LAWLESS NASCAR: When Does The Invisible Line Become Visible?

 

Credit: Carol D’Agostino for Skirts and Scuffs 

The limitless system of the NASCAR “Constitution” is once again under scrutiny after events that took place at Richmond Raceway. 

After a botched restart by Austin Dillon allowed Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to get ahead of the No. 3 Chevrolet, Dillon put his nose to the bumper of Logano and sent him into the wall. Mere seconds later, Dillon right hooked the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin before crossing the finish line to win the race. 

Logano had some choice words to say in his post-race interview, including saying it was a “chickenshit move” and calling out Dillon’s own interview where he “thanked God for the opportunity,” while Hamlin took a more measured  approach, saying, “Well, it's obviously foul. It's fair in NASCAR. We're just a different league, right? There is no penalties for rough driving or anything like that. It opens up the opportunity for Austin to be able to just do whatever he wants.” 

But at what point do we continue to allow it to be a “different league” where laws are not consistently applied on the track? NASCAR has penalized multiple drivers, including NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace who made similar moves as Dillon’s. In those instances, NASCAR officials cited safety concerns that the move could cause. 

Have we gotten so complacent with the 20-year advancement of safety measures that we turn a blind eye to the repeated offense?    

Cup Series drivers are not the only ones who have been penalized, as NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers Layne Riggs and Carson Hocevar were dinged for separate on-track incidents during this year’s event at Nashville Super Speedway. Additionally, Justin Haley was penalized in June 2020 for reckless driving at Pocono Raceway.  

NASCAR has come a long way in safety advancements since 2001, after the death of Dale Earnhardt, including mandatory wearing of the HANS device, installing and reinforcing existing SAFER Barriers, and a more recent upgrade that was dubbed the (Ryan) “Newman Bar,” a bar that is placed across the roll cage of the stock car. 

All of these measures were created, installed, and enforced for the safety of the driver. Is implementing a rule and consistently applying it to drivers who have crossed a line too much when it is also in the name of protecting the drivers from themselves? 

While veteran drivers complain the “driver code” is disappearing, Richard Childress, owner of the No. 3, who’s certainly seen a lot of controversial finishes, said, “It's racing. They would do it to him, I promise you. If he would have been leading it, that 22 would have moved him out of the way. The 11 would have moved him out of the way. Either one of them would have done the same thing. I've seen it before.”

“You have to. Seen it right here at Richmond. Clint Bowyer won the race the night I think it was 88 and 18 knocked each other out of the way. He come under 'em and won the race on the last lap. You just think back of history.” 

That may be true, especially with the former driver of the No. 3, Dale Earnhardt, who didn’t get the nickname “the Intimidator” by singing in tune in the church choir. 

But just where is the line between “hard racing” or “doing what you have to do” and flat-out driving through the competition? As the sanctioning body, NASCAR needs to read the room and set that line, then enforce it the same way every time.