If you think NASCAR is not a team sport, think again.
In one of the most controversial incidents in the sport’s recent history, driver Clint Bowyer is alleged to have intentionally spun out late in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. While spinning out on purpose is bad enough, the implications on the season standings were drastic.
In NASCAR, the 36-race season is split into two parts: a 26-race “regular season” and the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. The top 10 drivers and two wild card drivers outside the top 10 (based on wins) qualify for the Chase.
Saturday night’s race happened to be the 26th of the season, meaning that it was the last chance for a number of contending drivers to earn their spot in the Chase. Bowyer was locked into the Chase late in the race, but his Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. was not. In fact, Truex’s chief competitor for the second wild card spot, Ryan Newman, was leading the race. Had Newman won the race, he would have earned the spot based on his two wins to Truex’s one. If Newman did not win, Truex’s point total would bump him over Newman on the wild card tiebreaker.
With seven laps to go, Bowyer spun in turn four. Multiple replay angles showed Bowyer nonchalantly turning the wheel to his left while spinning, not the typical look of panic from a driver who has just crashed. In addition, Bowyer’s crew chief Brian Pattie reportedly spoke to his driver over the radio, saying “Is your arm starting to hurt? I bet it's getting hot in there. Itch it.”
Many other drivers, such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was running just behind Bowyer at the time, claimed the spin was intentional. From a fan’s perspective at home, the circumstances certainly aligned for Bowyer to spin on purpose. Michael Waltrip racing had the opportunity to put two cars in the Chase for the second straight year and Bowyer had nothing to race for in the late stages of the event.
Further adding to the suspicion, the third Michael Waltrip Racing car, driven by Brian Vickers, was ordered to make an unscheduled, and seemingly random, pit stop late in the race. This position changed allowed Joey Logano to advance into the top 10 in points and free up the wild card spot for Truex to take. It seems as if the Bowyer spin was part two of that plan.
Newman went on to lose the lead, and Truex earned his wild card berth.
Luckily for fans of integrity, NASCAR came down with the stiffest fine in series history — $300,000 — for Michael Waltrip Racing for their infraction. All three MWR cars were docked 50 points, which moved Truex behind Newman in points. Retroactively, NASCAR placed Newman into the Chase.
The most unfortunate circumstance of the whole penalty process is that Bowyer received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Points reset for the Chase, so the penalty did nothing for the driver of the No. 15 Toyota.
In my opinion, Bowyer, not Truex, should have been the one kicked out of the opportunity to fight for a championship. A situation like this is unique to NASCAR among professional sports, so only the future can determine how team strategy affects America’s most popular motorsport.