NASCAR: Only One Person Deserves Penalty For Pit Road Brawl

Tuesday is penalty day for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Usually every Tuesday between 4:00 PM ET and 6:30 PM ET NASCAR will hand down an penalties from the previous weekend for the Sprint Cup Series as well as their other racing series’. The NASCAR Universe will be watching closely today to see how officials deal with the brawl that took place on pit road between Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. Many fans are split about who was at fault and who should be punished. I believe both drivers share the fault but when it comes to receiving a penalty, it’s clear that only one person who was involved should be penalized.

We have a seen the photos and the videos. We have all seen the aftermath that left both Gordon and Keselowski a bit bloody. However, at the end of the day I do not believe that Gordon or Keselowski deserve to be punished by NASCAR.

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Keselowski really didn’t do anything wrong on pit road. In every video that you see it seems clear that Keselowski never threw a punch. Moreover, NASCAR has already said that they do not have an issue with the contact that was made on the track between Keselowski and Gordon. That being said, even though Keselowski is on probation it would seem near impossible for NASCAR to levy any sort of penalty against him in this particular situation.

The same can also be said for Gordon to a certain extent.

When it comes to Gordon let’s start with what is black and white. After the brawl Gordon swore on-air during his post-race interview. That right there is cause for NASCAR to fine him as they have fined drivers in the past for using colorful language during post-race interviews

(Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2004). Any fine for language would most likely be monetary and not points. Then we get to the not so black and white area when it comes to Gordon.

Here is the link to a video from Race Hub.

In the video we see what might be Gordon connecting with a punch to the face of Keselowski. Then again, it could also be anyone else that is a member of the No. 24 crew as the video that isn’t 100 percent clear. Given how it’s near impossible to conclude that the man in the video is Gordon, I cannot see NASCAR handing down a points deduction to the driver of the No. 24 machine.

So, that brings us to the one person who should be (and I think will be) penalized and that is the No. 24 crew member pictured above. The above picture has made its rounds all over the internet since the brawl and it clearly shows this gentleman landing a punch on Keselowski. NASCAR is not going to tolerate punches being thrown, much less by a crew member. I am not sure what this guys role is on the No. 24 team but I would not be surprised if NASCAR makes an example out of him and he misses the race this weekend in Phoenix.

Oh and on a side note, Kevin Harvick should not be punished either for the small role that he played in the whole thing.

Who do you think NASCAR should punish for the brawl? Be sure to comment below to let us know what you think.

Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.

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