Last week I opined that the road courses were today's throwbacks to the old short track days. I mentioned a little rubbing, a little racing, a few tire marks on your door. No big deal. Then Jeff Gordon set me, and about eight drivers, straight when he put everyone on blast.... times ten! I've witnessed entire seasons without as many intentional take outs as I saw Gordon perform on Sunday. I'll ask the readers, exciting, or waaayy over the line? How about if it had been Kyle Busch or Brad Keselowski doing the rough stuff?
CHECKERED FLAG
The champ earned his first ever road course win in dominating style at Sonoma. Jimmie Johnson led over half the laps, and finished three seconds ahead of runner-up Robby Gordon.
GREEN FLAGS
Everyone's favorite Aussie, Marcos Ambrose coulda, shoulda, woulda! What a heartbreaking way to lose a race. Ambrose fell from first to eighth on one steep incline when he stalled his car under caution. He recovered slightly to finish 6th. Bori Said bounced his way to 8th. Instead of watching the World Cup, Jan Magnussen rode out a 12th place finish in the #09 Chevy.
YELLOW FLAGS
Joe Gibbs Racing had a long trip back to North Carolina as Joe Logano (33), Denny Hanlin (34), and Kyle Busch (39) had woeful performances this week. All three were actually taken out in someone else's hot mess. On the other hand, all three were not running anywhere near the front when they were scooped up. Hamlin and Busch were both passed by Johnson in the points race.
RED FLAG
The intentional wrecking of another driver just because you can! I truly hope that Truex shows J Gordon this week that there are consequences to his actions. Gordon didn't sound too contrite after he wrecked at least six drivers (that we know of). He wrecked Truex because if he didn't, he said, Montoya would have passed him. As Truex replied, "So, let him pass you!" There was still over half the race to go.
I can't believe the free pass Gordon is getting from the fans. "He's showing that he still has the fire." I can only think of one other driver (Mark Martin) that wouldn't be catching holy hell if he put on that debacle of dirty driving that Gordon did on Sunday.
BLACK FLAG
The talk of adding a road course to the ten race Chase. We already have one lottery race (Talladega) in the playoffs. After what we saw on Sunday, why have another Chase race in which you stand a good chance of being taken out by someone else's stupidity?
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I know... I know... But it was fun to watch!
ReplyDeleteIn my very poorly educated opinion, road racing is a crap shoot. There are no givens. Maybe it's the great equalizer and as a crap shoot / great equalizer, a road race would make the ultimate outcome of the Chase more interesting.
Could you see it as the last race of the season? Forget Homestead, bring on Sebring! 17 turns, 6 straightaways (nearly straight on a couple of 'em) and a scrambled up mess! JJ would be pulling his hair out and Jeffie would be wiping out anyone not affiliated with HMS!
Talk about drama!
It'd be better than a restrictor race in my book...
Now give me hell!
I didn't get to see the race but from what I heard, It seems Jeff Gordon was taking out any one that could win in order to give JJ the win. Is that what you are trying to say diplomatically?
ReplyDeleteDwindy.... I'd say more of a crap shoot than an equalizer. You're probably right about a teammate taking out the other Championship contenders.
ReplyDeleteIt would make the last race 'must see TV', not the snorefest we have now. I guess it would depend on who won the title to determine whether I like this idea or not. LOL
Photogr.... I don't think he was helping JJ. He was driving like a total moron. If a rookie had been driving that way, NASCAR would have parked him.
ReplyDeleteMy diplomacy comes out of a double barrel. lol
Gene, because of the possibility of taking out JJ on the course. Of course, it won't happen if he hits on the setup like he did on Sunday. I wouldn't give it a black flag; I'd give it a green flag. I'd like to see the Daytona Road Course or Road Atlanta. Perhaps Sonoma in mid-late November.
ReplyDeleteJon.... sounds like a good idea.... until it's your driver that gets taken out. Then, not so good.
ReplyDeleteI;d really not prefer to have 20% of the Chase come down to blind luck.
Yea, just ask Kurt although, truth be told I am sure he was leaning on Gordon too. I think Sonoma was some sort of cathartic release for a few of these pent up drivers - being able to punt people at will with no consequences. I thought JPM with Logano was pretty obnoxious!
ReplyDeleteShocking to see JGR melt down - and melt down they did, man Kyle and Denny were both acting out in the garage...but you are right Gene if that were Kyle not Gordon it'd be a whole other story!
KLV....lol... Jeff said no appology was coming for Kurt because Kurt roughed him up on the restart. He didn't say which restart.
ReplyDeleteApparently, as many take outs as they showed on TV, there must have been 3 times as many! I'm still hearing about hard feelings today between drivers that I never saw get together.
One thing I noticed Sunday was Tony Stewart. At least 3 times when a faster car was behind him, he pulled over enough to let the guy pass him. Maybe that's why Tony finished in the top-10, and a lot of other guys didn't? LOL
Totally agree about a road course in the Chase. Thankfully NASCAR didn't take that step after everyone said it would help Jimmie-proof the Chase. Talk of that would have ended real quick. Like John Roberts says, it's better to be lucky than good, but when you have both you have a chance to win the championship. Jimmie has both.
ReplyDelete