NASCAR: Analyzing Kenseth’s Atlanta Penalty And The Fallout
After leading 47 laps in NASCAR’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Matt Kenseth’s race went spiraling down the drain following his pit stop on lap 117.
At NASCAR’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta, it was looking like Matt Kenseth was going to give Joe Gibbs Racing a two-for-two sweep of the first two races of 2016, leading 47 laps in his No. 20 Toyota. He was looking untouchable, running away from the No. 78 of teammate-by-proxy Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick. He was poised to make a statement, redeeming himself of his last-lap failure in the Daytona 500 the week before.
Then came the lap-117 pit stop:
He was penalized for improper fueling, which carries a pass-through penalty. To summarize it, the gas man placed the tool used for wedge adjustments on the rear deck lid, which is against NASCAR’s rule that the gas man cannot do anything except fuel the car when the gas can is attached. Tedious, but understandable when the big can of highly flammable racing fuel is taken into consideration the gas man needs to place all his attention on the fact he’s carry around a volatile substance. But instead of serving the penalty and rebounding later in the race, Kenseth ended up 19th, two laps down. What happened?
To paraphrase 1998’s NASCAR Racing: 1999 Edition: It was a bone-headed move on Crew Chief Jason Radcliff’s part. It was a mistake, yes, but a very, very, foolish mistake. Instead of warning his driver of the penalty, he decided to argue it out with the officials. He believed he could make a strong case, saving his driver from what could have been a race-hindering penalty. Instead, when the No. 20 didn’t serve the penalty NASCAR stopped scoring him for a lap. He lost another lap serving the penalty, and in turn lost any hope of a win.
What could Radcliff have done differently? Well, for starters, NASCAR isn’t exactly well-known for reversing decisions when it’s convenient for the one being penalized. It’s happened before, like at the 2008 LifeLock.com 400, when J.J. Yeley was penalized before the start of the race and sent to the back of the field for an infraction during inspection. It wasn’t until the No. 96 finished 24th that they decided to rescind the penalty. Moral of the Story: Don’t argue with NASCAR, even if they’re in the wrong.
That being said, when a driver is penalized, time is of the essence regardless of circumstance. The very least Radcliff could have done was to remind Kenseth that he was being penalized, maybe given him a heads up that he was going to dispute the matter. Kenseth had a race-winning car and could have battled back to the top-10 easily instead of being lapped twice.
Less favorable but more productive: Radcliff could have just taken the penalty and went on with the race. The JGR Toyotas are strong at tracks like Atlanta; they weren’t hurting for position. Radcliff meant well, sure. There’s no doubt he felt he had a strong argument. But the matter was on camera for the world to see: The gas man laying a tool down on the deck lid with one hand while the other hand handled the gas can. That’s dangerous not only to the gas man but to the entire crew as well.
There are fans out there who have argued that JGR owner Joe Gibbs should reprimand Radcliff. As mentioned before, it was a senselessly stupid mistake on Radcliff’s part, but it isn’t like stupid mistakes are rare in NASCAR. Besides, there isn’t as much pressure on the team – they’re only two races into the 2016 season. Stupid stuff is going to happen. But if they had to sate their blood lust, the gas man is just as susceptible to a penalty. It was his negligence that put the team in that position to begin with, and all Radcliff was trying to do was work in the best interests of his team (even if he somehow neglected to tell his driver they were being penalized).
More racing: NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Atlanta
So as far as Radcliff getting the boot, that’s a heavy-handed approach that won’t fix anything. Radcliff suits Kenseth in the No. 20, and the duo are set to resume their 2015 winning ways this season. Radcliff will put this team in championship contention in 2016…just as long as he works on his communication skills.