#3WideBlog Opinion: Who To Blame at Martinsville?

    NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series went to the half mile paper clip shaped track of Martinsville Speedway this week. What a race. After a couple of snoozer races in the Food City 500 at Bristol (truly a surprise) and the rain shortened Auto Club 400 (200something rain shortened), I personally was pumped for another short track race. And boy did Martinsville deliver.

   Very close, side-by-side, door-to-door action the whole race, just what NASCAR fans (myself included) were clamoring for the past couple of weeks. Drivers using their bumpers to move other cars out of the way. It was awesome. But as the laps dwindled down the midset of "Give & Take" faded, patience wore thin, and there was alot more taking than giving. NASCAR at its finest.

   Through all of that, Jeff Gordan and Jimmie Johnson had driven off to a 5 second lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff and Jimmie were in the midst of sorting the race out between themselves with less than 5 laps left when the #10 Tommy Baldwin Racing entry of David Reutimann slowed and came to a stop on the frontstretch near turn 1. Reutimann's motor had been breaking apart in the laps prior and he was limping his car around the track off the pace, in an effort to pass his teammate Dave Blaney in the #36 to gain a spot in the coveted Top-35. The caution that ensued changed the complexion of the race indefinately.

    Here's where the blame game begins. Drivers and fans alike all threw David Reutimann under the bus. Quick to say "He should have pitted" "He stopped on purpose" "Why is he even out there". Both David and crew chief/owner Tommy Baldwin were quoted as saying the steering broke. I dont know about you, but if the steering broke on my car, I would stop. Reutimann was also quoted saying that the car had quit entering turn three (just past pit entrance), again if my car quit, I would pull down and get out of the way. The reason in my opinion, why he was still out there limping, this all happened is NASCAR's top-35 rule. The top-35 rule locks the top 35 cars in the points into the upcoming race. The first five races of the year are run based on last years top 35, after the first five races it reverts to this years points. Had Reutimann not been vying for that one extra point he could gain to lock him into the next race, potentially he may have not been out there. But who's to say something else wouldn't happen. It is NASCAR right? Any thing can happen right? Would that person be chastised as much as Reutimann? I can't say, but it is NASCAR and anything can happen.      

            

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   There was some blame game on the ensuing restart as well. Both Jimme Johnson and Jeff Gordon stayed out during pit stops on the caution to retain the front row on the restart. Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all had pitted and had fresh tires. Jeff and Jimmie spun the tires when the green came out. Clint poked his nose to the inside entering turn one and Ryan pushed Clint down into Jeff and Jimmie taking all three cars out of contention.  Clints post race interview consisted of him trying to explain himself, and then him too blaming the 10 car for stopping on the track having no idea what had happened. A few other drivers in post race interviews threw blame around, to various scapegoats.

   The only common denominator is short track racing. Had Reutimann not stopped on the front stretch, someone would have run out of gas, or blew a tire, or hit the wall. Could have been a pot hole, DEBRIS, or a jet fuel fire. A plane could have fallen out of the sky. ANYTHING could have happened to bring out that last caution, causing the ensuing Green-White-Checkered, causing the pile-up in turn one ... Get my point. Don't blame Reuti. If you have to blame someone, and we all know we have to (unless your a Newman fan your laughing at all of this) blame short track racing. Anything can happen.

   Over and OUT.