NASCAR: All Bets Are Off Here On Out And That’s Alright
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will come to an end Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. For 16 drivers the first 26 races will be just the beginning as they and their teams prepare for the chase and the chance to win a championship. For everyone else the first 26 races will be a reminder that they are not where they want to be and that they will have to use the final 10 races to better themselves and prepare for 2015.
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The line between making the chase and not making the chase could become thin as the races and laps dwindle down Saturday night. While I do not condone actions similar to that of Clint Bowyer in 2013, I do believe that all bets should be off.
Let’s say that you’re a driver like Tony Stewart or Jamie McMurray and you’re running second in the closing laps of the race. Under normal circumstances fans would expect to see some good and clean racing to determine the outcome of the race. In Richmond that should be the last thing fans should expect to see, in my opinion at least. If the laps are running out and a driver is on the bumper of the leader and his options are:
- Race him clean and finish the race second and miss the chase.
- Turn him the in final corner and wreck him, win the race and make the chase.
I’m sorry but in the above scenario there isn’t any room to not be selfish.
Obviously anyone wrecking someone with intent or on “accident” is going to cause somewhat of a backlash. However, at the end of the day drivers have to look at the big picture; how important is it to make the chase?
Let’s take this one step further and flash forward a couple of months to the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami. What is going to happen if during the closing laps of the race the final-four drivers in the chase are racing together on the track? In that scenario they are no longer racing for the chance to win a championship, they are actually racing for the championship. If Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Kyle Busch are on the bumper of another chase driver in the final laps and they simply don’t have the car to pass them; do you honestly believe they wouldn’t consider dumping them to win their first NASCAR championship?
The same scenario can apply during the chase as wins guarantee a driver entry into the next round.
Rubbing is racing is a term that has been thrown around for a long time in the sport of NASCAR. With everything that is on the line tonight in Richmond, during the elimination rounds of the chase and during the championship race there is only so much room for give and take. Ultimately time for giving is going to run out and all that is going to be left is taking.
Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.