Chase Or No, All Systems Go In Track Attacks

Guest Column by Cathy Elliott



If one of the most brilliantly talented drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series earns a reputation for being a bit of a bully, how should the rest of the field respond? Should they take it lying down, or should they be allowed to stand up and fight back?
This is the central question in the ongoing debate regarding two on-track incidents between Kyle Busch and David Reutimann during the race at Kansas Speedway on October 3.
In the early laps, Busch ran into the back of Reutimann's car, effectively taking him out of contention. When the No. 00 Aaron's Toyota team got their driver back on the track, he returned the favor. Busch, who is racing for the series title and was running in the top 10 in the race, ended up finishing 21st and dropping four spots in the driver standings.
Reutimann .. well, what difference does it really make? He isn't in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field, so who really cares, right?
Wrong. There are 31 drivers on the track each week who want that victory just as badly as the 12 guys in the Chase, and will work just as hard to make it happen. When the chance for a championship is gone, the will to win remains firmly in place.
But where do you draw the line? Is there an unwritten rule about how far non-Chase drivers can go, or not go, when racing against the 12 championship contenders? If the Busch/Reutimann dustup had happened back in June, would we have given it much more than a passing "that's racing" remark before moving on to the next topic? Probably not.
The 12 most deserving Cup drivers raced their way into this year's Chase. They are the equivalent of NFL quarterbacks, the best of the best, the glamour guys of NASCAR. Should special rules and restrictions apply?
The NFL thinks so. Remember all that brouhaha four or five years ago when the league shrank what is known as the quarterback 'strike zone?' Under the new rules, you can't hit the quarterback in the head, or below the knees. The defense is required to make a 'reasonable effort' to avoid hitting him at all once he releases the ball.
In other words, look but don't touch. He's worth more than you are.
I gave the infamous Elliott Snort of Derision -- especially dramatic during allergy season -- when I first heard this, and I'm giving it again right now. This is football we're talking about, people. These grown men are paid the big bucks to encase themselves in heavy equipment and get knocked around. If they can't take it, "Dancing With the Stars" has an early entry program.
I am happy that NASCAR, also a sport where grown men encase themselves in heavy equipment and get knocked around, has no such 'hands off the superstars' policy. No penalties or fines were handed down as a result of the Busch/Reutimann incident.
Did Kyle have it coming? Well, his name is commonly linked with two words. The first is "talented," of course, but the second is "controversy." Since the start of his Cup career, he has had well-publicized issues with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Casey Mears. And Tony Stewart ... and Brian Vickers ... and Brad Keselowski ... and his own teammate, Denny Hamlin.
Busch said the initial contact was truly not deliberate, that Reutimann's car was loose and his retaliatory behavior was uncalled for. " He could've wrecked me in any of the first 26 races next year. That would've been fine," he said after the race.
But Reutimann, who has a laid-back, nice-guy reputation, apparently didn't feel like waiting to be told when he was allowed to demonstrate his displeasure. "I don't care if you're in the Chase or not, you need to think about who you're running over when you're running over them. I don't care who you are. If you're in the Chase, you have as much responsibility to drive with respect as I do to everybody else," he responded.
Sometimes there may be a tendency to think slightly less of the talents of non-Chase drivers, but that is unfair. Although he has only been racing in the Cup Series full-time for three years, Reutimann's credentials are solid. He's a third-generation racer, with wins in the NASCAR Camping World, Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series. He knows what he's doing out there.
A reputation for winning can come and go like the change of seasons, but a reputation for things like integrity and fair play are earned over the course of a career.
In this particular case, some highly respected human philosophies have come into play, things like karma, the Golden Rule and "don't dish it out if you can't take it." Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a slight twitch to the right can definitely break your championship chances, buddy, if that's the way I choose to play the game.
What we could be seeing here is a classic example of the boy who cried wolf -- or maybe the boy who knocked the other wolves out of the way so many times that one member of the pack finally got fed up and decided it was time to bite back. When Kyle Busch needed the benefit of the doubt, no one wanted to give it to him.
We're not running races with 12-car fields in the Chase. Everyone shows up; everyone qualifies. Anyone can win on any given day. Who would want to change that? It's part of what makes NASCAR so much fun.
Kyle Busch isn't the only driver to raise the ire of his teammates this year. Now that Reutimann has fired the first volley, so to speak, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens next.
Some drivers may get what they paid for from a sportsmanship standpoint over the course of the regular season, and others may not. But one thing is certain. As fans, we are all getting our money's worth.