On Friday the 13th of September, Jeff Gordon was added as the 13th driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase. The Chase normally has 12 drivers, but after what transpired at the Richmond race last weekend, NASCAR CEO Brian France and president Mike Helton felt that the best way to fix the problem, was to add Gordon to the 12 driver field for the 10 race playoff, that decides the Sprint Cup Champion.
Last weekend, Clint Bowyer suspiciously spun his car with 7 laps remaining in the race. This brought out a caution flag, which ultimately cost race-leader Ryan Newman, the race and a spot in the Chase. Brian Vickers also made a seemingly unnecessary pit stop late in the race, that elevated Martin Truex Jr. into the chase, and dropped Gordon out. Bowyer, Vickers, and Truex Jr. all run for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). In-car radio transmissions confirmed the team conspiracy.
NASCAR fined MWR $300,000, and penalized all 3 of his drivers involved 50 points each. As a result, Truex Jr. dropped out of the Chase, and Newman became the 12th and final qualifier. This still left Gordon on the outside looking in. So on Friday, NASCAR added Gordon into the Chase as the 13th participant. Gordon has won the championship 4 times, but his last title was back in 2001.
I think NASCAR handled this situation as fairly as possible. Though Bowyer is still in the Chase, starting in 8th, 50 points is a substantial penalty. Truex Jr. is out, and Vickers wouldn’t have made the Chase no matter what happened in Richmond. Matt Kenseth, who has the most wins this year with 5, leads in points going into the Chase, with 5-time champion Jimmie Johnson second, and Kyle Busch third. The chase begins Sunday with the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. This should be interesting.
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