Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 | 8 p.m.
NASCAR goes to great lengths in its attempt to create a level playing field on the track. The sanctioning body tries to create as much parity as possible by using templates, inspections and a car that doesn’t leave a lot of room for innovation. NASCAR wants the determining factor on the track to be a driver’s talent.
So why is a driver who’s leading a race allowed to let his teammate pass for the lead so he can gain five bonus points for leading a lap? How is this in line with the concept of a level playing field?
During the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night the No. 48 team, while running second to Mark Martin, requested that Mark allow the No. 48 car to pass so it could lead a lap and gain the bonus points. Mark obliged Jimmie Johnson for two laps.
Awarding points based on a teammate’s track position and willingness to be helpful is a freebie. Points should only be awarded on the ability of a driver and his team to compete. Besides, aren’t these teams, regardless of common ownership, supposed to be in competition with one another?
Later in the race, Johnson obtained the lead and therefore would have earned his five bonus points the legitimate way, by driving to the front.
One has to wonder why Johnson made the request of Martin’s team in the first place. At the start of the race, Johnson was third in the points standings and was 406 points ahead of the 12th-place car. With three races left at that time in the regular season, did Johnson really need the five extra points, especially when the points will be reset at the start of the Chase?
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