Dover Doubles Down

By Ron Lemasters Jr.

Just when you thought it was safe to return to penalty-free NASCAR racing, along comes Dover.

The biggest in-race infraction—depending on if you bleed Lowe’s blue or not—was NASCAR’s drive-through penalty on Jimmie Johnson during the pivotal final restart. Johnson beat leader Juan Pablo Montoya to the start-finish line in that one, and according to NASCAR, beat him to the final restart line for good measure.

Rules being what they are, you have to let the leader be the leader until the start-finish line. Put a period on the end of that sentence. It doesn’t matter if the leader, who is watching you size him up to beat him to the line, doesn’t pull the trigger when it’s advantageous for the guy running second.

Truth is, everybody lays back on the restarts, every one of them. It was a problem in 2005, when it was single-file, it’s still a problem in double-file. Jimmie just got caught.

In his defense, he appeared to ease up on the gas in order to let Montoya back around, but Montoya has seen the movie. He eased it up there to accentuate the matter, making sure NASCAR could do nothing but what it did, which was to penalize the 48 car.

Of course, the combined brain trust at the 48 disagreed. 

Spotter Earl Barban called it on the scanner. “He’s behind you one car, let him go. One back. One back. Now 10 back. Right here, right here. They haven’t said nothing. Bulls--- restart he made. Keep it up.”

Crew chief Chad Knaus chimed in: “He spun the tires. We should be good to go.”

Barban: “48. Pass through. Restart violation.”

Johnson wasn’t having it: “I was off the gas, NASCAR. I checked up to give him the spot back but he was so far back.”

Knaus delivered the money line: “They don’t want you to win this race, you know that. Bring it down.”

Johnson: “I totally checked up. Honestly.”

Barban: “They’re black-flagging you man, they’re not budging.”

(Hat-tip to Jeff Owens at CBSSports.com for the transcript)

Johnson likely would have won the race, and no, it wasn’t a conspiracy. What it might have been was NASCAR following its rule book, and as a judgment call, it was the right one. Did Montoya pull an okey-doke? Probably. Did Johnson get hooked like a marlin? Yessir, he did. That will happen in big-time stock-car racing.

That wasn’t the only thing that went on at the Monster Mile.

Post-race, the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford was found to be too low in the front and did not pass inspection. Uh-oh. Last time that happened, it cost Martin Truex Jr. six points. If NASCAR holds serve on its penalties it will be at least that.

That’s huge, because it would drop him out of the top 10 in points, that land of guaranteed entry into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. 

And, it’s the second offense for the team, which NASCAR already knows. It was Paul Wolfe’s first race back on the box, too. Tomorrow, we’ll find out.