The Frontstretch: Blocking: It's Just Racing! by Tommy Thompson -- Thursday July 9, 2009

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Blocking: It's Just Racing!

Thompson In Turn 5 · Tommy Thompson · Thursday July 9, 2009

 

Following last Saturday night’s exciting final lap of the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona International Speedway, there has been a renewed call for NASCAR to “do something” to prevent what some view as the just too dangerous practice of ‘blocking’ —a driving maneuver as much a part of stock car racing as rubbing door handles is to the sport. That’s a shame, because blocking is a practice that cannot be effectively regulated – nor should be.

Interest in the issue had gained momentum following the spectacular last lap crash during the running of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega at the end of April. That is, of course, when Roush Fenway driver Carl Edwards ended up in the catchfence while attempting to prevent upstart Brad Keselowski from overtaking him for the win at the biggest track on the circuit. The wreck that ensued sent Keselowski to Victory Lane in a true “Cinderella story” of a win, while images of Edwards’ airborne No. 99 Ford were featured in sports and non-sports newscasts for the best part of the following week.

Though the circumstances surrounding the two wrecks, and ultimate finishes, were not exactly the same, the similarity cannot be ignored. In each incident, the leader (Edwards at Talladega / Kyle Busch at Daytona) wrecked as a result of attempting to
“block” his fast-approaching challenger by maneuvering his race car in front of his rivals as they tried to make what would be race-winning passes for the lead position. In both instances, the leader not only was passed, but wrecked as well.

Perhaps in each case, the term blocking is being misused, and a better description of the moves both Edwards and Busch executed are better termed “failed blocks.” For on both occasions, the very short window of opportunity to throw their racecars in front of the second place vehicle and force their competitor to back down had passed. By the time both lead drivers made their moves to block, their challengers had already gained enough on them to have positioned themselves at least partially alongside the lead car.

Kyle Busch would rather wreck trying to win than concede defeat.

In short, what Carl Edwards did at Talladega by turning into Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch steering into the second-place running Tony Stewart at Daytona was simply drivers willing to wreck rather than concede defeat. Both did successfully block their opponents initially; however, in both situations, chose to counter their challengers’ second move that had gained them at least a smidgen of a front fender forward of the leaders’ rear bumper.

Of course, both Edwards and Busch hoped that their aggressiveness would result in their challengers backing off ever so slightly for fear of wrecking and, in turn, slow enough to thwart their charge and allow them to maintain their top spot — a risky move that as many times as not fails, often ending in the disastrous manner that both Edwards and Busch experienced.

A gutsy last-ditch effort to win the race is what both drivers attempted. A block is another animal that is not nearly as risky as what both Edwards and Busch tried. Blocking is just what the word implies…blocking a competitor’s progress. The risk of a block, though, is that the blocked driver may choose to then drive through the lead car. This was not the situation that either Brad Keselowski or Tony Stewart found themselves in; they had been successfully blocked, but had then changed course and had steered to the side of the leader only to have the leader steer into them.

It is stock car racing in its purest form. A split-second decision is required by both drivers as to whether to take such a risk. For the challenger, the decision has to be made to put the fender alongside and accept the possibility that the leader has not conceded the position and will cut across the bow. Conversely, the leader must estimate the likelihood that he will lose control of his race car after making contact with the opponent’s fender. and sometimes sever contact that very well may end with not only a good finish being lost, but a wrecked car as well.

It’s a game of chicken to some extent. There are driver’s that will not yield a race winning position without a fight. Some are warriors willing to take the risk and do what they feel is necessary to win. Then again, other drivers take a safer route, and although willing to battle for the win. they are not willing to gamble away a good finish for the possibility of a win.

Well=meaning folks have questioned the blocking maneuver on grounds that it is unnecessarily dangerous, and believe that it is only a matter of time before someone is again seriously hurt or killed unless NASCAR intervenes. To those folks, it needs to be said that racing automobiles at speeds approaching 200 mph is, at least on the surface, unnecessarily dangerous. The same could be said for most any form of racing, whether it is cars, motorcycles, boats, or horses.

It should not be news to anyone that racing is a dangerous sport, and there certainly is a call from time to time to eliminate glaring and easily remedied dangers within it. The introduction by NASCAR of the current race car — with its vastly improved array of safety features — is one such example. The HANS device and safer barriers are two other such examples. But prohibiting drivers to use their own judgments, skills and competitive will behind the wheel of the car is contradictory to a great deal of what makes auto racing exciting and challenging.

So, those promoting the notion that NASCAR needs to mandate rules that prohibit blocking should be careful that they might, in fact, get what they have asked for. They then need to imagine what affording someone in a booth the authority to subjectively analyze and judge a driver’s skill and decision-making abilities for possible violations of their driving etiquette policies.

Such a thing cannot be done with any assurance of accuracy and fairness!

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch did not only lose the lead in their separate but similar incidents, but they gambled and lost solid top-2 or 3 finishes as well. Yet they also made it clear to their competitors that those are risks they are willing to take to win, a fact that is now embedded in the minds of every driver on the track. Drivers that, in the future, might be battling either one of them for a critical spot and will have to decide if they are willing to take such a risk… or, back off and be satisfied with a good and safe finishing position.

Remember, Auto racing is not just a test of machine, but also a test of the man in the machine. It is a risky sport that requires great skill by individuals not adverse to risk. Leave them alone. Let them race.

And…that’s my view from Turn 5.

Contact Tommy Thompson

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MJR in Springfield VA
07/09/2009 08:36 AM
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What Edwards and Busch did in their respective races was not “blocking” in any sense of the term. What they actually performed was the famous police-designed PIT maneuver…on them selves. And no, I don’t think that is sending a message to all the other drivers demonstrating how determined they are to win. I think what it really says is how really dangerous, careless, and treacherous they actually are when out on the track and determined to win…at all costs. Believe it or not, its crap like those two numb-nut-monkeys pulled that is going to get the next driver in this sport killed!

M.B. Voelker
07/09/2009 08:51 AM
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Well said.

It was quite horrible to watch my favorite wreck that way last week and take all those hard hits, but, …

A driver who doesn’t at least attempt to block is agreeing to lose. I can’t root for a driver who would do that.

I think that this kind of last corner of the last lap disaster will diminish some as drivers become more familiar with the plate-track characteristics of the COT cars. They’ll learn how to judge the closing rates better and to know when the time to block has passed.

As a fan, I’m sort of resigned to seeing this sort of thing happen to drivers I root for. As Tony Stewart pointed out, they’ve done this at Daytona before.

Until the plate tracks are bulldozed and replaced with road courses they’ll keep doing it and, since I root for hard-chargers, it will be my guys on both ends of it.

Vito Pugliese - FS Staff
07/09/2009 09:10 AM
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Watch any superspeedway race from the 60s or 70s….Petty and Pearson didn’t block and chop at each other – and they didn’t have spotters either.

Even in the 1980s it wasn’t a practice used very often or as aggressively as it has been.

Bill
07/09/2009 11:29 AM
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I agree with Vito. The environment in NASCAR today has created the atmosphere where blocking is coming common place. The closeness of the competition as well as the sponsor demands has made every position important. Back in the earlier days, there wasn’t the emphasis on the points as much as it is now. As a result, the drivers are blocking to help assure a victory. Sometimes it means disaster, as Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch can attest to.

Is it right? I guess it is because the fans enjoy it and NASCAR seems to promote it as entertainment. I don’t partciularly like it, but it is what it is. I would rather have clean racing than to have blocking.

scott b
07/09/2009 12:01 PM
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No blocking rule, please! We don’t need to open up yet another avenue for NASCAR to make judgement calls that determine the race winner. The situation will take care of itself as soon as drivers look at the past results of multiple blocking moves and figure out that the end result is usually the lead car in the wall. Leave it to the drivers to self-regulate.

KRBama
07/09/2009 12:28 PM
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My issue with all of the media in the aftermath of these wrecks is that writers have been blaming the tracks and the plates for the wrecks, when failed blocking is what caused them. I say, if you want to block, fine. But, don’t ***** and moan when you take hard hits. Carl Edwards complained that they will race this way until “someone gets killed”. Well, good Carl, because if you hadn’t have turned left, you wouldn’t have become airborne. Just my $.02.

don mei
07/09/2009 01:58 PM
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Your snide remark about “well meaning folks have questioned the blocking maneuver on the grounds that it is unnecessarily dangerous” seems to want to dismiss those of us concerned about the consequences of blocking as rather ignorant idiots who know nothing about racing. Then you compound the insult by stating “to those folks it needs to be said that racing automobiles at speeds approaching 200mph is, at least on the surface, dangerous” Well GOLLYYYY Homer,….forgive us “folks” for being concerned. Should we bow to your superior knowledge? Actually I would like to know what your racing experience is. Ive spent over 25 years as a competitor, sponsor, organizer and race official. Quite frankly anyone with your rather cavailier attitude towards racetrack conduct sounds like a competition “virgin.” The simple fact of the matter is that not taking some steps to prevent what happened last weekend from happening again is stupid. The indycar people have a blocking rule…you get to block once, I believe..second block and you come in for a drive through. I believe Mario Moraes incurred that penalty a few weeks ago. Obviously there is judgement as to when to call such a penalty but common sense should prevail. Whats OK at Bristol, isnt going to cut it at Daytona. How many times have we watched a race and seen some lapped car purposely blocking the leaders as they come around? Thankfully a lot of that crap has gone away with the new double file restart but it still occurs. Its also true that the blocking we see now is far more common than it used to be…as Vito has pointed out.

mick
07/09/2009 04:17 PM
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It’s damn plate racing, what do we expect? And when the finish line is going into a curve it’s only worse.

Plate racing is NOT racing. Period. The double-file restart along with the fake debris caution got the situation started.

If that had been Jr. behind Kyle instead of Tony I wonder if we’d even be having this discussion.

And if it had been Jr. instead of Kyle and Jr. got killed then nascar would make the change needed on these plate tracks.

Until a driver and/or fans die nascar will keep rolling along. Wrecks and sex sell.

Marc
07/09/2009 07:26 PM
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Hey folks, listen to Tommy. Blocking is one thing, you have to do it to win, stupid driving is something else, it can get people hurt needlessly. If you are honest with yourself and you review the tape, Kyle made a right turn in front of Tony, into Tony’s front bumper. It simply sent him spinning. Winning races should be what it is all about,and I salute his spirit, if not his method. A lot of the old drivers had the attitude that “I would rather finish 15th going for the win, than finish second and be satisfied.”
I love the big tracks, but I hate the plates. And I definitely don’t want to see my high banks torn down, and replaced by road courses. That would absolutely kill it for me. But France and Company does not want to fix the problem, because, as someone pointed out, wrecks sell. So the problem is not Kyle or Tony, it is not the COT, it is not the track. All of these things are a product of NNASCAR, ie France. Who is going to fix the problem, when he is the problem? Get the picture?

Jer
07/09/2009 11:37 PM
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Whats the big deal about Blocking!! We already have a driver killed as a result. Remeber last lap. Daytona 500 2001. Dale Sr. did it, its part of sport. Always has been and always will be.
These are “Professional Race Car Drivers” racing on Daytona Speedway not driving down I-95 to Daytona.

nigel
07/15/2009 12:13 AM
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at least Edwards had the balls to admit it was his fault

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