Bump-Drafts.com

Needless to say, there’s a lot of buzz in NASCAR Nation today over many things that happened on the track yesterday. We had an insanely long rain delay, lots of conversation over the Busch-Earnhardt wreck, Tony and Greg’s “stay out with the damaged fender” snafu, but front and center around the NASCAR water cooler (or maybe it’s a beer keg) is the way this race ended.

When the race ended, I gave no second thought to the idea that the driver of the #16 AFLAC Ford- Greg Biffle- had taken a step towards salvaging his lost season with his 1st win of 2007. Then, came the Jimmie Johnson interview. Johnson contends that Biffle did not maintain “reasonable” speed and that hometown favorite Clint Bowyer won it. Honestly, Bowyer looked a little clueless about the ensuing brouhaha, but the idea of winning in his home state sounded good to him. Naturally, Jeff Gordon chimed in and said the win was not Biffle’s.

There’s speculation that Biffle had run out of gas. Naturally, like those baseball players who swear they’re not on steroids and will gladly test to prove only to back down when the pressure’s on, Biffle offers to start his car on the spot to prove it. Of course, he KNOWS he won’t have to. Yahoo columnist and former NASCAR driver Ricky Craven says he’s certain Biffle was as dry as a Baptist wedding. Bowyer and Johnson will both tell you THEY maintained “reasonable speed”, passed Biffle up and are the rightful winners. For their part, NASCAR officials maintain the field was “frozen” under a yellow caution flag, and that there’s no passing allowed under caution, and under that logic, Biffle wins. End of story where Brian France and company are concerned. That’s where things really get nasty.

I’d hate to be France or Mike Helton being recognized in the grocery store. Some comments I’ve seen on line lead me to believe these two would lose a popularity contest with O.J. Simpson. From NASCAR’s inception, the France family has ruled with an iron hand. I don’t know how it was with Bill Sr. and Bill Jr., but to hear the old schooler tell it, Brian’s gonna kill the sport. I don’t know about that, but I DO know they are their own worst enemies on the P.R. front.

For my part, I don’t generally have a problem with the way NASCAR is run. I know some people would love to throttle me because I am “Pro Chase”, but I think it’s a good thing and its made what would have been a run away title for Jeff Gordon more thrilling. Funny- I don’t hear him complaining. Ah, but back to the grand scheme of things. NASCAR’s leadership shows a responsiveness and willingness to change things if something doesn’t work. Matt Kenseth winning a Cup title with 1 win in 2003 wasn’t good (admit it people), so now we have the Chase. In 4 years, it’s gone from 10 drivers to 12. Other changes like the Lucky Dog and others have come along- some good, some bad (like the top 35 owner points for qualifying, in my opinion). Try chaning rules like this in Major League Baseball. Ha! I think it’s also commendable how they’ve handled the Aaron Fike situation. The NFL wouldn’t have the intestinal fortitude to do that with their guys.

But the willingness to “draw it up in the dirt” or call an audible is what gets these guys in trouble. Part of the reason fans get so upset over this stuff is because the rules are too open for interpretation and they SEEM like they change all the time, giving rise to conspiracy theories (all of which are pure poppycock).

While I maintain that NASCAR’s logic is correct in awarding Biffle the win, I think the real mistake occurred by not ending the race on the 2nd red flag at lap 148. I could have told you the finish to the race was going to be a train reck. It always is! Yes, I know that means the dreaded Tony Stewart would have the win, but he would have won under clean conditions.

This won’t by any means ruin the season. Biffle’s a non-player in the championship and the other two top 3 drivers won’t really be hurt by it. The chase is still fun, and it’s still wide open. I just hope someday that the powers that be at NASCAR would think these scenarios through and have a consistent game plan for them. They can then just fall back on the rule book. This is one good lesson they could learn from the NFL.

Yet, there will always be that one scenario that someone didn’t think of. Like yesterday.

See what you started Juan Pablo?