'Out of bounds' or 'anything goes?'

[Schwartz Fan]

'Out of bounds' or 'anything goes?' It's NASCAR's call
Stewart gets a Talladega win, his first in final season with Joe Gibbs Racing
DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Sunday, Oct. 05, 2008


TALLADEGA, Ala. - Tony Stewart crossed the finish line second at Talladega Superspeedway for the seventh time in his Sprint Cup career in Sunday's Amp Energy 500. He also got his first Cup victory here.

If that sounds confusing to you, think about how Regan Smith feels.

Smith passed Stewart coming to the checkered flag, but NASCAR ruled he did it by going below the yellow "out-of-bounds" line on the inside of this 2.66-mile track's tri-oval. As a result, NASCAR declared Stewart the winner, moved Smith back to an 18th-place finish and set off an argument that should last all the way through the upcoming race weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"Anything below the yellow line is out of bounds," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said after the confusing finish of a typically wild Talladega race that featured 64 lead changes and nearly that many wrecked race cars.

"You cannot improve your position anytime you are below the yellow line. In our judgment, he improved his position. ... In the drivers' meeting here, it was clearly stated you cannot improve your position below the yellow line."

Smith said he felt that Stewart had forced him below the line, but Hunter said that's not how NASCAR saw it. Regardless, Smith said, it was his understanding that when the race is on its final lap it's "anything goes."

Where would Smith, a Cup rookie looking for his first win for a team that's seeking sponsorship for his car for 2009, get an idea like that?

Well, maybe from Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director of communications, who after a similar controversy following a Truck series race in Daytona in February 2007 said, "When the drivers can see the checkered flag, you can get all you can get."

When asked about that apparent contradiction Sunday evening, Hunter said that apparently is now not the rule. "I don't recall making that statement and I'm not going to comment on it," he said.

So it was Stewart celebrating on a day when Jimmie Johnson also rallied from a lap down to get a leg up on what could be his third straight Sprint Cup title.

Johnson's team was worried about its engine, so despite the fact this was an impound race it did some checking, and that meant the No. 48 Chevrolet had to start at the rear of the field. He lost the lead draft right from the start and fell a lap down by Lap 25, but got that back on a subsequent caution and fought his way back.

Johnson then dodged a crash on Lap 174 when the two drivers closest to him in the standings, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, made contact in Turn 3 as Edwards tried to bump-draft his Roush Fenway Racing teammate toward the front of the field.

"I was just pushing Greg as hard as I could," Edwards said. "It was my fault. I guess we got in exactly the wrong spot going into (Turn) 3. I feel bad I took my teammates out. ...Sometimes things like this happen.

"I was worried about idiots when I came here and it turned out to be my fault."

That wreck also took out Chase drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. Jeff Gordon had been wrecked earlier when David Reutimann cut a tire and sent Gordon into the outside wall on the backstretch.

What all that adds up to is a 72-point lead for Johnson over Edwards, who finished 29th, and a 77-point edge on Biffle, who was 24th Sunday. Jeff Burton, who also dodged the big wreck to finish fourth, inched back into the title picture, too. He's 99 points back.

As for the ruling that gave Stewart the win, the 33rd of his career but his first his final season with Joe Gibbs Racing and his first in a Toyota, Johnson said if he'd been in Smith's position he would have tried the same thing.

"Without a doubt," Johnson said. "Especially with the rumors floating around this morning before the race."

Those "rumors," Johnson said, were spreading Sunday morning in the garage after the finish of Saturday's Truck race here. Johnson said drivers went around asking about the rule, but said nobody brought it up at the drivers' meeting because they thought they might have information they could use.

Greg Zipadelli, Stewart's crew chief, saw it another way.

"Obviously, somebody knew what the rule was," he said. "They went below the yellow line and they got penalized."

Stewart was overjoyed at finally getting a win at Talladega, where he'd come so close so many times, and to finally win in a season in which he'd also seen several chances to win slip away.

"To finally get that first on of the year and to do it here at Talladga, man, people don't understand what it means to win here," he said.

As for the call that sent him to victory lane, Stewart shirked the issue.

"All I'm going to say about that is they never said that at the drivers' meeting," he said, referring to the "anything goes" rumors. "I don't know it was ever understood anywhere. I sat in the drivers' meeting like everyone else did. ...If you hear it in the drivers' meeting, I guess we'll all stand corrected."

'Out of bounds' or 'anything goes?' It's NASCAR's call

[Schwartz Fan]

They set a precedent back in 2001 that this was how the yellow line rule would be handled even when forced below it IF YOU ADVANCE YOU POSITION....If you remember it was Tony on the short end of it then he was dropped from a 6th place finish to a 26th place finish.....



YouTube - 2001 Pepsi 400: The Finish

[Schwartz Fan]

NASCAR statement on 01's pass below the yellow line
By Official Release
October 6, 2008
04:26 PM EDT

At Sunday's drivers' meeting, NASCAR reiterated the rule about passing under the yellow line and provided the same information to all drivers and crew chiefs in a hand out, as it has done in past Daytona and Talladega races.

The verbatim language is ...

This is your warning: race above the yellow line. If, in NASCAR's judgment, you go below the yellow line to improve your position, you will be black-flagged. If in NASCAR's judgment you force someone below the yellow line (in an effort to stop him from passing you), you may be black-flagged.

"During the last lap of [Sunday's] race at Talladega Superspeedway the driver of the No. 01 violated NASCAR policy by driving under the yellow line to improve his position," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "In NASCAR's opinion he was not forced below the yellow line. NASCAR correctly took immediate action to enforce the policy by penalizing the No. 01 and scoring the No. 20 as the race winner.

Helton concluded by saying ...

"Since the end of the race there has been some confusion as to what is allowable during the last lap at Daytona and Talladega. To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap."


NASCAR.COM - NASCAR statement on 01's pass below the yellow line - Oct 6, 2008

[24n48fan]

Originally Posted by Schwartz Fan They set a precedent back in 2001 that this was how the yellow line rule would be handled even when forced below it IF YOU ADVANCE YOU POSITION....If you remember it was Tony on the short end of it then he was dropped from a 6th place finish to a 26th place finish.....

NASCAR may have shown consistency in their decision making Tony was pissed with the black flag penalty that not as I recall. He didn't think was fair that he got black flagged. Well how do you think Regan Smith feels? It's not ok for someone to force Tony out of bounds but it's sure ok that Tony can do it to someone else. Tony is a two-faced creep.

[Schwartz Fan]

I'm sure that Tony and his team were upset the same as I think that Regan and his team were.....the difference.....With Tony it was the first season (first race) with this rule in place....with Regan...7 years of running these tracks with this rule in place have passed...the end result....the same....last car on the lead lap.



Your still trying to make this about Tony and it's not, it's a call made by NASCAR that has you in a tizzy. Nascar obviously didn't think Regan was 'forced' anywhere that Regan didn't already plan to go....He threw a fake and it didn't work and he chose to pursue it anyway thinking that the rumor about the Truck Series would work.





(Moral of the story: Regan needs to read the rule book and ignore rumors about the TRUCK SERIES)

[Schwartz Fan]

NASCAR got it right -- and it's time to move on, folks

NASCAR, for all its faults (real and imagined), got it right. And for those who e-mailed before the dust had settled at Talladega, the knee-jerk reactions --generally something for which NASCAR gets raked across the coals -- were not becoming.

Couple things here:


• Regan Smith chose to drive below the yellow line. The left side of his No. 01 -- not the entire car -- was out of bounds before the blocking maneuver was made by Tony Stewart.

• Stewart did not force Smith below the yellow line; he chose to stay there, ultimately wheeling his entire car out of bounds.

• Smith did have the opportunity to lift off the throttle, ride along side Stewart and keep his spot in second place (thus avoiding the penalty of being placed at the end of the lead lap).

In the end, NASCAR made the post-checkered flag judgment that Stewart won the race and Smith was relegated to 18th place (the last car on the lead lap). And NASCAR got it right.

Now before ripping off an e-mail and railing about Smith this, Stewart that, blah, blah, blah:

Regardless of the "get what you can get" mentality with the finish line in sight, Smith made a conscious decision to try to pass to the inside. It was a ballsy move, right there with Carl Edwards' banzai dash at Kansas.

However, this is the key factor in NASCAR's decision: Yes, Stewart blocked Smith -- but he already was below the yellow line and was in no way forced out of bounds. What Stewart did so well was keep Smith below the yellow, instead of leaving the door open for Smith to move up and in bounds.

Give both drivers credit for not losing focus, wreaking havoc and, possibly, wrecking the field coming to the stripe. Smith held his ground, drove for the flag. Stewart did likewise. And granted, on the last lap Smith had no intention of lifting off the throttle; it's not in a driver's DNA.

What makes NASCAR Nation so passionate is unmitigated opinions. However, don't lose the forest for the trees. Each driver hears the same pre-race speech:

This is your warning: race above the yellow line. If, in NASCAR's judgment, you go below the yellow line to improve your position, you will be black-flagged. If in NASCAR's judgment you force someone below the yellow line, in an effort to stop him from passing you, you may be black-flagged.

In the end, NASCAR president Mike Helton issued a statement on Monday that should settle the issue:

"During the last lap of [Sunday's] race at Talladega Superspeedway the driver of the No. 01 violated NASCAR policy by driving under the yellow line to improve his position. In NASCAR's opinion he was not forced below the yellow line. NASCAR correctly took immediate action to enforce the policy by penalizing the No. 01 [Smith] and scoring the No. 20 [Stewart] as the race winner.

"Since the end of the race there has been some confusion as to what is allowable during the last lap at Daytona and Talladega. To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap."

Now let's all move on ...



NASCAR.COM - NASCAR got it right -- and it's time to move on, folks - Oct 8, 2008

[Schwartz Fan]

Earnhardt Jr. faults NASCAR on Talladega call
JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
Friday, Oct. 10, 2008


CONCORD, N.C. - NASCAR's most popular driver took series officials to task Friday for disallowing Regan Smith's last-lap pass below the yellow line in an attempt to win last Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Smith ducked below the yellow line to pass leader Tony Stewart and crossed the finish line first. NASCAR officials disallowed the pass, which is generally prohibited unless the driver is forced below the yellow. Officials said they did not believe Smith had been forced below the yellow line.

"I feel like the rule is pretty clear. What is unclear is what being forced below the yellow line is," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "In my opinion, (Smith) was forced below the yellow line.

"The two did make contact. He was on the inside of Tony. In my opinion (Smith) wins the race. I feel like Tony did what he had to do. In the car, everyone would have done what Tony did and everyone would have done what (Smith) did.

"What's curious is, when are you forced? Show me some video of what's forced and what's not.

"He can't sit there and hold his line. He'd just wreck, Tony and probably himself. That's just ridiculous to expect someone to be that bullheaded about a situation like that and put everyone in jeopardy."

Earnhardt Jr. said the incident was similar to a NASCAR call that went his way in a victory at Talladega in 2003 when he appeared to pass then-leader Matt Kenseth below the yellow line.

"It was exactly the same. I was forced below (the yellow line) and that was declared OK," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I know for a fact Regan didn't go down the front straightaway with a plan to pass (Stewart) on the apron. He was under (Stewart) on the race track when Tony came down and he was forced onto the apron.

"I could actually almost live with (Smith) finishing second and Tony declared the winner, but (Smith) was told he was not forced - which was wrong - and then he was sent to 18th place."

Earnhardt Jr. said it is the responsibility of drivers to bring up questions about rules with series officials, whether done in a drivers' meeting or in private. He acknowledged that some drivers might feel intimidated asking questions in front of everyone else.

The driver also said he thought the outcome at Talladgea may well have been different if it hadn't been Smith racing Stewart for the win.

"This is Regan Smith. If it's a guy who's won seven championships, maybe it's a different discussion. This guy ain't got a job next year as far as he knows," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He crossed the finish line thinking he won the race and he ends up finishing 18th.

"You can tell him all day long everyone in the garage knows who won that race and this that and the other to try to make him feel better, but it won't happen. It's tough."

Earnhardt Jr. faults NASCAR on Talladega call

[24n48fan]

When the most popular driver in NASCAR agrees with me, I can feel pretty damn good about my arguments. Tell'em Jr.!!!

[Schwartz Fan]

So his popularity makes him right?

The rule still reads the same as it has for 7 years and it's still Nascars call.

The only thing he got right was what he said about 'favorites' and being most popular I would say that wasn't a very smart thing to point out in the media...

[revvinjim]

That ranks right up there with him admitting he spun himself out at Bristol to bring out the caution he needed a few years ago.