Well David....
As a practical matter, your description (F1 and CART) are accurate....as to
the generally accepted "gentlemen's" agreement among open wheel
drivers....on road courses. The matter in F1 and CART....is as much an
issue of "no fenders".....as it is one of turn/apex ownership. Generally
speaking, two open wheel cars coming together in any side by side situation,
results in the day/race being over for both drivers....or much worse.
Such is not the case obviously with closed wheel race cars.
And it is certainly not the case when racing on oval speedways. The "oval"
part of the track is not a "turn" as we think of the term in road racing.
And while there are exceptions to the "multiple racing lane/line" being
pre*** on oval speedways....for the most part, there are two lanes
(sometimes three) that represent racing lines around the track.....cars can
be equally fast in either, depending on how they are set up....or, how their
"setup" has come in....so to speak....to the current laps on the tires and
track conditions (and weight of the car, etc.). You will often hear these
referred to as "on the bottom" (the lower lane next to the inside yellow
stripe) or "up top" (next lane up) and so forth. In NASCAR...and most forms
of oval track racing.....it is generally accepted that the car (driver) is
always entitled to the real estate they currently occupy (meaning the lane
they are in)....and if they move out of that lane and make car
contact.....its their fault (the flip side of that being, if you remain in
your lane...and another competitor moves out of theirs.....and hits
you...its their fault).
Now.......what really goes on between drivers on the track...... is the good
sense (racing sense) that drivers have...or lack...with regard to knowing
when another car is encroaching on your territory.....but its being done
unavoidably by the other driver. Sometimes you "yield" your lane to avoid
an accident......period! Other times you stray into another lane by
mistake.......sometimes by "chance" and often it is even unavoidable (your
car is pushing and it just won't hold a line).....and, "yes" sometimes you
do it on purpose!
I saw the "incident" between Gordon and Stewart today too. I also had taped
the race, so I was able to playback the "replay" several times. If I was
the NASCAR official in charge....I would have blamed the incident on
Stewart......and had nothing else transpired...chalked it off to a "racing
accident." Gordon was clearly "on the bottom".....Stewart was clearly
coming down from the next lane up.....when the "contact" occurred. And, how
they each got into that position isn't really too important......especially
in the last 10 laps at Bristol. Gordon was entitled to the real estate his
car occupied...as was Tony. But, Tony's car appears to come down into the
bottom lane.....granted he's ahead of Gordon....but not enough that his left
rear clears Gordon's right front.....as Tony's car comes into the bottom
lane. At Bristol.....the car on top of an exchange like that is going to
lose! There isn't a good race car driver anywhere in the world....let alone
in NASCAR....that will back out of the throttle...racing in the last 10 laps
at any track...and they are on the bottom! If Stewart wanted the bottom
lane....then it was his responsibility to clear Gordon's car......period!
One exceptional bit of circumstance to add to all of this .....is that
produced by the car physics of the Bristol track itself. The high banking,
relatively short radius turns....mean the cars are not traveling all that
fast (certainly not as fast as they run through the high banks at Talladega
or Daytona).....and if you let out of the throttle.......even so slightly
too much......your car is going to come down the banking as it slows....even
a mile an hour or two! That's why I say...."it was Stewarts's fault.....but
chalk it off to a racing accident." I don't think Tony was intentionally
trying to take the bottom away from Gordon. If he was, he would have done
so on the entry.....not in the middle or almost in the middle of the turn.
What happened subsequently....is an entirely different matter. I have not
been to FOX, NASCAR.com....or read lower than this r.a.s. post...so I'm
unaware of any "news" about what NASCAR's "response" was (or is) to Stewart
ramming Gordon on pit road following the checkered. I know, you could sense
even Darrel Waltrip's "shock" at what Stewart did. Even though Darrell was
trying to make a joke of it......regarding Tony apparently "losing his
brakes".....you could see (hear) he was embarrassed by Stewart's actions. I
was embarrassed by Stewart's action. I think most race car drivers would
be........since that type of behavior is not acceptable under any conditions
for any reason what so ever. For a celebrity race car driver to pull
something like that.....is embarrassing to all race car drivers......who
don't want the fans.....or none drivers.....to think that's "ok" to do!
This is not about being a Stewart fan....or a Jeff Gordon fan.......heck, if
Dale himself came down from heaven to race for a day.....I'd be all over him
for doing something like Tony did today at Bristol! That was wrong, that
was flagrant....and that was completely disrespectful to racing....and every
person in it.....past, present and future! I hope they throw the book at
him! In fact, had Tony been going just a little faster.....its possible he
could have been arrested for that stupid move. You do that on the
street....and its called "attempted ***, or an attempt to do bodily harm
or property damage with a lethal weapon.....a car!" That's a felony....and
it has a mandatory prison sentence. My God, what was Tony thinking? Did he
think he'd just finished a pickup race on Sierra.com at Bristol?
It will take something quite extraordinary for Tony Stewart to ever have my
respect again. What's worse, I think when he looks at the tape...he'll see
that Gordon did nothing intentional....that, in fact....it was his own fault
he got spun by Jeff. I'd be looking for my hari-kari belt and candle if I
was Stewart tonight!
Tom Pabst
