NASCAR deserves much of the blame for what it did Tuesday to Matt Kenseth. And, as usual, no surprise here: the appeal will nearly certainly be denied. With Logano now last in the eight-driver Chase field with two races remaining to qualify for the finale, why should it be any different for Kenseth?
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NASCAR suspended driver Matt Kenseth for two races and placed him on six months probation for his role in an accident Sunday involving Joey Logano during the Goody’s 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Penalizing Kenseth for using the system is like penalizing a student for using a cheat sheet when a teacher tells them they can have a cheat sheet. He deserved a major penalty, but, as Busch and Hammond said, NASCAR must be more consistent. “NASCAR digests a lot”. We try to play by them every week. From vehicle, to engineering, to personnel on pit road, I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports is going to leave anything on the table when it comes to helping Jeff go out in a blaze of glory.
Kenseth, the last series champion before the Chase was introduced in 2004, was uncharacteristically angry after he was wrecked at Kansas.
Bad blood between Logano and Kenseth began at least two weeks earlier when Logano’s driving kept Kenseth from advancing to the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. You can’t change the code that drivers live by. How hard can it be to say, “if you wreck a race leader when you’re laps down, you will be punished in the according fashion”.
Personally, I am on Kenseth’s side in this situation. The Chase drivers are in the final elimination round. “And that’s what he did”.
Finally, Hamlin said the media and NASCAR’s fans probably affected the severity of the penalty.
NASCAR has so far said only that its review of the incident showed Harvick did nothing on goal. Let’s be clear: I am quite sure that if I were in Matt Kenseth’s shoes, I might have done the same thing. In all levels of racing, drivers hold a certain level of respect for one another. It was one of those wild moments that helps the series stay exciting and, like it or not, partly defines NASCAR. “That’s the line. Whatever they decide, and that’s what we’ve found out”. “That is one of the most emotional things that I have watched”. The newly launched Lexus F Performance Racing entry will only compete in a few unspecified events for 2016, ahead of a full sports auto racing schedule with a multi-vehicle effort for the 2017-2018 season. And it needed to be stopped before it’s prized possession, the winner-take-all race for the title at Homestead, got swamped in a pile of filthy snow.
Keselowski was having none of that. He led a race-high 207 laps on the day. I love this sport and support any decision they make no matter how I feel about them. His appeal will be heard at 9…
“There’s always a way as a driver to settle the score”, Keselowski said. “I think the script is written, we’ve just got to follow it and win that championship”. That’s the message NASCAR is trying to get across here: this was beyond what they consider payback.
Hammond suggested that JGR has a chance to win its appeal process. But, like hockey, what really get fans going are rivalry, revenge, and fights. Remember, NASCAR wants its drivers going 100-percent for the win- no ifs, ands, or buts. Joe Gibbs Racing will argue that (a two-race suspension) is very inconsistent. “Incidents like Edwards/Keselowski are the kind of stuff that where NASCAR had an opportunity to make a statement”. Jeff’s is a four-time champion in our sport, so he has the experience. In this post, I want to talk about why Matt Kenseth’s punishment didn’t fit the crime. “It was a very unclassy move, and shame on NASCAR if it doesn’t drop the hammer hard on him”. “I’m proud to be in it and proud to be winning in it. Does it toughen you up?” I don’t mean a big points reduction. What’s the difference between finishing seventh or 12th in the championship standings?
The run-in between the two drivers was the latest chapter in escalating tensions between the rivals during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. I’m fine with that when it’s for a win. But when a driver is laps down, rides around and waits on someone to come around the track, drives him into the wall and purposely wrecks him, that’s way over the line.
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“That’s like a pitcher intentionally hitting a batter or a linebacker spearing a quarterback in the back after he’s thrown the ball”.
