Earnhardt Does the Eights
Anyone can make a mistake, fuzzy donations, ups and downs, and the Aaron's 499 from Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama.
NASCAR Admits Mistake.......... Or was it?
Last weekend's races at Texas Motor Speedway were full of controversy, to say the least. NASCAR's interpretations of their own rules are mind boggling, even for the sanctioning body. It seems like the old adage "Too many chiefs and no Indians" comes into play here. NASCAR took the lead away from Jeff Gordon and gave it back to Matt Kenseth after Gordon had passed him. They allowed lapped drivers to get their laps back when they shouldn't have. Gordon had passed for the lead; those drivers did not legally get their laps back.
We have no idea who is up in the NASCAR booth calling the shots. We've seen pictures of them on the TV, standing there observing the action, there are usually five or six of them up there. Most of them claim to have been around stock car racing for years, but than again, some of their statements make one wonder.
Take for instance the remark that this Jim Hunter came out with. This guy is supposed to be NASCAR's Vice President of Communications. He claims that he has never before seen a second place driver pass the leader before crossing the start/finish line when a caution flag comes out. He claims that the gentlemen's agreement prohibits that. Well, I can tell you folks one sure fact, I've seen Dale Jarrett do it twice in one season. When the laps are winding down and the race is near its end, the gentlemen's agreement goes out the window. If a race leader slows to allow a teammate to get a lap back, he's fair game for a pass. Hunter doesn't know what he is talking about.
I'm not a Jeff Gordon fan, actually, I don't have a favorite driver, and I try to remain neutral when it comes to that. I will say however, that I think that Gordon was done wrong in the Texas race. He clearly passed Kenseth before crossing the start/finish line, took the lead, and should have kept it gentlemen's agreement or not. It's rather amusing that Gordon has this penchant for not wanting drivers to get their laps back. I've seen Gordon down a lap or two a number of times and he fights tooth and nail to get those laps back. I've seen him fight the race leader regardless if he costs the driver the lead or not, but he doesn't think anyone else should get their laps back. I've also seen Gordon race to the start/finish line to get a lap back, hoping that the race leader would give him a break. Most of the veteran drivers on the circuit know how Gordon is, and most of them still call him "the kid" because he tends to act that way.
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