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RobbyG Fan
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Last week, I wrote a column defending Robby Gordon’s actions on the track at Loudon and later off the track. I expected that column to generate some emails, but I had no idea I would get so many. Within 24 hours of that column hitting the Net, I got over 50 emails, and only two of them said I was wrong about the whole thing. It seems that Robby has a lot of fans that are passionate, well read (shameless plug for me) and are educated race fans as well.
Let me put a period on last week’s events. Robby wrecking Biffle was okay. Robby talking about it on the radio was not. Now, let’s move on to this week’s action.
I must start with the Trackside show from Friday night. For seemingly the 100th time since it happened, Robby Gordon went public with his apologies to Mayfield, Stewart and their respective fans. He did not read a statement written by someone else or by a PR firm. He sat in front of a crowd of reporters and later a live audience and apologized. I do not recall a driver (past or present) being forced to apologize so many times for the same thing to the same people over and over again. But Robby did it. He looked into the camera and apologized. That’s all he can do and that’s all he can be expected to do.
Fast-forward to Sunday’s race, and while reports vary, it appears that Tony said in a pre-race interview that he wanted to “kick Robby Gordon’s butt.”
Now, on to the race. On a restart just 14 laps into the race, Robby Gordon (in accordance with the rules) goes to pass Tony Stewart on the outside. Stewart takes offense at this and drives the 31 car up into the wall. Robby completed the pass despite that, and Tony proceeded to immediately chase down and boot the 31 car from the rear several times, nearly causing him to wreck.
There are several things wrong here. First, NASCAR warned Robby for passing on the outside. That’s right. Despite the move being legal and actually one of the few written in the rulebook and known by all competitors, Robby was warned about it.
Then, the 20 car did knowingly hit, then chase down, hit and knock the 31 car out of the way because Tony Stewart was “angry at the way he was passed.”
This was about the umpteenth time this year Tony has hit another car because he “didn’t like the WAY he was passed.” Apparently, Tony would like his fellow competitors to wait for their hand-written invitations to pass Mr. Stewart on the track. Martinsville and Darlington resulted in on-track altercations between Tony and one or more competitors when he retaliated for being passed in a manner deemed by Mr. Stewart to be unfit. And what has NASCAR done about this?
Absolutely nothing. In a classic case of there being two rulebooks: One for the big sponsor money teams like Dupont, Home Depot, Sharpie Rubbermaid, UPS and others, NASCAR turned a blind eye to blatant retaliation and outright assaults by the abovementioned sponsors’ respective drivers. And I’m sure it doesn’t help Robby’s cause that he drives for a NEXTEL competitor with a superior product.
The problem is that NASCAR wants to have it both ways. They want drivers to police themselves, as long as the driver NASCAR favors comes out on top. Robby settling a score is no good, but Tony, Jeff, Dale and Kurt Busch are free to handle things on the track or in the garage as they see fit.
In a word: disgusting. I can’t wait to see what rules interpretation Mike Helton and Company have in store for us at Talladega, home of the race this year where the guy that got to the finish line second was named the winner.
TeamRacin . com
Let me put a period on last week’s events. Robby wrecking Biffle was okay. Robby talking about it on the radio was not. Now, let’s move on to this week’s action.
I must start with the Trackside show from Friday night. For seemingly the 100th time since it happened, Robby Gordon went public with his apologies to Mayfield, Stewart and their respective fans. He did not read a statement written by someone else or by a PR firm. He sat in front of a crowd of reporters and later a live audience and apologized. I do not recall a driver (past or present) being forced to apologize so many times for the same thing to the same people over and over again. But Robby did it. He looked into the camera and apologized. That’s all he can do and that’s all he can be expected to do.
Fast-forward to Sunday’s race, and while reports vary, it appears that Tony said in a pre-race interview that he wanted to “kick Robby Gordon’s butt.”
Now, on to the race. On a restart just 14 laps into the race, Robby Gordon (in accordance with the rules) goes to pass Tony Stewart on the outside. Stewart takes offense at this and drives the 31 car up into the wall. Robby completed the pass despite that, and Tony proceeded to immediately chase down and boot the 31 car from the rear several times, nearly causing him to wreck.
There are several things wrong here. First, NASCAR warned Robby for passing on the outside. That’s right. Despite the move being legal and actually one of the few written in the rulebook and known by all competitors, Robby was warned about it.
Then, the 20 car did knowingly hit, then chase down, hit and knock the 31 car out of the way because Tony Stewart was “angry at the way he was passed.”
This was about the umpteenth time this year Tony has hit another car because he “didn’t like the WAY he was passed.” Apparently, Tony would like his fellow competitors to wait for their hand-written invitations to pass Mr. Stewart on the track. Martinsville and Darlington resulted in on-track altercations between Tony and one or more competitors when he retaliated for being passed in a manner deemed by Mr. Stewart to be unfit. And what has NASCAR done about this?
Absolutely nothing. In a classic case of there being two rulebooks: One for the big sponsor money teams like Dupont, Home Depot, Sharpie Rubbermaid, UPS and others, NASCAR turned a blind eye to blatant retaliation and outright assaults by the abovementioned sponsors’ respective drivers. And I’m sure it doesn’t help Robby’s cause that he drives for a NEXTEL competitor with a superior product.
The problem is that NASCAR wants to have it both ways. They want drivers to police themselves, as long as the driver NASCAR favors comes out on top. Robby settling a score is no good, but Tony, Jeff, Dale and Kurt Busch are free to handle things on the track or in the garage as they see fit.
In a word: disgusting. I can’t wait to see what rules interpretation Mike Helton and Company have in store for us at Talladega, home of the race this year where the guy that got to the finish line second was named the winner.
TeamRacin . com
