2015 NASCAR Chase ...

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

I won't be surprised if Kenseth is parked next week and maybe for the next few weeks.

I remember Gordon winning at Talladega to either tie or exceed Sr's win total and the beer cans rained down from the stands. Now, he gets a standing ovation. Though Martinsville is his best track. He's pretty well received there anyway.
He'll never be the most popular driver, but fans respect him, his career and the things he's done for the sport's profile. I hope he's good in the booth next season. I don't think he'll be colorful enough.


The win Sunday there's a good shot he can win The Chase. He's done well at Texas and Phoenix and of the three I think Homestead was his most recent win. The Hendrick cars are nowhere close to Gibbs and Penske programs this year, so he'll have some work to do, but he's in good shape and well, it's NASCAR (insert conspiracy theory here).

 

[playthrough]

Will be interesting to see the penalties for Kenseth--I would expect them to be pretty harsh. I don't think NASCAR wants to see contenders getting virtually eliminated in these short stage Chase sequences by someone intentionally wrecking them.

But that's the system NASCAR has created. Why get your payback at a meaningless April race when you can really kill a guy's championship hopes? I agree that NASCAR will be harsh on Kenseth, but it's a little hollow for me. Continues to be pro wrestling on wheels.

 

[User 11148]

But that's the system NASCAR has created. Why get your payback at a meaningless April race when you can really kill a guy's championship hopes? I agree that NASCAR will be harsh on Kenseth, but it's a little hollow for me. Continues to be pro wrestling on wheels.

Oh, there's definitely the pro wrestling aspect of it. Always has been. Still ...

Logano all but pulled the plug on Kenseth's chances. Kenseth returned the favor. I can't say they're both in the right, but to paraphrase Ron Washington ... that's the way racin' go.

 

[murphyc]

But that's the system NASCAR has created. Why get your payback at a meaningless April race when you can really kill a guy's championship hopes? I agree that NASCAR will be harsh on Kenseth, but it's a little hollow for me. Continues to be pro wrestling on wheels.

I dunno, that might be insulting to pro wrestling.
How can NASCAR be harsh on Kenseth? A few years ago in Phoenix Jeff Gordon drove slowly around the track after a wreck, then intentionally pile drove into Bowyer as payback. That was the dirtiest, most intentional move in racing I can recall. Gordon was fined but he got to drive the next week (I think he may have even won). Of course, dirty moves like that by Gordon are conveniently being forgotten this season, but that's another topic altogether.
Point is, if Gordon gets a slap on the wrist for what he did, how can NASCAR do more than that to Kenseth? The Chase has been a farce from the beginning and NASCAR is loving the attention. The NASCAR Twitter feed had a pic of the wreck yesterday and "The drama continues" as the message. NASCAR did nothing to Logano two weeks earlier for punting Kenseth, NASCAR did nothing to Harvick for what he did at Talladega. So NASCAR pretty much put itself into a box. Penalize Kenseth, it'll be widely seen as hypocritical, both in light of other actions and in light of the "Boys have at it" motto. Don't penalize Kenseth and intentional wrecking will continue. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Kenseth's teammate Denny Hamlin, out of the championship chase, reignites his battle with Logano by wrecking him at Texas.

 

[playthrough]

True, NASCAR will never live down the "boys have at it" line. And now add Brian France's "quintessential NASCAR" after Logano started the current shenanigans a couple weeks ago.

 

[User 11148]

NASCAR did nothing to Logano two weeks earlier for punting Kenseth, NASCAR did nothing to Harvick for what he did at Talladega. So NASCAR pretty much put itself into a box. Penalize Kenseth, it'll be widely seen as hypocritical, both in light of other actions and in light of the "Boys have at it" motto. Don't penalize Kenseth and intentional wrecking will continue.

I don't think NASCAR gives a rat's ass about either possibility.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Forgot about Danica going after Gilliland earlier in the race, of course, her payback ended doing more damage to herself than Gilliland.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Ricky Craven had solid reaction to Kenseth's suspension, speaking as a former driver.
He tweaked NASCAR and Chase fiasco, noting the last three races drivers have done things to negatively effect others.
He finished noting NASCAR is no longer a sport. It's entertainment, I'm hard-pressed not to agree.

 

[User 11148]

Kenseth's mistake was to dump Logano only after he (Kenseth) was already beat up and several laps down. Had he taken Logano out while on the lead lap and with a clean car, I bet nothing would have come of it.

 

[Vombatus]

I wish the drivers would ***** slap each other more often, but not on the track because that could lead to marijuana use.

 

[YorksArcades]

If there are x number of cars in a given race, I wish each of the remaining races would end with an x-car wreck during an early lap.