Backseat Blonde - Non-Chasers Can’t Be Seen as Spoilers

September 20, 2004

Non-Chasers Can’t Be Seen as Spoilers
By Allison Wagda

Jeremy Mayfield and Tony Stewart got screwed
yesterday.

But not by Robby Gordon. Mayfield and Stewart were
victims of NASCAR’s new Chase for the Championship
points system.

Gordon, in a characteristic reckless move, intentionally spun Greg Biffle in retribution
for an earlier incident, taking Chase championship contenders Stewart and Mayfield
out in the ensuing melee.

Yes, Gordon made a bad choice, and no, I don’t endorse on-track revenge tactics.
Actually, he deserves the vitriol from fans for wrecking two innocent bystanders.

The Chase for the Championship may (or may not) be good for ratings, but it also
changes the landscape on the track. Suddenly, ten drivers are elevated to a new
playing field. So as a result, Robby Gordon’s name leads many post-race headlines
describing him as the man to potentially take Mayfield and Stewart out of contention.
He doesn’t deserve that.

A claim could be made Mayfield shouldn’t have a chance for the title in the first place
given the fact he was over 400 points out of first place entering the last 10 races.
Regardless, the new points system can’t become a tool for more successful drivers
or the media to denigrate those out of the chase for something not unusual in racing.

Stewart at least maintained decorum in his post-race interview and hesitated to
express too much anger toward Gordon. I missed Mayfield’s comments.

When the Chase was announced, this scenario was one concern cited by critics.
Would those in the playoffs expect special treatment from the rest of the field?

As it turns out, we didn’t even have to wait for the Chase. At Richmond, several
drivers were asking other teams to cut them some slack in order to improve their
chances of even making the Chase.

Then yesterday, the media descended upon Robby Gordon and seemingly branded
him the “spoiler of the season” for wrecking Mayfield and Stewart. It’s not fair. While
Gordon isn’t known for clean driving and the move was particularly idiotic given
Mayfield’s position on the outside of Biffle, the incident shouldn’t be considered more
serious just because Mayfield and Stewart are Chasers. If this farce of a playoff
system rewarded performance over the entire season instead of a few races, a
championship wouldn’t be decided by a single incident.

Likewise, if NASCAR would start rewarding winning instead of celebrating
mediocrity, such an incident could be easily remedied by the victim with a win. With a
substantial point bonus for a win, the best drivers would break away from the field
anyways, and could also afford the occasional mishap.

Until such a system is devised, drivers outside the Chase cannot become whipping
posts for other drivers, or relegated to second-class citizens by a controversy-hungry
media.

Anyone and everyone who qualifies for a race should be allowed, nay expected, to
race for the best position they can attain. The fans deserve nothing less.

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