iNSIDE SCOOP: Could There Be 13 in the Chase?

On Friday the 13th, NASCAR was still debating as to whether there might be a 13th car in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

According to published reports—and an awful lot of whispering among the people who write the news—Jeff Gordon might be added to the Chase after all. 

NASCAR officials called Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing before the collected might of its competition committee today at Chicagoland to get the skinny on what happened in the closing laps at Richmond.

Front Row Motorsports crew chief Frank Kerr and spotter David Keith represented FRM in its meeting with NASCAR, and Penske Racing vice president Bud Denker, competition director Travis Geisler, vice president of operations Michael Nelson, crew chief Todd Gordon and spotter Tab Boyd were there for the Captain. 

Once there, they went to the video—and audio—tape to get to the bottom of the alleged collusion that allowed Joey Logano to keep his spot in the top 10 in points. At issue was a request from Penske to FRM that Logano be able to pass driver David Gilliland in an effort to stay ahead of Gordon. 

Of course, nobody is saying nothing until NASCAR determines if there’s cause, and NASCAR said they hadn’t decided anything as of 2:30 p.m. today.

Long story short, I don’t think it will happen. Gordon was edged out by a single point for 10th. Logano would have been in had he not been 10th in the points, because he would have taken the second wild-card from Martin Truex Jr./Ryan Newman.

Gordon had to top Logano by two spots to earn 10th place, because Logano had a victory and Gordon didn’t. 

Of course, the hue and cry from Twitter among outraged SuperG fans was deafening, and NASCAR is sensitive to stuff like that. It got Newman in the Chase, after all. 

Man, it’s getting to be Weirdsville around here these days. Never in a thousand years would I have guessed that NASCAR would boot Truex and put Newman in. But they did. Had to rearrange all the deck chairs to do it, but they did.

I can’t see them doing it again, especially since they race in two days and they’ve already kicked off the Chase with media days and the Chase Across America. 

I just looked at the calendar and noticed that it’s Friday the 13th. I changed my mind. They’ll add Gordon, boot Clint Bowyer, put Truex back in and make it a 15-car Chase with three random draws.

Or they might not.