STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. To say that the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega, Alabama, on Sunday was a complete and utter fiasco is to state the obvious. How a major league auto racing series - one that fancies itself as the pinnacle of motorsport in this country - can continue to operate under the influence of an egregiously delusional mindset, one that revolves around gimmickry and manufactured excitement in its convoluted "Chase" for the Sprint Cup championship, is almost beyond comprehension.

Let's not forget that NASCAR is a racing organization that continues to equate its "Chase" with traditional "stick and ball" sports, insisting that its ten-race championship "playoff" has all of the gravitas of a seven-game championship series in baseball, basketball or hockey. Only it doesn't. Not even close, in fact. Why? Because the brain trust governing NASCAR has never understood the fundamental difference between the value of competitive integrity and perpetuating "the show." For the powers that be in Daytona Beach the latter is paramount, the former is a matter of convenience - but only when it suits them.

The stupidity perpetrated by NASCAR in its attempt at making the "Chase" seem vital and of-the-moment is embarrassing. Let's consider a few points. 1. The wrong races. Talladega should never be in The Chase. As a matter of fact, no restrictor-plate race should be anywhere near the Chase. 2. The wrong championship structure. The fact that race wins count for basically nothing in determining its champion is such Bush League Bullshit it serves as an indictment of the entire series. And 3. The flat-out wrong calls. No Chase race should ever finish under caution, I don't care if they have to order the entire field to come in and be re-fueled to finish a race under green, they need to do what they have to do. (An appropriate analogy? It would be like calling Game 7 of the World Series because of rain and declaring a winner without finishing the game.)

What went on at Talladega on Sunday reenforced the perpetual jack-ass image that haunts NASCAR, one that the powers that be in Daytona Beach are so desperate to get out from under. It was simply beyond embarrassing, a display of hubris, shortsightedness and stupidity that knows no bounds. To have last year's champion (Kevin Harvick) be forced to stay in the race when he had no business doing so in order to make the next round of the "playoff" was simply ridiculous (and wildly unsafe besides). And to have four drivers - three multi-race winners - be eliminated from the Chase because of the rampant gimmickry that is its underlying reason for being is simply inexcusable.

The car owners, teams and drivers are stuck between a rock and a hard place in this whole thing. They love to compete and the success of NASCAR has given them access to a lifestyle that would be simply impossible to comprehend otherwise. So they're reluctant to criticize the series because NASCAR has pumped millions upon millions of dollars not only into their pockets, but into Charlotte and the surrounding region. And believe me when I say that this is no insignificant thing. If you've ever spent anytime down there you'd instantly get it and understand.

But ultimately that's no excuse. Those very same team owners and drivers have to band together and demand substantive changes in the way that NASCAR goes about its business. This goes well beyond the ongoing "franchise" discussions, because this gets to the heart of the matter of the relevance of NASCAR going forward. If the players involved want to see the sport survive let alone thrive, they're going to have to force the issue right here and right now. They can't just fume through the rest of the Chase and forget about it over the six-week break and come back to Daytona testing rested and ready to repeat the same sorry scenario all over again.

No, they'll all have to dispense with their usual downtime and seriously force NASCAR to have a focused three-day discussion about accountability, viability, integrity and The Future.

I would be happy to moderate those discussions, because for NASCAR to continue to do the very same things over and over again and expect a different result is the very definition of insanity.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

Editor's Note: For more racing news and photos, check out "The Line." -WG 

Check out The Autoextremist on AutoextremistTV below...we're already on Episode 3! -WG

Editor's Note: Many of you have seen Peter's references over the years to the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF), which he launched in 2007. For those of you who weren't following AE at the time, you can read two of HERF's press releases here and here. And for even more details (including a link to Peter's announcement speech), check out the HERF entry on Wikipedia here. -WG

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD 

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Martinsville, Virginia, September 26, 1965. Ned Jarrett (No. 11 Bondy Long Ford) leads a pack of cars during the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He would start tenth and finish fourth that day. Junior Johnson (No. 26 Junior Johnson Ford) won the race, followed by Richard Petty (No. 43 Petty Enterprises Plymouth) and David Pearson (No. 6 Cotton Owens Southeastern Dodge Dealers Dodge). Check out racing-reference.info for details of racing's past.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD