It Happened...NASCAR Has Officially Jumped The Shark

"The World of Vee" (theworldofvee) 09/13/2013 at 17:23 • Filed to: NASCAR

4

22

(Full Disclosure: I've been a northeast NASCAR fan my entire life, I grew up with #24 being THE guy behind the wheel. I know y'all love him and I do too. But I love NASCAR more than any one driver, so save your "Gordon is God!" and "Truex Sucks!" and "Screw Logano!" comments. You can post them, but don't expect me to care.)

I was ok with it. I got over it. I was ready to forgive NASCAR and get excited about the race this weekend, and then they did !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Jeff Gordon is back in the Chase, as the 13th driver. This should be surprising to you, this shouldn't make sense to you, it certainly doesn't make sense to me. The evidence that Gordon got screwed is circumstantial at best, you can argue that Bowyer spinning "screwed" Newman and Gordon but they had their shot on the restart just like Truex did. Newman had a horrible pit, you know what? Forget Newman, I know none of you care about Newman anyways. Gordon had his shot during the restart, he had to pass one car (#56) and he's in. Regardless of Logano getting the benefit of Vickers pitting, Gordon had one job to do: Pass Truex and get in the Chase. Let's not even get into the 25 races before Richmond where Gordon could have performed better, let's not forget his miscue at Watkins Glen 13 laps into the race, let's not forget that he crashed into Bowyer last year for exactly the same reason that Bowyer spun. I think Gordon is one of the best NASCAR drivers ever, but forgive me if I don't bow down to his altar. I watch NASCAR because for some awful reason I still think it's some of the best racing in the world, not because a particular driver is winning.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Regardless, after NASCAR made the boneheaded decisions to fine Michael Waltrip Racing and remove an innocent party from the Chase, I fumed for a bit and then got over it. Hell by Wednesday I was positively excited to watch the weekend's race because while the commentators on Jalopnik might not like the Chase format, it does make for compelling racing. Do I think it is necessary? Yes, if only because it helps stave off complacency. And then I get a NASCAR alert on my phone and thinking it was probably some new signing or ancillary news article, I checked it not at all ready to read what I read: Gordon's in as the 13th entrant.

Last time I checked, the Chase for the Sprint Cup has 10 drivers and 2 wildcards for a total of 12 cars. Did I miss something? Did I miss the clause where NASCAR can add another car to the field, because it's the right thing to do? Oh that's right! We now have to make all of decisions not based on rules, but rather the moral high ground that a decision elicits! Makes tons of sense doesn't it? Because Gordon was leading the race and a lap car intentionally crashed into him right? Because the actions of Vickers and Bowyer eliminated Gordon from Chase contention right? He still had a job to do, 5 laps, 1 car.

I'm not salty about this for any personal reasons, I'm salty because this is a microcosm of society in the year 2013. You know what? People are going to lose races, life isn't fair and sometimes cheaters are the ones who prosper. I'm not opposed to giving every 5 year old in a t-ball league a participation trophy because they're 5, but these are grown men paid an extremely large amount of money to play what we can effectively boil down to a child's game. And now the hall monitors and lunch aides are starting to act like concerned soccer moms too.

NASCAR can claim this protects the "integrity" of the sport all they want, but in essence they're violating, binding, gagging, and throwing the "integrity" of the sport in the trunk of a car and tossing it in the East River. This is akin to the people who see an asshat parking job and think that they are morally right to vandalize it (hint: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). NASCAR changing their rules on a whim is just spitting in the faces of fans who actually like NASCAR as a sport, and not just an excuse to drink beer and cheer for a brightly painted car. How am I supposed to tell someone that NASCAR is something they should be watching when they start pulling this? It's bad enough trying to explain that you like NASCAR and aren't from the deep south, now you have to justify it while including that "oh yeah, they change rules from time to time...but it is still a great league!" Thanks NASCAR, it took me 20+ years to come out of my stock car closet and now I have to jump right back in for fear of persecution.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

So I hope everything cheering for Gordon is happy, your whining paid off. Your constant bitching (Jeff Gordon too!) during the week pressured NASCAR into making a completely knee jerk reaction that once again sets an extremely dangerous precedent that will probably bite the sport in the ass in the coming years. Either that or NASCAR has apparently gained some enhanced version of hindsight that I don't know about because concluding that had the antics not occurred Gordon would have definitely been in the Chase is about as definitive as stating that if Mark Sanchez didn't buttfumble, Tim Tebow would have sprouted wings and ascended to heaven.

Good Job #24, you really earned this one.

dirtboy068 > The World of Vee 09/13/2013 at 17:40

1

+1111111111111

Lagwolf > The World of Vee 09/13/2013 at 17:45

2

Well said.

The World of Vee > Lagwolf 09/13/2013 at 18:03

0

Thank You, Sir. The amount of people clamoring for #24 to be in the chase this week was starting to get to me.

Ricky-Inferno > The World of Vee 09/13/2013 at 18:54

3

If not for Gary Bettman, Brian France would be the worst commissioner in American sports. Holy shit this bag of dicks has ruined NASCAR. I used to LOVE watching the sport and I always wanted to go to a race and see my favorite racer (Gordon btw) race, but I just can't bring myself to do it anymore.

How one man can single handily fuck up an entire sport is beyond me. At least Bettman has good intentions, France just causes trouble for the fun of it.

The World of Vee > Ricky-Inferno 09/13/2013 at 19:20

1

Couldn't agree more friend. And yes growing up I too loved #24. Though I always had a soft spot for Rusty Wallace and Nemechek :)

dataPOG > The World of Vee 09/13/2013 at 22:29

1

I always felt Front Row Joe always got the short end of the stick. For a few years it seemed like if he won, he was let go at year end.

I couldn't tell you how much my parents spent on Jeff Gordon paraphernalia when I was growing up. They even got my oldest a Jeff Gordon winter jacket for toddlers (and it effing nice too...), I was given a blanket as a gift, I don't know how many diecasts of various sizes, I purchased Christmas Tree ornaments. I am the head of a Jeff Gordon Household, and the 3 year old is as bad as me as he's taken over ownership of the diecasts (his favorite is the COT DuPont flame paint job). I didn't force any of it on him, I have other diecasts, he only plays with that one and the Rainbow Warriors one though I have no idea where that one ended up...sorry, I'm rambling aren't I?

I think I just TL myself as I am now lost.

The World of Vee > dataPOG 09/13/2013 at 22:35

0

haha feel free to ramble!

Like I said I grew up when Jeff was the MAN (Rusty and Dale Sr. when I was real young but Jeff in my prime) So I totally understand why everyone likes him so much. I like him too, I genuinely like Jeff Gordon and like seeing him succeed, but I don't care who it is, you have to perform like a boss to win like a boss. Gordon had 25 chances before Richmond to do it and sadly he didn't.

This just seems like a consolation.

The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin > The World of Vee 09/15/2013 at 19:25

1

Congratulations on finally discovering what everyone else in the universe has known for years: NASCAR is less about racing than it is about selling things. All motorsports run on money, but NASCAR's sole reason for existence is selling consumer goods to people. NASCAR is to racing what reality TV is to reality.

NASCAR took a look at their declining viewership, probably did a quick focus group or survey to find out how many more people would tune in if Golden Jeff were in it, vs without him, and followed the money. I would have been surprised if they didn't add a 13th spot, just for him.

 > The World of Vee 09/15/2013 at 19:27

3

If only there was a solution to this whole problem.

Oh wait there is. Get rid of the damn chase and let the points accumulated throughout the entire season determine the champion.

The chase is the stupidest points system in any racing series. Drivers bust their asses all year to be the first in points then can end up loosing the championship because all those points get taken away.

The World of Vee > The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin 09/15/2013 at 19:27

1

it's so sad isn't it? It's hard to admit when a sport you've watched your entire life finally just loses it but between the Baseball war on PEDs and now this in NASCAR I'm starting to get depressed.

The World of Vee >  09/15/2013 at 19:30

0

agreed, the only alteration I would add is to restructure the points after 25 races, so #1 still has the best chance to win but isn't so far ahead that the driver becomes complacent.

The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin > The World of Vee 09/15/2013 at 19:47

2

I used to be a huge Indycar/CART/ChampCar fan, but they lost the plot a long time ago. Formula 1 isn't any better, what with all the crazy rule changes and politicking that goes on there. Don't even get me started on the NHL.

I feel your pain, sir.

FrankenB5S4 > The World of Vee 09/15/2013 at 20:01

1

I was a Wallace fan since I was 2. My parents never watched Nascar before I started putting in on because my number was racing. I've barely watched at all since they built the COTD. It killed the sport for me.

Straightsix9904 >  09/15/2013 at 20:48

0

Do you remember the old days, before the chase? There would be one dominate driver that would win 2-3 races and that would put hm so at in the lead the season would be over. Te last 10 races were just about who won the races, not who would win the championship. Let's not fool ourselves. Absolutely ANY post season in ANY sport is straight up about TV ratings. A baseball team that goes undefeated through the entire year can be elimated in the first round of the playoffs...same for football, hockey, and basketball (excuse my exaggerations).

I'm not the biggest fan if the chase, there are definitely kinks that need worked out, but you have to balance The good of the sport with the advertisers money. Yes...advertisers money. Racing is expensive, and that is what puts fuel in the tank and tires on the Tarmac.

F1guy hates duck billed F1 cars > The World of Vee 09/15/2013 at 21:50

1

I am also a JG fan, and I feel that this wasn't a right call. NASCAR has more wrong with it than right, unfortunately, and that's hurting it.

1. "Debris" cautions. I've noticed that once a run has been going on for too long, then they throw one of these. If you've got a massive hunk of car sitting in the middle of the track, that could kill someone's tire, then yes, throw one. Is a tiny shard sitting in a corner of the track, along with built-up rubber, that noone drives on? Leave it alone. Don't bunch-up the field for the sake of "spicing up" the show. It's dumb, and makes the real racing go by the wayside.

2. The Chase. We all know it, we all loathe it. Nothing more to say.

3. Money. That's ALL the sport is. I LOVE the Gen 6 cars. All three look fantastic, and bear a nice resemblance to the production counterpart cars. It's a passing one, but it's there. But, where it gets dumb, is the car logos next to the driver's name on the windshield. Really? The car's clearly a Chevrolet, but do I need to see the bowtie next to JG's name? No. Back to the point, it grosses me out to hear half of ESPN/Fox, et. al's broadcast being pushes for sponsors. Same for the races themselves. Sure, F1 has naming rights for races "Singtel Singapore GP" but nothing like "The Bordeaux's Butt Paste 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway" Instead of calling the race by the track, we have to go through silly names before we can get to the race itself. Call it the Fall Atlanta race or something. The names change yearly, and nobody knows what race you're talking about.

4. Nascar itself. The organization has lost a LOT of credibility in this disaster, and rightly so. The rules are the rules, regardless of who gets screwed, and who benefits. Sure, at the TIME Bowyer spun, JG was in, but racing is a wonderful sport that, unlike stick and ball sports, can change literally any second. Recall the 2013 British GP, when Vettel, who had his usual iron grip on the race, suddenly retired. Other teams had to react, and react fast because the race was brand new that second. JG might've made the chase, but he might not have. Newman likely would've won, sure. He was doing well enough to clinch it, but he too might not have. Nascar, by doing what's "right" isn't doing the right thing at all. Also, by seemingly banning any strategy in the races, essentially they're promoting a demolition derby. Johnson is brilliant at sitting back and towards the end racing up, and taking the win. Is he driving at 100% the whole time back there? No. He's cruising at a rate that'll allow him to stay on the lead lap, but keep his car in the running until the end. That's called "strategy" Also, teammates working together is one thing, and I hope it still happens, but MWR did cross a BIG line, and did deserve some sort of punishment, if only because it was so blatant. Ferrari must've been beaming.

Nascar can get better, absolutely. They nailed the Gen 6 car. And, when the racing is good, it's damn good. I hope that we see the dawn of a better Nascar out of all this.

 > Straightsix9904 09/15/2013 at 22:07

0

Worked out just fine for 50 years.

Straightsix9904 >  09/15/2013 at 22:14

0

yeah, but TV and Ad revenue got big in the latter part of that 50 years.

The World of Vee > F1guy hates duck billed F1 cars 09/15/2013 at 22:20

0

well said!

I think I agree with everything, except that sponsors are a part of the race now and the names and everything is just something we're gonna have to get used to (The Double Mint Chevy is running great today! anyone?). That doesn't bother me quite as much as the antics of the hall monitors on the racers.

The Chase is entirely the reason why JJ48 can just cruise in the back, the races are inconsequential when you lock up your spot 10 races ago! All I want is some sort of point restructure before the final 10 races so that complacency is avoided, other than that I don't think anyone should be denied the chance to win the cup

What if Danica won these last 10 races, I'd say the points would probably put her in at least the top 5, but because she's not in The Chase she can't win. I think that's silly. Moreover, no chase means no MWR hijinks means Truex isn't a lame duck driver right about now.

F1guy hates duck billed F1 cars > The World of Vee 09/15/2013 at 23:25

0

Oh sure. I hate The Chase because it limits what a driver can do. What if Truex were to come on strong, and grab the title? What if a guy like Menard, Burton, or Montoya managed to get up there and win it? The Chase eliminates good drivers, and then FORCES team orders, because in Logano's case, Keselowski isn't running for a title now, so of course he will be subordinate to Logano, even if it's not necessarily obvious.

By aiming to make NASCAR racing better, The Chase ruins it.

Why not do a "knockout" scenario? Those placed lower than 10th after tonight are out, then 9th, 8th, and so on. By the last race in Homestead, you have a straight duel. Best man gets the Cup.

sadil > The World of Vee 09/16/2013 at 00:24

1

I could care less about people whining about Jeff being in. Decisions are made, get over it. Every sport makes tough calls. Funny how Nascar's decision is scrutinized and people love writing huge articles about it. How about we focus more on the actions of MWR and Bowyer's team literally being unpunished for their fake Christiano Ronaldo dive. As for the 24 team's decision to accept a 13th chase spot, who wouldn't take the opportunity?

The World of Vee > sadil 09/16/2013 at 12:27

0

I guess it is funny that we care more about the decisions made by the Overseers of the league instead of the decision of one fanatical team owner. They can't punish Bowyer's team more than any sort of foul play because they only have circumstantial evidence that his spin out was a) intentional and b) the sole reason that Newman wasn't in the chase (remember, Newman had a bad pit?) but they could punish the team for Vicker's pitting because it was especially blatant in that positions were swapped and pits were made.

I like Gordon as much as the next guy, but when NASCAR starts punishing drivers for doing what they've been doing all season it causes concern at their ability to seemingly make up rules.

A driver making a stupid decision is one thing, a league changing all the rules midseason is another story all together...and hence it gets it's own "huge article"

chezcliff > The World of Vee 09/16/2013 at 14:08

1

Jumped the shark? More like landed on the shark and had sex with it.