NASCAR's fans confused

 

OLIET, Ill. — Jeff Gordon's fans were elated. Perhaps even vindicated.
But this week's unprecedented series of rulings by NASCAR officials left plenty of other passionate racing fans scratching their heads about the series' reaction to widespread suspicions that teams attempted to manipulate the results of last Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway.
The unorthodox nature of NASCAR's rulings — officials essentially added an extra playoff spot, to Gordon's benefit, two days before the playoffs started — left some questioning the sport's integrity.
"Would the NHL or NFL add an extra playoff team if they reviewed a last regular season game and found the team that was shut out of the playoffs got robbed on a bad call? Or even a controversial one?" Nathan Truninger, 27, of Davenport, Iowa, told USA TODAY Sports via Twitter. "The answer is flat out, no!"
Some fans cited last year's infamous "Fail Mary," when a replacement official's blown call on a last-second play gave the NFL's Seattle Seahawks a victory against the Green Bay Packers. The call was widely scrutinized and ultimately led to the NFL settling a labor dispute with its regular officials, but the result wasn't retroactively overturned.

"NASCAR took a step away from having a 'sport culture,' " Zack Miller, 19, of Hudson, Fla., told USA TODAY Sports via Twitter. "Look at the NFL. The Packers didn't get the fair result. Everyone knew that wasn't a touchdown, yet Seahawks won, Packers lost, and it was concerned an officiating error. NASCAR, by taking (these) actions, has stepped into the way of competition."
Speaking at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, NASCAR officials tried to make the case that their decisions represented a step forward for the sport's credibility — not a step back. In a closed-door meeting with drivers and team executives, officials attempted to better define what is and isn't acceptable on the track.
"Circumstances happen that are unhelpful in the credibility category, there's no doubt about that," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said after the meeting. "And you go back to what you're about, and what we're about is the best racing in the world with the best drivers giving 100% of their ability."
It all started in the wake of suspicions that something fishy — perhaps several things — happened at Richmond last Saturday, the final race to set the field for the 10-race
Earlier this week, NASCAR reacted to suspicions that Clint Bowyer intentionally spun out and Brian Vickers unnecessarily pitted under green to help teammate Martin Truex Jr. get a better finish by throwing Truex out of the Chase and replacing him with Ryan Newman — the driver whose chances were hurt most by the Michael Waltrip Racing teammates' actions. MWR was subject to other penalties as well, although Bowyer remains eligible for the Chase.

 
Later in the week, suspicions surfaced that two teams, Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing, may have conspired to help Penske driver Joey Logano qualify for the Chase.
So officials announced Friday that Gordon, who initially was left out of the Chase, would be retroactively added to the field as the 13th driver in what is supposed to be a 12-driver field.