At one time I was amused and astounded at some of the ploys racing teams used to get around the rules - things like two-foot-wide filler necks that held a couple of gallons of extra fuel, and mockup rolls of duct tape and drivers gloves made of lead and "accidentally" left in a race car that was being weighed.
But last Sunday at the end of the Brickyard 400, I saw the most creative evasion of one of the stupidest rules any sanctioning body has come up with. In recent weeks the NASCAR Bottle Police have been increasingly strident about the treatment of bottles of sponsor product in Victory Lane, going so far as to issue orders to winning drivers not to remove bottles from the tops of their cars. Two weeks ago, Jimmy Johnson was fined $10,000 for putting a sponsor sign in front of the rival bottles. But Jeff Gordon outfoxed them at Indy by avoiding Victory Lane altogether, stopping his car on the famous "yard of bricks" and inviting his team to join in the victory celebration there, far from the rival sponsor's bottles. The TV folks joined right in, conducting the victory interview out on the track. After some deliberation, NASCAR decided that no penalties would be issued for Gordon's deviation from post-race protocol.
Gordon's story was that he was caught up in the emotion of winning his fourth Brickyard race. NASCAR president Mike Helton went along, saying that Gordon and owner Rick Hendrick "inadvertently" altered post-race procedures.
"We appreciate the apologies offered today by Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick," Helton said in a statement. "We recognize the elation and spontaneity that a win like Sunday's can produce and we do not want to hinder the emotions of the moment. We want our drivers and teams to show their emotions."
My opinion? This is just the spin NASCAR has put on the situation to keep from getting egg all over its face. Has Jeff Gordon ever done anything that wasn't carefully thought out and planned beforehand? I don't think so! However, Rick Hendrick on Wednesday reinforced the team's party line by apologizing for any breach of protocol.
"The celebration was emotional . . . . but it became obvious that we had unintentionally disrupted the Speedway's program by not driving to victory lane after the checkered flag. Speaking for everyone at Hendrick Motorsports, I personally called [track owner] Mari Hulman George on Monday to apologize for any actions that may have been perceived as being disrespectful," said Hendrick. As another Motorsports maven has observed, duplicity breeds duplicity.
As you read this, a pair of local racers are at the Bonneville Salt Flats attempting to set a land speed record during the 2004 Speedweek circus. Russ Eierman of Minden (who works at Realty Executives in Carson City) and Walter Cuneo of Genoa (owner of the Nugget Motel and Nugget Inn in Carson City) have acquired the current world record car in the D/CGC class and will attempt to break that record this week. The class designation denotes an engine size of 305 cubic inches or less, and that the car is a Classic Gas Coupe. The car is, in fact, a highly modified 1978 Buick Skyhawk that achieved a speed of 221.59 miles per hour on the salt in 2003. Russ has promised to keep me apprised of the team's progress, so I should have an update in next week's column.
Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance for next weekend's challenge race at Champion Speedway here in Carson. Five of Carson's Finest (Sheriffs Deputies) and five of Carson's Bravest (Firefighters) will go head to head in Hornet racecars along with five members of the media to see who comes out on top.
I've been sitting by the phone waiting for my invitation, but it hasn't come yet, so I guess I won't get to see how it feels to run away from the cops and get away with it! Sixty percent of the money for advance ticket purchases ($10 for general admission) will go to help recovery from the Waterfall fire, as I understand it. Tickets purchased at the gate will not contribute to the fund, so be sure to buy those tickets in advance. Call 888-9777 for more information.
Roger Diez is the Nevada Appeal Motorsports Columnist. Contact him at Racytalker@aol.com.