Hotmail
Smith frustrated by Talladega finish ruling
"I really couldn't sleep last night," Smith said. "I've replayed the move a half-million times in my head. All you can do is try."
With a three-car shootout to the finish and Tony Stewart in the lead, Smith waited until he could see the flagstand, about in the middle of the tri-oval. He then looked to the inside of the No. 20 Toyota, which became increasingly wider and blocked any shot the No. 01 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet had at the low line.
"Man, I'm happy for Tony," Smith said. "I knew my car worked well with Tony, we drafted well together in practice. I dragged the car through (Turns 3 and 4), hoping to get a run. I knew I wasn't going to pass him up high. He could run me up against the wall. So I went low.
"I could see the flagstand. Again, I don't know the whole deal with that rule, but I do know that if you get forced down there, they will do what they think is right, and I thought I got forced down there. It was that or wreck."
The scoring pylon initially placed Smith first. That quickly changed and he was dropped to 18th — the last car on the lead lap. NASCAR came to that decision as the penalty for racing below the yellow line to improve position is a drive-thru penalty.
As a protege of Mark Martin's, Smith refused to take any cheap shots. Martin mentored Smith intensely last season and has been a sounding board through his freshman year.
"I don't race like that," Smith said. "I don't believe in wrecking race cars to win. It's not fair to the guys in the shop. I'd rather finish 18th knowing I won the race, than finish second wrecking another driver. The flip side of that is that if I had tried to turn him, then potentially I could have gotten hit from the back by whoever was behind me, (Paul) Menard. I could have spun myself, too, and finished 18th anyway.
Around the track
 |
Follow the action:
Watch:
Picture perfect:
Read all about it:
- Dale Jr. would consider racing Indy 500
- Eury Jr.: Split with Junior was needed
- Mayfield won't race at Chicagoland
Analysis:
"I've always been under the impression that coming to the stripe on the last lap anything goes and NASCAR's going to make their judgment call. The argument that I made was I can wreck him hard or cause a 10-car pileup and that wouldn't have been good either. I don't race dirty. I don't believe in wrecking people."
Smith would like to see a black and white rule concerning what is permissible on the last lap. Certainly, so would the fans. The message boards lit up from racing enthusiasts who believed Smith was robbed of the win.
Confusion has arisen regarding the rules as NASCAR's Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter dissented from earlier statements made by his No. 2 Ramsey Poston and Owen Kearns, who controls the message in the Craftsman Truck Series. The latter two's comments came after a dispute in scoring when Johnny Benson improved his position to second in a three-wide finish at the line in Daytona last February.
Hunter through a statement: "You cannot improve your position any time you go below the yellow line."
Poston on Sirius: "When the drivers can see the checkered flag, you can get all you can get."
Kearns to the Augusta Chronicle: "If you can see the checkered flag on the last lap, anything goes."
"Maybe there needs to be a rule there if you go below the line — point blank — 'OK, don't do it,'" Smith said. "If you clip the line, to take a peek that's one thing, but at no time are you allowed to race below the line.
How costly was this decision to Smith who is technically a free agent and could be on the market if DEI doesn't shore up sponsorship for the No. 01 Chevrolet for next year? It's immeasurable. NASCAR scoring Smith 18th instead of second cost him nine points in the Rookie-of-the-Year battle which would have likely sewn up the title. On top of that, he also could've solidified his position in the owners standings, which has financial implications at the end of the year.
With a victory, he also would have been the first first-time winner of 2008 and would have put a Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet back into Victory Lane at Talladega.
Was the decision heartbreaking?
"That's an understatement," Smith said. "And what I don't want to get lost in all of this is DEI's effort. Any of our four cars could have won this race yesterday. Whether you think I got screwed or not in the race you can't discount what DEI accomplished as a company.
"I have a lot of faith in the company. Yeah, we've got to get some sponsors and stuff but the progress that my team has made in the last three or four months has been tremendous. This is where I'd like to build my career."
Add a comment
advertisement
