Ok, now I can't find any blog on this particular topic so I figured I'd get the ball rolling (if I'm wrong, please give me a link since I only skimmed over the 'NASCAR' and 'Other' categories).
We've had a couple days to digest the lap 14 collision between Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin in the Pepsi 400. Most have said it was just a racing incident and that it was just "one of those things". I think the problem most people have is what Tony said afterwards, about it all being Denny's fault and that Denny needs to figure out the meaning of the word 'team'.
But has he lost his crown for the silliest thing to say after crashing out? The very next day saw the IRL race at Watkins Glen. The first part of the race was a close fought affair with Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti running within a couple seconds of each other for the first 15 laps. All three of them pitted at the end of that lap and that's when things started to get a little interesting.
Franchitti lost a bit of ground during the stop and Dixon decided it was time to really pile on the pressure on Castroneves for the lead. Lap 17 saw him get a great slipstream and Castroneves dived right to protect the inside line leaving Dixon the outside (and racing) line which he couldn't pull off.
Lap 18, on the same corner, Dixon managed to get the inside line this time but thought better of it and backed out.
Lap 19, again on the same part of the track, Dixon faked a move up the inside in an attempt to distract Castroneves...and it worked. A few corners later, Castroneves got a bit sideways and smacked the outside wall, destroying the left front of his car while Dixon snuck through before he spun back across the track.
A classic case of being put under pressure...or was it?
Helio saw it differently and had this to say; "I hold my line. It's ridiculous, I mean, I'm trying to hold my line. But, I mean, you want (me) to give the pass to him, fine I'll give it to him. It's ridiculous, all of a sudden I'm pushing, pushing and it led to a mistake."
The commentators replied with; "If you listen to what Helio said, I mean, he apparently was unhappy that he was being pressured. But that's what Scott Dixon is supposed to do; pressure him into making a mistake."
"Sure it is. He absolutely pressured him into making a mistake. He said it was slick and he was trying to hang on to it. But that's because Scott Dixon was putting a lot of pressure on him."
"That's racing, pal, that's racing."
So, let me get this right. If you're the guy in front, you're expected to be absolutely millimeter perfect for the entire race so as to not buckle under pressure from behind. If you're the guy behind you can't pressure the guy in front as it can cause them to crash.
All the drivers are out there to do their best to come home with a result. Denny seemingly had a good car but it was going away a little and Tony just got in the back of him at the wrong time. As for Helio, he too had a good car but Scott's was a little bit better and was clearly pushing hard...it was too much for Helio to handle.
Should Tony have backed off? Should Helio have given Scott the position? No, of course they shouldn't.
Should both guys have bitten their tongues instead of lashing out at the other guy for just driving their cars? You better believe they should've.
I'm sorry, but this was pathetic and both guys were out of line. This is racing and these people are supposed to be some of the best drivers in the world...not some of the best whingers.
For what it's worth, I think Helio's comment was worse...it was his own fault he lost the back end of his car, not Scott's.
great comparison here tez. it only shows that as a fan we see a little bit of everything going on on the track but as a driver you only know what is going on in your car. as simple as that statement seems more often than not you see drivers emerge from their wrecked cars blaming some other moronic driver for ruining their winning car. its so hard to think of it from someone else's perspective when your in the heat of the battle.
Agree. But would also like to point out that if someone sticks a microphone in my face within a few minutes, a few hours, hell - a few days, after I wreck, I'm likely to be rather irrational as well.
Sure, there are plenty of guys who DO manage to put such incidents in perspective - they're boring. Give me a little latin blooded diatribe or a Hoosier hilljack rant anyday.
dont' get me wrong dave. i find it fascinating to hear drivers perspective. its even better when they are uninhibited in their comments. the raw emotion is a good thing and has little to do with whether i think the driver was right or wrong.
yup, totally agree, Dave. A bit of passion is good for the sport....and makes for great material for us to write about :P
I was just pointing out the fact that while many have slammed Tony for his comments, Helio seems to have gotten off Scott-free (pun very much intended, lol) possibly due to the scuffle in pitlane after the race.
JJD; yeah I got the feeling that Tony knew what he was going to say as well....maybe he doesn't like the idea of Denny beating him 2 years in a row in the same team?
I am honoured to have a know-it-all comment on this topic so thank you, photo :P
You didn't hear Denny complain about Tony pressuring him. And you didn't see Dixon hit Helio. The second guy can pressure but he can not touch.
If Denny loses it and Tony doesn't hit him, there is no foul. But Tony had the audacity not only to say he didn't foul but to say that he was fouled. No #### way Tony!
Nobody is paying any attention to Helio in or own little world here not only because Helio is just simply out of line but also because there isn't that much IRL interest here. Personally, I am glad we have created some IRL and F1 interest and are enjoying it together.
Good post, I did a post on the Tony and Denny thing with pictures to boot 2 days ago but forgot to put it in a categorie. lol Its called Give and Take/ Not Teammates.
I hate when that happens. Like Falcon said nascar is bigger on here an so you dont hear much about IRL and F1 etc. Falcons been the man to post for them.
One rule everyone is forgetting about the Tony deal is that corner is a no bump draft zone, a rule that came out after Tony open his mouth, The Tony rule. Someone is going to get killed out there. I wonder if NASCAR would have sent him to the back for ROUGHT RIDING if he had came out of it ok?
I think Helio's outburst was more a result of a build-up of frustration over his repeated DNFs than anything. I think Tony had a point to make, though I have no idea what that point would be.
The bottom line is that Smoke is a crybaby. Always has been. If he spins another driver out (I've seen him do it plenty of times) thats racin. But, if someone gets him, even if by accident, he cries. Now he has resorted to crying when he runs in the back of people. Come on Smoke give us a break.
no idea what it is, Falcons....but I've been told that it's offensive to Americans if I write 'damn' so I use my version instead :P
I agree totally, Forensic....bumping someone coming off the corner isn't the best place to do it, lol.
JJD; yeah, Helio was leading a couple races back when his rear wing collapsed and chucked him out of the race so frustration had a huge part in it I guess.
really? Huh, I always got told never to use 'damn' as it's supposed to the shortened version of 'damnation' and you guys find that offensive....meh, 'dagnammit' sounds cooler anyway :P
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
