Regan Smith Was Robbed!

It’s admittedly a little late for vitriol in regards to last week’s race at Talladega, but I’m still steaming over NASCAR’s decision to award Tony Stewart a win over Regan Smith. I still see it as a poor judgment call on NASCAR’s part, one that rings inconsistent with other calls that the sanctioning body’s made in the past.

In lieu of Quick Hits this week, I’d like to blow off some steam.

For those of you living under a rock, here’s the scoop: On the last lap of the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega on Sunday, Regan Smith passed race leader Tony Stewart for the win. However, the pass was disallowed because Smith had moved his car below the yellow line in order to get by Stewart. Stewart was thus awarded the win, and Smith was bumped to the end of the lead lap, “finishing” 18th.

On big tracks like Daytona and Talladega, the yellow line separating the track from the apron is an “out of bounds” line. This means that you have two laps to forfeit any positions gained below the yellow line, or you face a drive-through penalty.

However, there’s a kicker. A pass below the yellow line can be upheld if, according to NASCAR’s discretion, the driver in question was forced out of bounds by another driver. In that situation, the advantage is considered moot, and the pass is allowed. Of course, this call falls under the discretion of NASCAR officials, and this is the source of my vitriol.

NASCAR says that they “do not believe” Smith was forced below the yellow line. I invite any interested party to watch the tape again. Notice that Smith’s car moves toward the inside to make the pass, but then has to make a sudden jerk left, forcing him completely below the yellow line.

Had Tony Stewart not blocked him below the yellow line, he wouldn’t have jerked the vehicle left like he did, would he? He wouldn’t have had to jerk the car to the left if Stewart hadn’t pulled a block.

Regan Smith is a professional auto racer. Professional auto racers understand that jerking a car around at high speeds is a recipe for disaster. Given the speeds that a large racetrack like Talladega facilitates, and the potential for things to go wrong given any sudden movements (there were two major accidents in the race), Smith would not jerk the car around unless something gave him a reason to do so. In this case, that “something” was Tony Stewart.

I would call that conclusive evidence to point towards “force,” wouldn’t you?

Interestingly enough, Smith’s nose never actually went in front of Stewart’s until the No. 01 was at least partially back “in bounds.” Watch ESPN’s replay from the tri-oval cam, and it becomes apparent that the No. 01 had no track position advantage while he was still completely below the yellow line.

Regan Smith, not Tony Stewart, won that race.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Smoke fan, partially because he’s willing to call NASCAR out when it makes a bad call. This is when I channel Tony Stewart and call NASCAR out myself. If in 2007, you don’t penalize Johnny Benson for passing other drivers under the yellow line at the end of a truck race, then you shouldn’t be calling that penalty on Regan Smith in 2008 at the end of a Cup race.

Sadly, I understand that NASCAR is god and will never go against its previous decision. But on the bright side, I’ve got a new favorite driver.

Congrats on your first Sprint Cup win, Regan, and may there be many more to come.