One of the more interesting conclusions to an auto race continues to be digested by it's fans this morning. Who caused what, and when in yesterdays Busch Series road race in Montreal? How egregious was Ambrose's punting of Gordon? or Gordon's punting of Ambrose? or the shunt between Harvick and Pruett? etc. In the midst of this digestive process, NASCAR has made an initial ruling that Robby Gordon will not be allowed to race in todays Cup race at Pocono (good friend P.J. Jones will race Robby's machine, but have to start from 43rd position on the grid). It is expected that more sanctions will be heaped upon Gordon before NASCAR is finished with this incident.

Sending Gordon to 13th position following the late race spin AFTER the caution flag was displayed sounds odd. The guy was clearly in either first or second place when the caution was displayed (haven't seen definitive proof of either) and was then hit from behind by a competitor, causing him to spin out. By the time he recovered, a dozen or so cars had passed him. What sensibly crafted rule would allow a racer to remove an opponent from a competitive position in this way? Logic and fairness seem to scream to allow the "punted" to be able to return to the position where they were when they were punted. Whether letter-of-the-law and/or precedent supports it, NASCAR's "maintain a cautious pace" rule sound suspiciously like one of those rules that can easily be bent to meet the interpreter's desires. And it doesn't appear the interpreters desired Robby Gordon to be anywhere near the lead at the end of the race. Or, at the very least, they didn't care to interpret their very broadly written rule in a manner favorable to Gordon.

Still, Gordon's behavior following the Ambrose-initiated punting and subsequent NASCAR ruling was classic rebel, ... or was it that of a petulant child? I know I was literally talking to the television as Gordon, who had driven back up even with, and then immediately behind Ambrose, took the restart from second position rather than where he'd been ordered to restart - the aforementioned 13th place. I was happy that he'd refused to comply with the bogus sounding ruling - had he done so, there was NO way he would have a chance of being awarded the win or second place upon appeal. But I think everyone watching KNEW there was a strong chance Robby would do something worse, that he'd spin Ambrose out. "Don't do it! DON'T DO IT!" was likely repeated loudly in front of tens of thousands of television sets across the country. And sure enough, just a turn or two after the restart, bam! Around goes Ambrose (justice?). The other competitors were never close to Gordon, who continued to pull away until the dropping of the checkered flag.

Gordon is an incredible talent. His road course success and his flashes of brilliance with less-than-superior equipment in years past, PLUS his "average positions gained" stats from this year point to his ability to drive as well as any racer out there. He's got a touch of Foyt in him both in terms of temperament and also has more than a touch of Foyt's incredible ability to drive cars to their limit in nearly ANY racing formula. Unfortunately, he does not live in Foyt's era, where disciplined compliance took a back seat to boldness and audacity. I would have rather Gordon complied with the ruling and moved to 13th place, and then beat the crap out of Ambrose in the garage area and/or rammed the NASCAR trailer with his car, ... but you can't really prescribe the actions of a petulant rebel. They just act.

And when they act, they don't seem all that lovable at the time. How many loved Dale Sr. when he was, on a regular basis, punting his way to win after win? Not all that many. But that sort of behavior helps create the air of lawlessness that has benefited NASCAR very well. Post race brawls, on track roughness, defiance of authority - it SELLS. I believe it's safe to say over the past several seasons Robby Gordon has not been viewed as a favorite by many NASCAR fans; in fact, he seems to have been despised more than anything. That is until now. The AFLAC survey running right now on NASCAR's website has, as more and more people participate (up to 36,000 now), shown about 44% of participants think Gordon should have won yesterdays race, to Ambrose's 35% and Harvick's 20%. While this is conclusive of nothing with regard to who won and who didn't win, it seems to me to clearly indicate what Robby did yesterday resonates fairly well with a decent proportion of NASCAR fans.

I believe NASCAR is witnessing the rise of just what they need. A guy who proudly and effortlessly wears the black hat. GO ROBBY! GIVE 'EM HELL YOU MAGNIFICENT, UNCONTROLLABLE  B@STARD! (even if you make me cringe in the process.)