Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
NASCAR got it right. Yes, you read that correctly – they got it right. Fans of Brad Keselowski or Penske Racing might not agree, but the penalty issued to the No. 2 car for a restart infraction in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire was the correct call.
Consistency is what should be debated.
Let’s back-up a moment and examine how we got to this point. Restarts first became a question when drivers asked for a clarification of the rule and penalties during the driver’s meeting at Bristol in late August. Drivers have conceded that they’re their own worst enemy when expected to self-police the procedure and asked NASCAR to take a firmer stance. They did more than ask – they practically begged.
Richmond
During the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond on September 12, the race that would ultimately set the Chase field for 2015, Matt Kenseth left Joey Logano in his dust with 18 laps to go in what many feel was an unfair advantage. Logano’s car owner Roger Penske said afterwards to NBC Sports, “You just can’t have that kind of officiating. The last restart, the guy must have closed the window and pulled the blind down.”
Chicago
The following week in Chicago, NASCAR devoted additional video technology and the presence of a senior official whose only responsibility is to watch restarts in response to the concerns coming out of Richmond. They also emphatically reviewed the rules and associated penalties in the driver’s meeting.
During the race, Jeff Gordon executed an almost-similar maneuver to Kenseth’s from the week before on lap 144, getting a jump on race leader Kyle Busch and testing the new resources. While perhaps not as egregious as Kenseth’s restart the week before, many in the NASCAR garage again viewed this as an unfair advantage. However, after an excruciatingly long 10 lap review of the restart, NASCAR deemed it legal.
New Hampshire
Round two of the 2015 Chase was not without another restart controversy, and yet again the restart in question involved a Chase participant. This time however, NASCAR took action. Brad Keselowski and his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford received a pass-through penalty for accelerating before race leader Greg Biffle.
In each of the three scenarios mentioned, you will find just as many passionate fans arguing that the restart was fair and no penalty should have been issued as you will those who argue that a penalty was warranted. To be fair, one must do three (3) things:
- Examine each restart individually. Do not compare one against another. This is analogous to a “ball vs. strike” call in baseball. Each pitch is called on it’s own merits. If it’s determined to be high and inside, it doesn’t matter if it is high and inside by an inch or a foot… it’s still a ball.
- Who accelerated and when? The leader is supposed to be the control car. He or she is supposed to wait until in the restart zone to accelerate first. If they accelerate too early or if another car goes first, it should be called and a penalty issued to the offender.
- Accept the penalty and move on. NASCAR, as the sanctioning body, is responsible for determining the legality of these matters. They won’t take too kindly to a driver ignoring a black flag (they’ll just stop scoring the car anyway,) nor will they stand idly by if drivers and car owners openly criticize their judgement.
For the record, this writer feels that all three scenarios should have resulted in penalties to Kenseth, Gordon and Keselowski respectively (see bullets below for a summary). Yet, only one was called. Those are the breaks. It’s not going to change, so we deal with it. It doesn’t mean we have to like it, and the inconsistency is a far greater problem than getting a call right or wrong. Sure, we all want “the refs” to be correct 100% of the time, but it just isn’t going to happen. NASCAR certainly is not above criticism for consistency.
- Richmond: Kenseth clearly accelerated before the restart zone.
- Chicago: Gordon accelerated before the leader.
- New Hampshire: Keselowski accelerated before the leader.
Here’s a proposal though: If the leader is judged to have accelerated before the restart zone, simply wave off the green flag, line the field back up and try again as is done in other series. If someone other than the leader is deemed to be the guilty party, then they should be penalized. Just a thought.
The drivers also got what they have been asking for. NASCAR took their dare and made a call. The call will be debated until they take the green flag next week at Dover. Somehow, one gets the feeling that no other driver will even venture close to putting themselves in position to force NASCAR to react again. Next week’s restarts will be pristine.
This is sure to stir up some debate, so let’s hear it! Comment below or reach us via social media!