Richmond rules: anything goes

Sporting News, The, Sept 13, 2004 by Lee Spencer

If you thought the fireworks between Ricky Rudd and Kevin Harvick last year at Richmond International Raceway were over the top, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Saturday night's race, which is the regular-season finale and will determine the final spots for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup, promises to go down as one of the dirtiest battles in NASCAR history.

When the smoke clears, one driver will be victorious, and the bubble teams either will be ecstatic that they made it into the top 10 or heartbroken with woulda, coulda, shoulda thoughts rolling through their heads. For the remainder of 2004, the best any of the drivers left out of the Chase will be able to hope for is the lukewarm glory of winning a race.

Short-track racing is a beast even when the stakes aren't so high. Drivers race in such close quarters that "racing incidents," such as Rudd spinning out Harvick late in the 2003 race, are inevitable and can produce postrace sparks like Harvick's confrontation with Rudd. This year, only six drivers have clinched playoff spots heading into Richmond, so four will battle to maintain their turf and five will fight desperately to break into the top 10. The stage is a three-quarter-mile, D-shaped track--that's not a whole lot of room to move for all that will be decided.

Which drivers will help others, and which will get in the way? Which drivers will be looking for payback? And which drivers will adhere to team orders? Will big-time organizations Penske Racing, Ganassi Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Evernham Motorsports, which don't have a driver locked into the top 10 or could lose a spot on Saturday night, give orders? Will a manufacturer such as Dodge, which could get shut out of the playoffs, do the same?

Some of the boys on the bubble, including Jeremy Mayfield, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett, tested last month at Richmond, attempting to gain an advantage. Potential spoilers, such as Mike Bliss for Joe Gibbs Racing and Johnny Sauter for RCR, also tested. A driver such as Bliss or Sauter could be tempted to nefariously use the chrome horn to sideline a competitor who has a shot at making the Chase--thus helping a teammate slide into the top 10.

NASCAR will have its hands full trying to monitor all the shenanigans, but with so much on the line, this isn't the time for NASCAR's B.S. judgment calls. Enough drivers already are incensed about the hokey points system that NASCAR can't afford to review the tapes after the race and get cute with the outcome. All 10 drivers in the Chase should qualify on merit alone.

Merit brings to light a part of the current Chase system I have major issues with. The points leader merits more of a reward. A five-point advantage to the top team at the end of 26 races is nothing compared with the home-court or -field advantage in stick-and-ball sports. Those five points can be erased in no time.

Giving the leader 25 points would provide more incentive to the front-runners. Certainly, it's good to see the bubble drivers get more attention, but there should be a bigger reward for the leader.

Another needed improvement involves who qualifies for the Chase. Instead of taking drivers within 400 points of the leader, a more dramatic scenario could be created by including drivers within 100 points of 10th place. More drivers in the Chase would increase the excitement through the final 10 races because the drivers in the lowest spots--each starting five more points off the lead than the driver in front of him--wouldn't have much chance of stealing a rifle unless they took chances.

Caution figures to be the norm under the current system, as it was at Bristol. The thrill was gone there because drivers sought to avoid trouble. Until drivers feel pressure to make up ground later in the Chase, expect more of the same.

At least we'll still have Richmond. And if I were Harvick, I'd watch my back.

SPEED READS

* What is NASCAR thinking? How can the sport allow the most important race of the season, Richmond, to be televised on TNT? It's bad enough that Bristol is relegated to cable oblivion, but Richmond is the race that will determine the lineup for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. It's a travesty. Most fans can't find qualifying or Speed Channel through local providers. NASCAR needs to insist top events be televised on the major networks.

* The late Dale Earnhardt was prophetic. He knew Jeff Burton would be a good fit for Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt's crew chief, Kevin Hamlin. Although Burton's arrival at Childress didn't occur as initially anticipated, the result has been positive. This is the strongest the No. 30 Chevrolet has looked since its inception.

* After several roller-coaster seasons, Elliott Sedler has found the fast track. Consistency--Sadler has finished 29 straight races, the longest streak in Nextel Cup, and completed 99 percent of this season's laps--has made this a breakout year.

INSIDE DISH

By LEE SPENCER

It will be a busy December for Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. After attending the NASCAR Nextel Cup banquet December 3 in New York, they'll jet to Paris to compete in the Race of Champions Nations Cup, which they won in 2002. Then it's off to St. Barts in the Caribbean, where Johnson will marry Chandra Janway on December 11 and Gordon will be part of the wedding party. The ROC Nations Cup, which is being touted as "motorsports' version of World Cup," gives Gordon an opportunity to race against Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, whom he met earlier this year at a Formula 1 race in Barcelona, Spain. The ROC Nations Cup will take place on a figure-eight dirt and paved course.... John Andretti could be in a Cup car as early as October's Charlotte race. Although officials from ppc Racing would not "confirm or deny" that a deal has been signed, garage sources say Andretti will race a ppc Ford. Dave Charpentier, who was replaced as Ricky Craven's crew chief in July, signed on with ppc last week and likely will work with Andretti.... Several names bounced around the retirement rumor mill after Rusty Wallace's retirement announcement last week. Although Dale Jarrett isn't ready to retire, he has one of the most sound exit strategies going. He will rely on the recommendations of three people: his father, two-time NASCAR champ Ned Jarrett; his wife, Kelley, and team owner Robert Yates. "I have three people who will be totally honest with me, and others may not be that fortunate," says Jarrett, who is currently 13th in points. Jarrett won the 1999 Cup title and has 31 career Cup wins.... The Busch Series orientation meeting on the 2005 race in Mexico City resembled an episode of Ma and Pa Kettle Cross the Border. George Gonzalez of OCESA--a subsidiary of Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento, a live entertainment company in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets--and Tim Christine, NASCAR's director of security, tried to assuage the competitors' fears about security at the event with a detailed game plan, but there still were concerns. It will be impossible for teams to test for the inaugural race, scheduled for March 6, because sufficient security will not be in place until race weekend. It has been recommended that teams travel in 12- to 15-transporter convoys for safety reasons. The trip takes 18 hours after crossing the border.