Take 5: Five Takeaways From Martinsville Speedway

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Take 5 – Teammates didn’t mean anything at Martinsville, will they at Homestead-Miami?

Had Jeff Gordon won at Martinsville he would have clinched a spot in the championship race at Homestead Miami. The person that he was chasing down at the end of the race was his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. who is out of the chase and not contending for a championship any longer. As we saw on Sunday, Earnhardt Jr. was not going to cut Gordon and slack. However, will it be the same way come the final race of the season when a championship is actually on the line? If Earnhardt Jr. is leading and Gordon is running second and another chase driver is running third, would Earnhardt Jr. move over to allow Gordon to secure the title? It’s an interesting question that doesn’t only apply to Hendrick Motorsports. Would Kyle Busch be willing to help out one of the JGR drivers if they make it into the final-four or what about Team Penske if they don’t get both cars into the last race? Is it a big deal if a driver helps a teammate in the chase if its not for a win? What if Jimmie Johnson is running fifth and Gordon and two other chase drivers are running 6th-8th? Would Johnson let Gordon pass and then try to help hold off the drivers behind him? Would it be frowned upon if this were to happen? There are a lot of questions but not many answers when it comes to this seeing as how every scenario is different. Ultimately if a driver isn’t racing for the win it would seem plausible that they wouldn’t mind giving up a spot on the track to help a teammate, but that might all change if a win is on the line. The final race at Homestead-Miami is going to have many layers to it and could involve many other driver than just the chasers.