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Gordon may be wrong, but NASCAR wasn't right
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Location: Blogs Running Wide Open |
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| Posted by: Joe VanHoose |
8/10/2007 8:35 AM |
Funny story: I went to Citrus County Speedway Saturday night to see some good bumping and banging short track action. For the record, I was not disappointed.
Anyway, on my way to the track I was listening to the NASCAR Busch Series race from Canada on the radio. Marcos Ambrose was leading, Robby Gordon was second, and some 12 cars were crashing behind them with four laps to go.
As the caution came out, Gordon passed Ambrose only to be spun by Ambrose in the next turn. NASCAR said that this all happened under caution, and Gordon righted his spun car and rejoined the field in 13th place.
That’s when I arrived at the racetrack and left the broadcast. During the course of the night, I saw a few cars wreck each other and both were sent to the back of the pack. I saw one driver accidentally spin another one out, and the wrecked driver got his spot back.
This is standard faire at every short track I’ve ever been to. So sitting in the stands, I figured that Gordon got his position back and ultimately spun Ambrose to win the race.
I was partially correct.
After being spun under caution, Gordon rushed back to the second position and held there until the green flag. But NASCAR officials said that Gordon had to restart 13th because that’s where he resumed speed after being spun. Gordon heard NASCAR’s directive, didn’t listen, restarted second in line, spun Ambrose, and won the race in his mind while Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag first behind him.
After not moving back through the field, wrecking Ambrose, taking the checkered flag and doing burnouts in fake victory, NASCAR suspended Gordon for Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Pocono.
Gordon’s a polarizing guy, and he was wrong to wreck Ambrose and do all the hot-dogging after the race, but I feel his pain. The real story here is that NASCAR lost control of its race.
NASCAR is built on judgment calls, even bad calls like the one against Gordon. The only problem is that there was no enforcement after the call was made. Gordon stayed right behind Ambrose when he was ordered to go back to 13th. And it was clear that Gordon was going to drive through Ambrose in the name of vendetta.
So if you’re NASCAR, how can you let this race restart with Gordon out of position? You can’t, and any short track around here would not. Remember, NASCAR has over 100 officials working the race, and Ocala Speedway has three. Yet NASCAR’s mass personnel and aids from electronic timing and scoring screwed up what three guys and a set of walkie-talkies get right every week.
Gordon showed remorse this week and announced that Ambrose will drive his team car at Watkins Glen this weekend. NASCAR stands behind the calls and decisions its crew made last Saturday, though it created a mess that should have never happened.
And this was NASCAR’s first visit to Canada in 50 years. Good to see that the sport put its best foot forward.
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