No more bump 'n' grind? Welcome to NASCAR A.E.
As Jimmie Johnson culls through the leftover chocolate and jelly beans he takes solace in the fact that third place in the Nextel Cup Series point standings is as good as Cadbury eggs' golden filling. On average, the past 10 Cup champions were third in points after six races.
Of course the Chase format -- and now Chase 2.0 -- makes much of the data irrelevant, but ...
Johnson again is off 'n' running toward another Cup championship, and teammate Jeff Gordon, the de facto owner of the No. 48 car, knew that as the laps were winding down at Martinsville.
But this is racing, right? Checkered flag or crash, right? Dale Earnhardt would've spun out Johnson, right?
Should Jeff Gordon have bumped his way around Johnson? Should Jeff Burton have thrown Kyle Busch a cold fender at Bristol? Depends on your perspective.
It's a different NASCAR, folks. Think of it as NASCAR After Earnhardt. After all, the sport has undergone -- for better or worse -- an unnerving metamorphosis since Feb. 18, 2001.
Gone are the days of thunder -- cranking up a stock car and driving it like you stole it in a mad dash to the stripe. Today's drivers have a lot more on their plates: sponsorship obligations, in-race team orders, playing the points game -- give a little here, take a little there.
But wasn't The Intimidator the end-all of merchandising? He knew a thing or two about racing on Sunday and selling on Monday, whether it was Chevys or T-shirts or caps made no difference. Earnhardt also knew something about racing; seven Cup titles says a lot, whether it was making the pass or taking the position.
"My mother always told me to do onto other people the way you want them to do you," Jeff Burton said after not punting Kyle Busch during the waning laps at Bristol. "That's the only thing I know to do. I've always tried to let the guy I am racing with set the rules."
"I'm not going to wreck a guy to win a race," Jeff Gordon said after Martinsville.
Obviously Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton took the high road, collected their runner-up monies and moved on. As a result they are 1-2 in the point standings and have good karma to burn as the season progresses.
On the other hand, Chase 2.0 pays an additional 10 points per victory once the 12-driver field is set after Richmond.
Should Jeff Gordon have dumped Johnson? No, it's not the big-picture racing technique that is paramount in today's sport. Sure, Jeff Gordon could have shoved his teammate out of the way, but in the long run that maneuver would have done major damage to the close-knit Hendrick team.
Ditto with Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch a week earlier; Jeff Burton could have slammed his way to the front. But from a points-gathering perspective, he did the right thing. Jeff Burton took what the race gave him instead of forcing the issue, taking the chance and possibly getting a much worse finish had he wrecked.
(Another thing Jeff Gordon and the other drivers should know: Take advantage of Jimmie while you can; the hiccups are few and far between.)
And then there's the Car of Tomorrow factor. Neither Jeff Gordon nor Jeff Burton knew exactly what the COT would do if they stuck the fender under the leader. Would the car spin, like the Monte Carlo SS -- or would the Impala plow straight ahead (and remain in the groove) and not give the driver room to make the pass before the rest of the pack made its way toward the fray?
All things considered, Gordon and Jeff Burton deserve kudos for their in-race tactics. After all, it's today's NASCAR -- the one that Earnhardt warned us about.
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