Had the Blue Deuce been entangled in the wreck, would the punishments be different? I think so. Not everyone agrees.
Jenna Fryer @JennaFryer, the AP Motorsports writer, for one, tweeted on Monday, “I am totally in the minority here, but I do not believe @JeffGordonWeb should be suspended.”
As I’ve mentioned before, I live and work in Manhattan and for the first time in the entire seven years I’ve covered the sport, NASCAR was a genuine topic of conversation today amongst my colleagues – none of whom follow the sport in even the vaguest of ways. That may never happen again but it did make for a pleasant change. Even now, as I write on Monday evening, “Jeff Gordon fight” is still trending on Yahoo’s top ten stories – remarkable given the ADD nature of trending topics.
But the question I keep coming back to and still can’t quite answer is why NASCAR didn’t suspend Gordon? For the most part in his 21-year 688-race career, the four-time champion and certain future Hall of Famer has conducted himself with dignity and class. He’s one of the very few drivers non NASCAR fans could name – a true ambassador for NASCAR. But does this give him a pass? No, it doesn’t and even more so with just one race to go in the season. Gordon’s year has long been over, after all.
All I can think of in terms of reasoning or logic is that NASCAR sees it as a rare blip in Gordon’s typically solid citizen behavior, the sort of move we won’t probably see from him again. The cynical side of me would say NASCAR wants to keep people talking about the sport in the hope that the ratings will see a significant boost this weekend.
Now on the one hand, what ultimately transpired was fabulous entertainment. And sport is meant to be a glorious distraction that pales into insignificance compared to the real issues of life. Just ask the folks in places such as Staten Island and the Rockaways who continue to deal with the crippling effects of Hurricane Sandy. But at what point does retaliation go a step too far? When does entertainment become something far more serious and sinister? Has the “have at it” threshold been exceeded? Yes, when Gordon waited for Bowyer and drove him into the wall with blatant disregard for not just Bowyer but those racing for top-10 finishes behind the first year Michael Waltrip Racing driver.
Passion is one of the most crucial qualities to possess in racing. And passion is something we’ve seen from Jeff Gordon in numerous different formats over the years. It’s part of what makes him the great champion that he is. But Sunday’s amateur hour move went way too far. That was passion gone hugely awry. Gordon had time to think about what he was going to do and he still did it. He should have known far better than to pull such a ridiculous move. NASCAR should have parked him for Sunday without a shadow of a doubt.
And finally this week let’s not forget that Clint Bowyer is not on any kind of probation. He will be under the official’s microscope, certainly, but might he choose Sunday’s final race at Miami-Homestead as the moment to extract some revenge? And what might those consequences be?
We’ll find out soon enough.
Connect with Danny!

Contact Danny Peters
This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Nationwide Breakdown: History 300
Mirror Driving: Correcting Mistakes, Missing Charlotte And Dramatic Returns
Charlotte’s Four Burning Questions: Translating Success And McMurray’s Time To Shine
Frontstretch Foto Funnies: Cleaning Out The Vintage Vault
Brendan Gaughan Driver Diary: Race Day, Sharks, And A Fast Fix
That Sound You Heard? Hall Of Fame Standards Dropping A Notch
IndyCar In-Depth: Indianapolis 500
Formula 1 Friday: Two Questions
Voices From the Cheapseats: Discussing The Need For Diversity’
Nuts for Nationwide: Jack Ingram’s Moment To Shine
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At minimum, Gordon should have had enough points deducted to drop him out of the top ten and celebration in Las Vegas.
I thought a suspension was in order. And two weeks probation? There’s only one week of racing left! Again, at minimum, probation until the end of March.
Go Brad!
RICKCAR or HMSCAR however you want to call it, showed it’s bias once again, Any other driver for another team would have been suspended not only for Miami but for Daytona too. Jeff not only eliminated Clint from the Championship he solidified JJ’s Second place finish in the standings. No one is talking about that. Clint would have closed to within a few points of JJ with a top 5 finish. The money Jeff just made by JJ being no worse than 2nd in the standings more than made up for fine he will have to pay.
I am completely disgusted that Gordon didn’t get suspended for the last race! If it was any other driver (besides JJ)they would have been suspended on the spot. Talk about playing favorites! C’mon NASCAR, the rules should apply to everyone!
I can name a few drivers that did similar things and didn’t get suspended. Dale Jarrett blatantly took out Ryan Newman in the second chase year (2005, I think), Carl Edwards blatantly wrecked Kesolowski at Talladega about 3 years ago and Brian Vickers took out Tony Stewart at one of the road courses. None were suspended.
Being a Gordon fan I would have been OK with a suspension. Personally, I don’t care for that type of retaliation from anyone but since no one seems to remember those other incidents I just thought I’d remind you.
@Bill, I agree.
Just sounds like the writer has a bug up his rear about Gordon.
What took place is called the double standard rule. If your car owner is connected to NA$CAR with an umbilical cord, I’ve read that he’s a convicted felon, is that true, your driver gets treated differently. Kryle must be a little upset too. Also, everyone who slips and calls it a RACE please stop it, because it’s not. It’s nothings more than WWE version of a staged{fake} performance, please call it what it is.
It would be one thing if Gordon was already on probation (like Kyle Busch was) and there were people on his radio telling him not to do it (like they were doing with Busch). Differences are there.
What part of TAKING OUT A CHAPIONSHIP CONTENDER do you people not understand? Lol. What NASCAR did to Kyle Busch is called precedent…it is supposed to be followed.
Now to explain it for those who don’t see the ramifications of NASCAR decision…they basically just gave the green light to take out a championship contender in a Chase race. If anyone has a grudge against Brad K and he happens to make contact with them while racing…it is now perfectly fine to retaliate and ruin his title chances.
What Jeff did was stupid…I know he was pissed but he should have saved that payback card for Martinsville 2013.
I actually hope Jeff has a chance at #5 next year and bowyer takes him out at Phoenix…lol
No dog in this fight either…not a fan of either driver. But I am a fan of rules and penalties being equally applied to everyone
I’m not sure why some people are hanging so heavily on this Chase contender nonsense. Bowyer may not have been mathematically eliminated, but he was done nevertheless. I can understand people wanting to see Gordon parked. I just don’t find the Chase contender argument to be very persuasive.
First, what Gordon and Busch did were not the same, there are a number of differences (under caution, powering Hornaday into the wall rather than the single side slam Gordon attempted to pull off. You claim Gordon ‘drove’ Bowyer into the wall, but that was more a result of how they and Logano came together rather than what Busch did to Hornaday).
Second, and most importantly, yelling or even throwing a punch at a driver in the garage does NOT make things square for getting taken out on the track. If a driver takes out another driver, payback is having something happen to you on the track, not in the paddock or on twitter (yeah, Logano really nailed Harvick with that tweet a couple of years ago, but the fact is that Logano was wrecked and Harvick was still racing). Gordon thought Bowyer ruined Gordon’s day on the track (in Phoenix as well as other tracks this year), so he returned the favor.
Third, so what that Bowyer was technically challenging for a championship? Claiming that Gordon should be punished because he ruined Bowyer’s (nonexistent) chances is the double standard. A driver is a driver. Drivers who drive rough – regardless of where they are in the standings – need to understand that payback can be a b***h.
Gordon should have been sat down from next year’s Busch Clash and given a six month probation. The fine I think was a NASCAR record.
It maybe open season on him at Homestead.
Nascar didn’t suspend Edwards when he flipped Keslo at Atlanta a few yeas ago.. Only those Helton doesn’t like get suspended…
Anybody want to bet that nas$crap tries to help JJ win the Hendricks Cup next week. This WWE manipulation has gotten to be a joke. Makes this 30 year fan of the sport feel shamed for the sport. That Gordon wasn’t parked for the next race speaks volumes. The perception has been out there for a while that Hendricks racing runs the sport. Personally, I’ve gotten more and more apathetic about the way nas$crap has governed it’s sport. When apathy sets in, they’re in trouble.
say hello to nascar, where they penalize kb for retaliation undeeer the caution but not JG, DP, CE and a slew of others that do it when it’s under green
25 points and a $100k is a joke considering Gordo’s points standing and bank account. NASCAR as usual let Tricky Rick’s boys do what ever they want.
In the case of Bowyer’s championship hopes pre-crash, if you are not mathematically eliminated, you are not eliminated. Post crash, the 15’s chances are eliminated. Plus JJ’s hold on second is solid and Kahne’s chance for 3rd is greatly improved, all thanks to the actions of their teammate.
“Gordon was remarkably stupid. Had he had a proper set of balls he would have waited until Bowyer exited his car at the end of the race and handled it like a man on pit road. Instead, he chose the cowardly option that also took out both Logano and Aric Almirola and very nearly took out Keselowski in the process.” I could not agree more.
If you believe Gordon needs suspension, then Danica gets one too correct. If the rules are “Boy’s(girls) have at it, tough to suspend under that policy. KB was a lifetime achievement award, ans was under caution, The Edwards comparison is the standard to be used here.
Just one question about “ handled it like a man on pit road”, how does that get the lost points back?
While I don’t condone wrecking someone in retribution, I do understand it. You took points away from me and ruined my day, and now I am going to make sure you pay for that in the same way. How does settling in on pit road after the race provide justice in the standings?
Suppose Carl Edwards wrecked Mark Martin – how should Martin handle that on pit road to get justice? Really, I want to understand how that works.
i am with brian c and KB. so eveyone who retaliates gets suspended period. if you crash someone on purpose early on in the year it could prevent a championship run. Edwards was blatant in crashing Kez at atlanta even when his spotter said car up high. they played that once on replays and it was never mentioned again. i am not a gordon fan but people are on a witch hunt here. i think the 15 crew members should be suspended if anything. let clint and jeff box it out if you want but stop the witch hunt here. there are paybacks all the time and this is much different then Kyle last year, in a series he wasn’t running for points chamionship to take out a contender UNDER CAUTION while on probation and with a spotter or crew chief tellng him to stop.
It must be true that Hendrick owns a 51% share of Nascar.
Gordon’s day wasn’t ended – he would have finished about 20th if he pitted for new tires. Seriously, people want hard racing, then they cry when there is!
Gordon’s actions, like Bush’s, like Edwards’, like Patrick’s, were indefensible. There’s no excuse, no reason to ever ambush a driver on the track like that, and it should be an automatic 4 race suspension and a fine of at least double the cost of repairs to the wrecked cars.
You idiots cannot have it both ways. How many times aren’t you bitching about the drivers being more like robots with no emotion then you get emotion and now you’re screaming ‘suspension’. You stupid idiots cannot have it both ways. It’s done so get over it. Crap, I thought it was the most entertainment I had seen in NA$CAR all year and the idiots are all pissed off about it. Why?
should we suspend Jeff Burton for dumping Danica and that led to the big last lap crash and the oil? do we head hunt burton too? that looked deliberate as well but he got a free pass because of the clint/jeff issue. new rule, don’t wreck anyone or else……
spot1: No one is “screaming for suspension” so drivers can be more like “robots”. The real issue is that NASCAR hands out suspensions like candy to other drivers while the “golden boys” i.e. Jeff, Jimmie, Carl seem to always get a free pass.
Folks, here’s why I think Gordon was not punished as much as Kyle was. Gordon’s history. Yep, Jeff for the most part has always been a pretty clean driver very seldom ever wrecking other people are getting into them like Kyle has done in all three series. And, I didn’t see the race but did see the replay where Bowyer got into Jeff sending him into the wall. Even though that may not have been intentional, it’s still wrecking you and I wonder how Bowyer would have reacted to that if Jeff had got into him first and sent him into the wall? Somehow, based on Bowyer’s reaction to Jeff wrecking him I think he would have been pretty upset too if Jeff had wrecked him first. Anyway, I think Nascar looked at the history of the drivers and comparing Jeff to Kyle there is no comparison because Kyle has wrecked numerous drivers in all three series for years and this is not even counting Kyle’s off track antics.
The diffrence between what Kyle did and Gordordon did is that Kyle did it under caution. Also, what all the Bowyer fans are neglecting to look at the whole picture.Yes, it cost Clint any shot at the championship.If you look at the points picture, Gordon was in top 5 in point and that cut tire esentially cost him to fall to tenth in points. Bowyer getting paid back only cost him a couple spots and eliminated him from chapionship picture. As a Gordon fan Bowyer has done several bone head things to Gordon this year starting back at spring Martinsville. You reap what you so. Also as a Gordon fan, if you think back a couple years ago Gordon seemed to keep running into Trux Jr, at one of the road coarses Jeff even spun him. If Truex would have paid him back I would not have seen a problem with that as Jeff was the instigator there. In clossing I just want to says anyone who has been a fan of nascar for years knows payback is apart of the sport. The late Dale Earnhardt was the master of it. He would either say I just ment to rattle his cage, or if he was mad enough he would just put it out there that he tried to wreck me so he wrecked him back. Keep passion in NASCAR.
I’m undecided on how I feel about the penalty, and I like both Gordon and Bowyer as drivers. I would like to comment that I see two differences between this situation and the one between Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday that was mentioned in the article. First, Busch had done plenty of other things that got him in trouble prior to that, while Gordon has not. Second, Busch was racing in a lower series in which he was not going for a championship while Ron Hornaday was. To me, that’s the biggest and most obvious difference. Busch and Hornaday don’t race together very often and Busch had nothing to lose in that series, so NASCAR needed to take action. In this case, Bowyer and Gordon will still be racing together next year and beyond—and no one would doubt that Bowyer will remember this anytime they’re together on the track.
Which Hendrick car or associated car will take out the 2 on Sunday so JJ can win another bogus championship? NASCAR just proved a Chevy can get away with anything.
“Kyle did it under caution” is not a valid argument—Gordon was already black flagged the lap before he wrecked Bowyer, so he was technically “not in” the race too.
Bowyer barely bumped Gordon in the first place, and then we Gordon tried to cut back down and muscle him back, he screwed up himself and went up into the wall. It was not a race-ending wreck and he could have just pitted for tires and salvaged a top 20. Instead he waited around and demolished Bowyer, taking out two other cars in the process.
“Boys have at it” should not include blatant attempts at revenge over hard racing. The spirit of the “rule” was to encourage more aggressive racing, beating and banging, which would occasionally result in wrecks or spins. Keselowski racing JJ at Texas like his life depended on it is a perfect example of good, hard racing.
This argument is separate of the whole pit lane brawl thing, that was just an embarrassment, and Bowyer’s team was certainly the wrong.
Why did they penalize Busch and not Gordon? It’s a no-brainer really; keeping Busch out of a subsequent truck race probably affected attendance by 3 paying customers! Nobody cared! Keep Gordon out of a sprint cup race and you risk alienating a chunk of the diminishing fan base who either won’t bother going to the track or will watch more football on TV if Gordon is not racing. To NASCAR, its all about the $$$$$$.
so is the next step to suspend any driver that dumps a competitor? or is it just the retaliation that gets it? what is the difference? what jeff does polices the situation between them. now clint or any other driver won’t lean too hard on jeff again cause they know they could get it. like the bean ball in baseball. protecting the plate, protecting your car if in your eyes you were wronged by another driver
I have no dog in this hunt, but you can count my as one who didn’t expect a suspension just due to who he is and who he drivers for.
And on the surface I have no problem with that. However, wrecking someone during the Chase who is still in the hunt (no matter how remote) should have consequences. With JJ having his issues, that put him right back in it. This opens up a whole can of worms that Nascar probably doesn’t want to open. So what happens if this happens again?
I have a better idea. Get rid of the Chase. Isn’t the Chase supposed to be the most exciting thing to close out the year. It appears the Chase has suddenly taken a back seat to what happened. More evidence that people could care less about it and care more about what happens on the track on a weekly basis and not on the points sheet.
The two most relevant points I see for the suspension of Busch but not Gordon, is that 1) Busch was on probation, as well as, having a past history of not playing nice and 2)Busch took out Hornaday under caution. Its obviously more dangerous for the driver to be taken out under green but Nascar is more intent on protecting the crews on pit road and the cleanup crews on track. I still think it was incredibly stupid on Gordon’s behalf. If I were the 20 and 43 crews I think I would be leaving a pile of bent up sheetmetal in the driveway of the Hendrick’s shop. That was perhaps Jeff’s biggest screwup – taking out two innocent drivers. In past retaliation events such as Vickers on Stewart, Edwards on Kez, Danica on Cassill (attempt) Earnhardt sr. on Waltrip, Jay Sauter on Biffle (Richmond Busch race about 10 yrs ago – the Biff deserved it)they kept it between the two drivers without collateral damage.
To play “devil’s advocate” the difference is that Kyle got parked after a series of transgressions in the 2011 season (feuding with Harvick at Darlington, the incident with RC at Kansas, then taking out Hornaday). They were all part of his feud with Harvick and RCR. As a Gordon fan, I would not have been upset if they suspended him. He should have gone after Bowyer in a different way. (I personally wish he would take out the 48.) He could have easily taken out the “hopefully” new champion Brad K.
I think Jeff has been getting run over a lot the last couple years, and finally had enough. He never retaliated on Jimmie for roughing him up multiple times 2010 or when Kurt Busch dumped him at Martinsville a few years ago. Maybe this will light a fire under him in 2013?
The author of this simple read and way to many of the responders are just a bunch of whinny girls
Does 5-6 Million dollars have anything to do with Jeff Gordon’s actions at Phoenix? Taking out Clint and totally eliminating his chances at the Cup title now limits the work that needs to get done at Homestead. With 7 HMS affiliated cars available to “do the job”… only a “slight on-track altercation” with the #2 at Homestead puts the #48 back in the Cup Championship hunt! As “car owner” of the #48… Jeff’s $100,000 fine is nothing when “the $5-$6 Million Champion’s Check” is “goin beggin for the takin!” (just sayin)
Robert,
When that unlikely scenario takes place, you will be able to say I told you so. I seriously doubt that will happen. I wonder how much money you would be willing to bet that it will happen.
I TOLD YOU SO!
How obvious can it get?
Nascar and Hendrick/Chevy are booty buddies. And John Middlebrook makes it a nice threesome.
My Lord so many are absolute FOOLS to be still swallowing all the CRAP that nascar spits out and laughs at you all the way to the bank.
If Bowyer hadn’t been taken out, he would have been about 30 points behind and would have had a chance.
You just saw the day where Gordon just said ‘I suck’.
He had already been Black Flagged, so he should have been parked for next week.
What happened was wrong on the 24’s end but with nascar wanting new viewers, I don’t think physical assault on pit road between two drivers is what we want the young kids or fans out there to see. Everyone is equal in the race car, not everyone is equal in size or age or whatever, it would turn into a bunch of bullies shoving around the smaller drivers because they could beat them silly because they are bigger.
The John Middlebrook fiasco added to Gordon NOT getting parked makes NASCAR look really bad, if not plain stupid. Maybe both. If you don’t understand this, or agree with it, you’re just biased. And not throwing the yellow after Burton wrecked Danica? Even worse with NASCAR’s prolific record with quick and/or Mystery Debris Cautions.
I dont think its right for this terrible excuse for a man to be able to get into his car this week just because nascar wants momentum ratings. All he is is Danica Patrick with 4 championships and 24 on the side now, he is totally irrelivent for title contention and counts on his top dollar equipment to stay up front. Great job, nascar, keep up the terrible work.

















