As a NASCAR fan, it's not uncommon to ask yourself and others, "What were they thinking?" It's probably our most used and favorite question.
After Talladega last Sunday, I found myself asking that question, and it had nothing to do with the Regan Smith and Tony Stewart finish.
No, my thinking comes from 14 laps earlier when 12 cars created their own junkyard in turn three. Six of the 12 damaged cars were Chase contenders, including Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Greg Biffle.
Carl Edwards caused the melee when he hit and turned teammate Greg Biffle. So Carl, what were you thinking?
"I was worried about the idiot when you come here, and I was the guy that caused that one." No, I didn't mean what you were thinking after the wreck, I mean what were you thinking when you knew that bump-drafting in the turns is a no-no and you still pile-drove your teammate?
"It's my fault, and I apologize to everybody caught up in that wreck," Edwards said. Well, it's a start but it doesn't change the fact that he possibly eliminated drivers from the championship, and made it harder for himself and Biffle.
Edwards isn't the only one that has us making confused faces.
Remember Michael Waltrip's cheating scandal at Daytona in 2007 which started the season with a black cloud? Prior to the Daytona 500, Waltrip's car was found to have a fuel additive in the manifold.
He said that the additive was not approved by himself or any of his management personnel, but it didn't get there by itself. NASCAR confiscated the car then fined and suspended various team members.
What was Michael Waltrip Racing thinking?
Now, we fans love to jump on NASCAR and point out all their incompetence. It's also no secret that many don't like the west coast races.
After February in California, it's really not shocking why. NASCAR made a bone-headed move when they attempted to run the Auto Club 500 on Sunday night after the rain cleared away.
But the kicker was that they didn't make a decision until midnight on the east coast, when many had to get up early the next morning.
NASCAR's main concern is to have the race run, but it seems they need to make sure their audience will be watching and their competitors safe. The track also needs to be ready and when chainsaws are out cutting the track, that doesn't seem ready.
Days later, many still questioned and wondered why NASCAR waited so long to make a decision.
The word decision played a major part in out next two suspects' "What were you thinking?" moments.
Let's start with Teresa Earnhardt letting Dale Earnhardt Jr. walk away from his father's company.
Teresa took a lot of heat from fans, drivers, and the media. One journalist went as far as to compare DEI's decision to that of the Boston Red Sox trading Babe Ruth, saying that it only took 86 years for Boston to recover and DEI may be in the same boat.
Now, Earnhardt Jr. is in a better place both personally and professionally, we still have 85 years to deliver the verdict on DEI.
Remember talking about decisions? Well, someone at Joe Gibbs Racing made the decision to put magnets under the gas pedals of the No. 18 and No. 20 cars in the Nationwide Series at Chicagoland.
We all know why they did it, in order to have NASCAR feel bad for them because of the new engine rule.
But some still asked "What were they thinking?" when they have the strongest team in NASCAR. They felt it wouldn't hold them down and they would obviously be caught and they were.
They didn't find a very creative or non-obvious way to get their point across.
There are plenty of dumb and questionable moves that happen every week on the track, bad pit calls, certain on track moves or contact, tire choice and interesting interviews.
Then eventually off the track, company changes, firing and hiring and NASCAR rule changes or lack thereof.
They normally result in us shaking our heads and wondering, because we NASCAR fans have tons of questions....
14 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jen Preston 8 months ago
Yes, yes, yes, and... well, many more yeses lol this was very good... but isn't it hard working keeping track of all NASCAR's inconsistencies :)
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Kelly Crandall 8 months ago
Thanks Jen.
A book could be written on all of their inconsistancies and rules (that they think they have).
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L.J. Burgess 8 months ago
Evidently Kevin Harvick thinks it's a pretty big deal...4 days later in the garage at Lowes MS.
HAHAHAHA!
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Kelly Crandall 8 months ago
Better late than never I suppose. Carl seems to think that he's a tough guy, guess all that working out goes to your head....
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Kara Martin 8 months ago
Loved this LJ & I love Harvick for it too. Another "bonehead" move made by Edwards!
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Kara Martin 8 months ago
Great article Kelly, you could write every day for months & come up with volumes of inconsistancies. You have hit some good highlights here that have indeed left me talking to the TV saying "What?!"
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Kelly Crandall 8 months ago
Thanks Kara.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who talks to the tv and has quesitons....
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Dave Gainer 8 months ago
As a Johnson fan i was glad Carl made a bonehead move. I enjoyed seeing the biff, Jr and all the other chasers wipe out...In the driver meeting before the race, they stressed no bumping in the turns, but all day guys were bumping in the turns. so it was bound to happen. lets face it nascar cant control every little thing these guys do. i guess they could black-flag these guys for it but the fans will go nuts...its a fine line nascar is dealing with on the super speedways. They should have let Harvick and Edwards battle, then showed us the replay , that would be better then all the wrecks.
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Kelly Crandall 8 months ago
Normally, they tell the drivers they will be warned and sometimes they have gone over the radio and told them to calm down. Two years ago they penalized Carl for wrecking Michael Waltrip in the Nationwide race at Daytona.
Yeah, it's bound to happen but the reason drivers don't like restrictor plate racing, because of the wrecks. Maybe if NASCAR did what they said and penalized the drivers that bump in the turns and wreck people, we wouldn't have that problem.
Once again, NASCAR says and does two different things.....
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D-Boy 8 months ago
The thing is, the same thing can be said about ANY motorsport...
F1 and the FIA seem to make "what were they thinking" decisions on an almost daily basis.
Every single IRL race with Marty Roth and(to a smaller extent) Milka Duno running is a "what are they thinking?" situation. (of course the IRL's mere start is a "what was he thinking?" situation)
Grand Am's Daytona Prototypes - well, we know they were thinking safety, but we can't help but wonder what they were thinking in creating safety guidelines that produced such hideous things(coming from a guy who doesn't think racecar appearance is an important consideration, that says a lot).
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Andy Stotts 8 months ago
Great article and by the way, great picture. Never knew Kyle had a twin.
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Kelly Crandall 8 months ago
Thanks Andy
You must not be a Kyle fan. =) That's all right everyone's entitiled to their opinion. I think the pic has more to do with his Mr. Ed comment
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Mitchell Hall 8 months ago
Kelly you touched on it in the comment, but what was NASCAR thinking. They showed up for a race and a bumping match ensued.
This was the most physical I have seen them at Dega in years. Maybe they needed new crash test data for the new cars.
Also, to add to the earlier comments: What was Carl thinking leaving a expletive note in Happy's car? I have been saying for a while that Cousin Carl was getting too big for his britches, I hate Kevin dented his car but Carl needed it! He needs someone to put him on his rear before he gets as bad as Kurt Busch was in the "Pre Jimmy Spencer black eye" times.
Great piece! Go Kyle!
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Kelly Crandall 8 months ago
Thanks Mitchell.
It wouldn't be Talladega without bump drafting, that's what makes it a great race because you need to master it to get to the front. HOWEVER, NASCAR is very stern in their meetings about bumping and have warned and penalized teams in the past for it. They didn't on Sunday.
It seemed like we turned in to watch a demolition derby and a race broke out. But that's just me. I really don't like when there are hardly ever any cars left at the end to fight it out. It doesn't seem near as exciting, no matter how hard Regan Smith and Tony Stewart tried.
As for Carl and Kevin-Cousin Carl seems to think that he's becoming a top dog and you shouldn't mess with him. Which is fine to stand up for yourself, but he's really letting it go to his head. First his teammate, then Kyle, now Harv. He's not making many friends.
And I personally don't think that Harvick is the guy to mess with. We've seen his temper and he strikes as the guy that you never know what he may do next......
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