The Frontstretch: What's the Call : Vickers and Gordon: Teammates Seeing Red (Bull)? by Amy Henderson and Mike Neff -- Wednesday September 27, 2006

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What's the Call : Vickers and Gordon: Teammates Seeing Red (Bull)?

Amy Henderson and Mike Neff · Wednesday September 27, 2006

 

Welcome to this week’s edition of What’s the Call? Each week, two of your favorite Frontstretch writers will duke it out in a debate concerning one of NASCAR’s big controversies. Don’t let us be the only ones to speak our minds, though…be sure to read both sides and let us know what you think about the situation in the comment section below!

This Week’s Question: Jeff Gordon said that Brian Vickers wasn’t really his teammate anymore since he is moving on to Red Bull Racing next year. Should Vickers feel an obligation to help Gordon win a Championship for Hendrick this year when he won’t be there after the end of the season?

Vickers is NOT Obligated To Help Anyone
Amy Henderson

Jeff Gordon may have ruffled a few feathers between teammate Brian Vickers and his fans two weeks ago when he accused Vickers of racing him too hard at New Hampshire International Speedway. In a statement after the race, Gordon said, "He's my teammate, but he's not my teammate because he's moving on next year. I raced him harder than he wanted me to race him earlier in the race. I could give all the reasons and excuses, but it doesn't do any good. There in the closing laps, that (position) could have been crucial. It did cost us time. Right now, he's in a tough position. He's moving on to a new team. He hasn't been able to win races like other guys at Hendrick Motorsports. He wants it bad, and he's driving hard, and I think it was just a little lapse in judgement."

Gordon's statement certainly brings up an interesting question. Is Vickers, who is still a Hendrick Motorsports driver, obligated to help his teammate in the Chase for the Nextel Cup? After all, Vickers is the only Hendrick driver who is not in the Top 10, the only one in a position to help his teammates gain valuable points. Yeah, well…so what? Vickers isn't there to lay over for Gordon – he's there to race. He's obligated as Gordon's teammate not to wreck him if he can help it – nothing more.

Sure, Vickers (or any teammate of a Chase driver who did not qualify their own team) could conceivably help his teammates in certain situations, such as holding up other Chasers as long as possible if he's a lap down. That's one thing – but giving up position for one of those teammates is another matter altogether. Drivers are paid to race for wins – they've worked for years to do just that. Asking a teammate to finish anywhere but where he and his car are capable of finishing is simply a slap in the face.

Team orders of this type may be acceptable in Formula One, but in NASCAR they are not and should not be part of the game. If Jeff Gordon doesn't have the car to pass Brian Vickers and loses the championship by that exact number of points, that's not Vickers' fault. It’s Gordon’s – for not having a car good enough to pass him.

Remember, Gordon doesn't like his teammates to race him like everybody else. He accused Jimmie Johnson (who drives a car Gordon co-owns) of racing him too hard for position at Michigan earlier this year. Neither Johnson nor Vickers rubbed fenders with Gordon – just raced hard for position. In both cases, those post-race quotes were simply Gordon's frustration showing through.

Teammates do have an obligation to help each other under certain circumstances. Letting a teammate lead a lap for the bonus points is commonplace, and so is holding up a competitor from another team. But it should never become common or accepted to give a teammate a position when both have competitive cars simply for points. With all the accusations of cheating in the sport, wouldn't that be just as wrong? Drivers in the Chase are not three-year-olds who the adults let win a game of Candyland – and they shouldn't act like it.

A Teammate is a Teammate Until the Team is Not a Team
Mike Neff

According to Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers is no longer his teammate, because of the fact that Vickers is moving on to Red Bull Racing next year. Apparently, Gordon felt that was reinforced by the fact that Vickers actually raced him for position during the New Hampshire race weekend. Gordon has a point; while blatant team racing goes against every fabric of the sport of NASCAR racing, teammates still have to work for the common good of all involved whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Now, simply pulling over and letting your teammate gain positions at the end of a race is unacceptable in racing, whether it is Formula One or at your local short track. However, there are plenty of things teammates can do to ensure the organization as a whole succeeds.

Sharing information is first on the list. Different drivers have different preferences, so simply sticking another driver's setup under someone's car is probably not going to work. However, there are tendencies and tricks that can translate between teams. It certainly helps if the drivers like similar cars – that is the reason Roush ran so well last year. All five drivers liked similar car setups, so once the organization hit on something, it worked for everyone. Any information that can be shared with teammates is better for the whole organization because it results in success for all teams involved. Just take a look at Childress Racing this year – the teams are all working together and it has been the success story of the year in NASCAR.

Secondly, helping teammates out on the track can help advance the good of the general cause. Early in a race, during the race to the Chase, if one teammate is leading and another is running second, it is acceptable to allow the teammate to lead a lap to get five bonus points. Once the Chase arrives, any drivers in the Chase should race for all they are worth the entire time. However, if a teammate not in the Chase is leading, it is certainly OK to let the Chaser lead a lap. Once the bonus points have been secured, however, the non-Chaser should retake the lead and then run as they were beforehand. If it is late in the race (last 25 laps or so) it is every man for themselves. It is too risky that late in the race to be playing around with the lead of the race. Additionally, a teammate can draft with another teammate to help them move forward or conserve gas. That is just taking advantage of one of the benefits of having teammates. The big organizations spend a lot of money to field all of their teams, so it shouldn't be held against them if they work together.

The bottom line is, this is still racing. At the end of a race, it is every driver's responsibility to race as hard as they can to put in the best showing possible for their own team and sponsors. But if circumstances dictate that a driver is out of contention for a win and they can help a teammate, then more power to them. Vickers had that opportunity to help, and instead proved a hindrance to Gordon at New Hampshire. How much it cost Gordon, we won’t know until Homestead – but if Vickers had raced him the way he should have as his teammate, there would have been no problem.

 

©2000 - 2008 Amy Henderson and Mike Neff and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!

Bill
09/28/2006 07:14 AM
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Brian Vickers has every right to race for every position possible on the race track. When the sport goes the way of having teammates pull over for the common good of the team in total (i.e. help Jeff Gordon get his fifth Championship), it is going the wrong direction. Team racing does not belong in NASCAR. We see enough of it in F1. When the green flag falls, every car is its own team.

JR
09/28/2006 07:50 AM
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Everyone forgets the last couple of years The Roush boys letting one another lead laps for bonus points in the chase but because its Jeff Gordon its a big deal.Gordon had a faster car it was early in the race why race someone so hard no matter who it was.You don’t see Mark Martin do it

M. B. Voelker
09/28/2006 09:35 AM
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In other sports when someone deliberately throws a game they get banned for life. Why should Nascar be any different?

I’m shocked at the number of people who seem to really believe that Vickers and other non-Chase teammates of Chase Contenders should be second-class drivers rolling over for their first-class teammates.

GMAC and Garnier Fructis aren’t sponsoring the 25 to see Dupont in Victory Lane. They are paying to see their own logos up front.

Vickers, and every other driver out there, owes his teammates cooperation off the track but no more than that. On the track they owe their own teams and their own sponsors their legitimate maximum effort regardless of what effect it may have on other drivers.

Unfortunately, Jeff Gordon is not the only driver afflicted with SDROWS, Senior Driver Right of Way Syndrome. Its a regrettably common affliction among veterans, including some that I root for.

The only cure I see is that Nascar and fans alike should make it clear that team orders are a form of cheating and that they will not be tolerated.

Rick. C.
09/28/2006 10:42 AM
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Good job Brian, can’t wait to see you race that Camry and kick Jeffy boy’s a$$.

Bob
09/28/2006 11:09 AM
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I don’t understand what it is that makes past NASCAR champions think that they have the right of way ala Jeffy and Tony. (I’m coming move over.) I always thought it was the better car has the right away. That is another reason to stop supporting NASCAR and its made for TV chase format. I have been a NASCAR fan for 50 years and it stinks now.

Eric
09/28/2006 11:14 AM
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Mike,
“But if circumstances dictate that a driver is out of contention for a win and they can help a teammate, then more power to them. Vickers had that opportunity to help, and instead proved a hindrance to Gordon at New Hampshire.” who said Vickers was any more out of contention than Gordon. JG had plenty of time if he had the car, let them race it out; that’s what I was there for – to see racing.

Tom
09/28/2006 04:03 PM
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It was pretty clear that Gordon would eventually pass Vickers (which he did) What made him mad was that in the end it was not going to hurt Vickers (he was going to get passed anyway) but it may have helped Gordon if he had not been held up. So what was Vickers motivation to hold him up? He gains no positions he only hurts his team mates.

rick
09/28/2006 04:26 PM
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Vickers better enjoy the last 8 races. He wont see horse power like that again

JR
09/29/2006 07:57 AM
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I want some of what Rick C is smoking

Mike
09/29/2006 09:24 AM
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JR, don’t forget Matt Kenseth refusing to let a teammate lead a lap during the Chase last year. He said it was fine in the lead up to the Chase, but once the Chase was on it was every man for themselves. I think that was a great attitude.

More Side by Sides!