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Though the headline cries for "black and white" rules, the article reads just as inconclusive as the opinions we have.
IMHO, there is no way, no chance, that anyone could establish black and white (or green and red, or any other combination) bumping rules in stock car competition. It's always a judgement call.
HAMMOND: NASCAR needs black-and-white bumping rules
BY JEFF HAMMOND
FOX Sports
Aug. 26, 2002 8:03 p.m.
I would really like to understand who's making the calls and who's determining who's right and who's wrong when drivers bump each other during a race. If it's Jeff Gordon, does he get by with it? If it's Joe Nemechek, does he get a heavy fine because of who he is versus who Jeff Gordon is?
Let's have a clear definition of what's right and what's wrong. Otherwise let them race, and we'll sort it out afterwards. If it's blatant, by all means, penalize them, but if there's a gray area here, and you're not sure about what happened, how can penalize guys? I wonder if the guys making this call could do any better behind the wheel. I don't think the people who are making the calls have ever driven in a race.
Sometimes an observer doesn't know what goes on behind the wheel, for example, in the deal with Robby Gordon, from where he was sitting and what he was thinking when he bumped Jimmie Johnson on a restart. His aggressiveness may have gotten the best of him. But did he do it intentionally? Someone made that judgment call awhile before they heard Jimmie Johnson's side of the story. Obviously Johnson made it seem like NASCAR did the right thing.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned around Ward Burton, and whether he meant to or not, he wasn't penalized. Jeff Gordon got in the back of Rusty Wallace to win the race. Was that "just racing?" I'm confused because there's no clear way for me to figure this out, but I do know that when it comes to today's competition, you have to roll the dice and take some chances. Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. took chances and were rewarded.
Jimmy Spencer followed Kurt Busch for a lot of laps. Maybe he had a better car at that point of the race, but he knew that if he ever touched Kurt Busch, NASCAR was going to do something to him. He was trying very hard to put pressure on Busch without making contact. Spencer's history with Busch prevented him from taking a chance and trying to follow up his Busch win with a Cup win.
There's a lot of skill behind moving a guy as opposed to wrecking a guy. There's a big difference. Gordon clearly moved Wallace out of the way. There's no doubt about that. It wasn't like we blinked, and all of the sudden, Gordon jumped in front of Wallace. He clearly didn't out-horsepower him on the straightaway. He went in there, lifted the back wheels off the ground, turned him loose, and when Wallace was slip-sliding away, Gordon had the momentum, got position and drove away from him.
The question is was that good hard racing or was that uncalled for? I don't think that you got the true answer from Wallace about how he felt at the moment. He accepted it very graciously. Gordon wanted to win really badly, and it showed. But the bump is part of the excitement of our sport.
IMHO, there is no way, no chance, that anyone could establish black and white (or green and red, or any other combination) bumping rules in stock car competition. It's always a judgement call.
HAMMOND: NASCAR needs black-and-white bumping rules
BY JEFF HAMMOND
FOX Sports
Aug. 26, 2002 8:03 p.m.
I would really like to understand who's making the calls and who's determining who's right and who's wrong when drivers bump each other during a race. If it's Jeff Gordon, does he get by with it? If it's Joe Nemechek, does he get a heavy fine because of who he is versus who Jeff Gordon is?
Let's have a clear definition of what's right and what's wrong. Otherwise let them race, and we'll sort it out afterwards. If it's blatant, by all means, penalize them, but if there's a gray area here, and you're not sure about what happened, how can penalize guys? I wonder if the guys making this call could do any better behind the wheel. I don't think the people who are making the calls have ever driven in a race.
Sometimes an observer doesn't know what goes on behind the wheel, for example, in the deal with Robby Gordon, from where he was sitting and what he was thinking when he bumped Jimmie Johnson on a restart. His aggressiveness may have gotten the best of him. But did he do it intentionally? Someone made that judgment call awhile before they heard Jimmie Johnson's side of the story. Obviously Johnson made it seem like NASCAR did the right thing.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned around Ward Burton, and whether he meant to or not, he wasn't penalized. Jeff Gordon got in the back of Rusty Wallace to win the race. Was that "just racing?" I'm confused because there's no clear way for me to figure this out, but I do know that when it comes to today's competition, you have to roll the dice and take some chances. Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. took chances and were rewarded.
Jimmy Spencer followed Kurt Busch for a lot of laps. Maybe he had a better car at that point of the race, but he knew that if he ever touched Kurt Busch, NASCAR was going to do something to him. He was trying very hard to put pressure on Busch without making contact. Spencer's history with Busch prevented him from taking a chance and trying to follow up his Busch win with a Cup win.
There's a lot of skill behind moving a guy as opposed to wrecking a guy. There's a big difference. Gordon clearly moved Wallace out of the way. There's no doubt about that. It wasn't like we blinked, and all of the sudden, Gordon jumped in front of Wallace. He clearly didn't out-horsepower him on the straightaway. He went in there, lifted the back wheels off the ground, turned him loose, and when Wallace was slip-sliding away, Gordon had the momentum, got position and drove away from him.
The question is was that good hard racing or was that uncalled for? I don't think that you got the true answer from Wallace about how he felt at the moment. He accepted it very graciously. Gordon wanted to win really badly, and it showed. But the bump is part of the excitement of our sport.