July 23, 2010
By Rebecca Gladden
For as long as I can remember, people have been making jokes about the NASCAR Rule Book -- that it's written in pencil so it can be easily erased, or on an Etch-A-Sketch pad that can be shaken up at will, or even in invisible ink so no one can actually read it.
The barbs about NASCAR's semi-flexible rule book can be humorous, but they point up a serious issue. Sometimes the ambiguous manner in which NASCAR explains its rules or metes out punishment can lead to situations that are no laughing matter.
The end of last Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Gateway can only be described as bedlam. Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards -- two Cup Series drivers that are 1-2 in the Nationwide standings -- were trading paint heading to the checkers when Carl hooked Brad's right rear fender, turning him into the wall. Keselowski then ricocheted down the track in front of a hard-charging field, triggering a multi-vehicle wreck in which he was bounced around like a pinball.
Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, though there were plenty of sore muscles and even more torn up sheet metal. Edwards, who led 39 of the race's 200 laps, took the checkers, while Keselowski, who led 136 laps, finished 14th. The win narrowed the gap between Edwards and Keselowski by 59 points in their title battle.
In Victory Lane, a triumphant Edwards offered no apologies to either Keselowski or his team. "We came here to win and he took it from us there in turn one ... I'm sure some of them don't like that win -- Brad Keselowski fans and stuff -- but, man, I just couldn't let him take it from me. I had to do what I had to do."
Edwards underestimated the coming backlash, however. It wasn't just Brad's fans that didn't "like" the way he won the race. Scores of NASCAR fans and pundits denounced the aggressive hit on Keselowski, as did several drivers, including Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick.
Where the story takes a more troubling turn is when those same fans and pundits jumped on the blame bandwagon -- not blaming Edwards himself for his actions, but NASCAR for encouraging drivers to "have at it" on the track this year.
Let's go back and examine the context of the original "have at it" quote. In January, NASCAR officials "unveiled a host of rules changes and adjustments for the 2010 racing season during a session at the NASCAR Research and Development Center," according to the Sprint Media Tour Notes and Quotes from Charlotte Motor Speedway dated Thursday, January 21, 2010.
Included in those Media Tour Notes was the following bullet point:
NASCAR will no longer police bump drafting at Daytona and Talladega. "We will put it back in the hands of the drivers and we will say, 'Boys, have at it and have a good time,'" said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition.
That was the extent of the "have at it" statement. It was originally intended to address a specific situation -- bump drafting on the plate tracks -- nothing more, nothing less.
But "have at it" inexplicably became the catchphrase of the 2010 season, and a catch-all for every conceivable transgression on the racetrack.
In June, NASCAR President Mike Helton emphasized during a SPEED TV interview that the "have at it" rule was not intended to be a blank check for detrimental driving tactics. "I think that a lot of it has to do with the confidence of us looking (drivers) in the face and saying, 'It's okay to be you out there. We're not going to react like we might have three or four years ago.' Now, there is a line you can cross, but we want you to get at it."
Unfortunately, that's where the ambiguity arises. What exactly is that "line" and when is it crossed? The best answer NASCAR has been able to provide, in Helton's own words, is that "I think we see it when we see it."
Apparently NASCAR saw "it" in the closing laps of Saturday's race, since the sanctioning body handed down penalties to both teams Wednesday. Edwards was docked 60 championship driver points (approximately what he gained by winning the race), fined $25,000, and placed on probation until the end of the year. Curiously, Keselowski was also placed on probation. Both drivers' penalties fell under the purview of Section 12-1 of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book, "actions detrimental to stock car racing/aggressive driving."
Clearly, "have at it" was not meant to be a free pass for overly aggressive driving tactics, and I don't for a minute believe that NASCAR wants to see anyone seriously hurt on the race track. Carl Edwards bears the brunt of blame for what happened Saturday night.
But it would be in everybody's best interest if NASCAR did more to clarify its rules and its rulings -- before the next time the invisible "line" is crossed.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @nscrwriter
You can contact Rebecca at.. Insider Racing News
You Can Read Other Articles By Rebecca
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
