BROOKLYN, Mich. -- As Sunday's estimated crowd of 115,000 mostly roared its approval of the race victor after conclusion of the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway, drivers Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers stood on pit road and wondered about what might have been.
Actually, they fumed about what they thought should have been.
Both were upset over a variety of things -- not the least of which was their belief that eventual race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. illegally passed the pace car during the final caution (watch video).
"I knew there was some drama," said Kenseth, who finished third behind Earnhardt and second-place finisher Kasey Kahne. "I knew there was some weird stuff going on. I know he drove past the pace car by 10 car lengths and then he dropped back and shut the engine off -- and I didn't think you could pass the pace car. I was just trying to figure out what in the heck was going on. It was definitely different."
Vickers, who settled for fourth after leading 44 laps, was not only upset about Earnhardt's pass of the pace car but also because of NASCAR's decision to put the No. 8 car of Mark Martin ahead of him before the final restart. In addition, he questioned the fact that Martin's car appeared to then push Kahne's No. 9 Dodge around part of the track during the caution period.
"There were a lot of things that happened there at the end of the race that are big question marks in my mind -- and passing the pace car under caution was just one of them," Vickers said. "You're also supposed to make it around the track unassisted. There were guys pushing each other on fuel-mileage strategies. That's not right. It's definitely not legal, but they let it go.
"And then obviously the call to put the 8 car back in front of us. I don't know why that was, but it definitely cost us a shot at the race. And it was blatantly, obviously wrong. It wasn't like we were side-by-side; we were seven cars ahead of him two laps before the caution came out."
NASCAR official Jim Hunter said that Earnhardt did not violate a rule, saying that he needed only to maintain "a reasonable speed or a reasonable pace" behind the pace car and that once Earnhardt was warned not to surge ahead of it, Earnhardt complied.
Kenseth didn't see it that way.
"There's nothing wrong with going down on the apron. It's everybody's idea to save fuel -- but I didn't think you could pass the pace car," Kenseth said. "The leader would stand on the gas and go 10 car lengths ahead of the pace car and shut the motor off. I thought it was confusing and I had to stay closed up."
Like Vickers, Kenseth also had additional complaints. Mainly he was upset that a NASCAR official slowed his exit from the pits following one stop late in the race.
Hunter admitted that the official in question was too slow to move out of Kenseth's way, and that he would be reprimanded for it. Working as a television analyst Sunday, Kyle Petty joked that the next time an official gets in Kenseth's way, the driver would probably just "throw the official up on the hood and go."
To this, Kenseth joked: "Well, maybe we would have, but he was too big. We thought he would do damage to the fender.
"I'm just kidding. I would never run anybody over and hurt them. I know it's hard to fix every call. There are all kinds of balls and strikes called in our sport, but I wish he would have been paying a little more attention because track position was still important at that point."
Kenseth, who led four times for a total of 41 laps, still earned his best finish of the season.
"This was our best finish of the year, so I'm really excited about that," Kenseth said. "I'm pumped up about what we've done in the points here the last month and a half. We've been able to make a run at it, and we're actually being a contender again. So I'm fired up about that.
"But I can't lie and say that I'm not disappointed that I'm not standing over there in Victory Lane. To me, along with the 48 [of Jimmie Johnson], the 83 [of Vickers] and the 18 [of Kyle Busch] at times, I thought we had the best cars and we didn't get to win the race. Whenever that happens, you're a little disappointed."
Kenseth also couldn't resist a parting shot at the race winner.
"I thought it was a great race," he said. "There was a lot of two- and three- and four-wide racing -- and Junior won, so everything's good."
Vickers also was pleased overall with his own strong finish, but added of Earnhardt: "I don't know. All the fans seem pretty happy with who's in Victory Lane. He did what he had to do. He had a good car all day. He put himself in contention. He did the right strategy.
"But I mean, there were definitely some things that took place at the end of the race that I wouldn't say were legal. But it's not my race to call."
Actually, they fumed about what they thought should have been.
Both were upset over a variety of things -- not the least of which was their belief that eventual race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. illegally passed the pace car during the final caution (watch video).
"I knew there was some drama," said Kenseth, who finished third behind Earnhardt and second-place finisher Kasey Kahne. "I knew there was some weird stuff going on. I know he drove past the pace car by 10 car lengths and then he dropped back and shut the engine off -- and I didn't think you could pass the pace car. I was just trying to figure out what in the heck was going on. It was definitely different."
Vickers, who settled for fourth after leading 44 laps, was not only upset about Earnhardt's pass of the pace car but also because of NASCAR's decision to put the No. 8 car of Mark Martin ahead of him before the final restart. In addition, he questioned the fact that Martin's car appeared to then push Kahne's No. 9 Dodge around part of the track during the caution period.
"There were a lot of things that happened there at the end of the race that are big question marks in my mind -- and passing the pace car under caution was just one of them," Vickers said. "You're also supposed to make it around the track unassisted. There were guys pushing each other on fuel-mileage strategies. That's not right. It's definitely not legal, but they let it go.
"And then obviously the call to put the 8 car back in front of us. I don't know why that was, but it definitely cost us a shot at the race. And it was blatantly, obviously wrong. It wasn't like we were side-by-side; we were seven cars ahead of him two laps before the caution came out."
NASCAR official Jim Hunter said that Earnhardt did not violate a rule, saying that he needed only to maintain "a reasonable speed or a reasonable pace" behind the pace car and that once Earnhardt was warned not to surge ahead of it, Earnhardt complied.
Kenseth didn't see it that way.
"There's nothing wrong with going down on the apron. It's everybody's idea to save fuel -- but I didn't think you could pass the pace car," Kenseth said. "The leader would stand on the gas and go 10 car lengths ahead of the pace car and shut the motor off. I thought it was confusing and I had to stay closed up."
Like Vickers, Kenseth also had additional complaints. Mainly he was upset that a NASCAR official slowed his exit from the pits following one stop late in the race.
Hunter admitted that the official in question was too slow to move out of Kenseth's way, and that he would be reprimanded for it. Working as a television analyst Sunday, Kyle Petty joked that the next time an official gets in Kenseth's way, the driver would probably just "throw the official up on the hood and go."
To this, Kenseth joked: "Well, maybe we would have, but he was too big. We thought he would do damage to the fender.
"I'm just kidding. I would never run anybody over and hurt them. I know it's hard to fix every call. There are all kinds of balls and strikes called in our sport, but I wish he would have been paying a little more attention because track position was still important at that point."
Kenseth, who led four times for a total of 41 laps, still earned his best finish of the season.
"This was our best finish of the year, so I'm really excited about that," Kenseth said. "I'm pumped up about what we've done in the points here the last month and a half. We've been able to make a run at it, and we're actually being a contender again. So I'm fired up about that.
"But I can't lie and say that I'm not disappointed that I'm not standing over there in Victory Lane. To me, along with the 48 [of Jimmie Johnson], the 83 [of Vickers] and the 18 [of Kyle Busch] at times, I thought we had the best cars and we didn't get to win the race. Whenever that happens, you're a little disappointed."
Kenseth also couldn't resist a parting shot at the race winner.
"I thought it was a great race," he said. "There was a lot of two- and three- and four-wide racing -- and Junior won, so everything's good."
Vickers also was pleased overall with his own strong finish, but added of Earnhardt: "I don't know. All the fans seem pretty happy with who's in Victory Lane. He did what he had to do. He had a good car all day. He put himself in contention. He did the right strategy.
"But I mean, there were definitely some things that took place at the end of the race that I wouldn't say were legal. But it's not my race to call."
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