NASCAR, we have a problem. Saturday night we witnessed the integrity of yet another sport under fire. The NCAA has their recruiting scandals. Major League Baseball has their steroid and PED scandal. It seems as if the NFL has players being arrested every day, along with whispers of PED use. NASCAR now has a race fixing scandal. This scandal may trump all of the other sports combined.
Saturday night, with the laps winding down, Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) appeared to order two of his drivers to fix the outcome of the race. First with 7 laps remaining and Ryan Newman comfortably in the lead and MWR’s Martin Truex, Jr. out of the Chase, MWR ordered team member Clint Bowyer to spin to allow Truex a fighting chance. Also with 3 laps remaining, MWR teammate Brian Vickers was ordered to pit allowing Ford driver Joey Logano to gain an important point. Logano’s finish kept Jeff Gordon out of the chase and kept Logano ahead of the 12th and final wildcard spot.
I know what I saw with my own two eyes but what the heck, let’s yield to people who should be in the know. First, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. almost immediately indicated that Bowyer spun on his own.
“That’s the craziest thing I ever saw,” said Earnhardt. “He just came around and just spun out. He was hemming around on his brakes and jerking the car around and just spun out.”
I’ve seen NASCAR apologize in the press to protect the organization in the past. It appears that is not the case here. ESPN/ABC commentators Rusty Wallace and Ray Evernham both called the spin out as being done intentionally. Even normally NASCAR shill and NASCAR XM Radio Host, Chocolate Myers agrees that the evidence stacks up against MWR.
Want some more evidence? After Bowyer was told that Truex was leading the race his in-car radio was heard saying this: “Is your left arm staring to itch? I bet it’s hot in there. Itch it.”
Then we have the in-car video that shows Bowyer jerking the wheel like my 16 year-old daughter did when learning how to parallel park for the first time.
And the evidence for Vickers is just as damning. One only needs to listen to his crew chief with just a few laps to go after Vickers obeyed orders to pit and slow up. He received thanks and praise for his following direction from the MWR team General Manager, Ty Norris.
“I’ll see you after the race Brian (Vickers). I owe you a kiss.” A kiss for what? Cheating?
In the Driver’s meeting prior to Saturday night’s race, teams were warned by NASCAR officials about such shenanigans. Waltrip and the folks at Toyota chose to ignore it, and have now become NASCAR’s Chase cheaters.
If it acts like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. The next move is NASCAR’s to make. The book must be thrown at all of those involved at MWR, including drivers Bowyer, Vickers, and even Truex.
If ever an action called for a severe penalty, this is it. Once a sport loses its credibility and standard for fair play, it becomes pro wrestling. It becomes entertainment without any real fair competition. NASCAR already has enough problems putting Fannies in the seats to not take action here.
If I were NASCAR this is what I would do:
1) Bowyer and Truex would both be barred from the Chase. They would be replaced by Gordon and Newman.
2) Bowyer and Vickers would be suspended from next week’s race at Chicago.
3) Michael Waltrip and Ty Norris would be suspended indefinitely.
4) Bowyer and Vickers should be fined 200 points for next season, essentially eliminating them both from the 2014 version of the Chase.
5) A huge fine with a lot of zero’s in it to MWR.
Stiff penalties for sure, but NASCAR must attempt to save their sport. I would even make a case that MWR should be given the “death penalty” and not allowed any involvement in NASCAR racing. I doubt NASCAR has the stomach to do that. Even so, the punishment needs to fit the crime and also make it clear for anyone who may consider doing this in the future that it won’t be worth it.
I was embarrassed as a die-hard NASCAR fan Saturday night. I sure hope that NASCAR officials do the right thing for all fans and the sport this week. Stay tuned.
My picks for Chicago:
1) Kevin Harvick
2) Kyle Busch
3) Matt Kenseth
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Main Photo Credit: thespeedzine.com, cc
