On the Right Track
A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Gluck
Talladega non-win still hurting Regan Smith
Regan Smith, who has already had more disappointment in his young career than some drivers do in a decade, might be faced with yet more bad news this weekend.
There’s a 70 percent chance of rain on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, meaning that should qualifying get rained out, Smith and his Furniture Row Racing team would be sent home.
Normally, that might not be such a big deal, but Smith, who was last season’s Sprint Cup rookie of the year, should be returning as the defending race winner.
Last October, as most fans will remember, Smith was first to cross the finish line at Talladega, but he did so after he was forced below the yellow line by Tony Stewart. NASCAR credited Stewart with the victory and penalized Smith for passing below the line, relegating him to an 18th-place finish instead.
Smith has had to put Talladega behind him for a year now, but the implications from that day continue to haunt him. Why?
Because under NASCAR rules, Smith would have made this race if qualifying was rained out thanks to being a 2008 race winner. But since he didn’t win, Smith doesn’t have any safety net if bad weather pops up on Saturday.
This is the same guy who was once promised a full-time ride at Ginn Racing, but then lost it before he ever got his first start thanks to a merger.
Some guys seem to have all the luck. So far in his brief career, Smith hasn’t been one of them.
Jeff Gluck
.jpg)
Jeff Gluck has covered NASCAR since 2004. He has worked for NASCAR Scene as an associate editor since 2007.
Latest Tweets
Poll PositionView All
Which has been most detrimental to NASCAR television ratings and attendance this season?
Promotions
-
Play "WIX Filters' Pick 3" stock car fantasy and win prizes. Season 2 is now in session!
-
Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.
-
Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.
-
Make weekly pics for the Chase and be entered to win weekly SPEED Merchandise.
Comments
1 response to " Talladega non-win still hurting Regan Smith".
tinynascarfan said:
Oct 31, 2009 at 11:21 PMRegan's non-win as you call it, came very close to getting several hundred people hurt or killed this past spring at dega. that yellow line rule should go out the window, period, if a driver has the talent to make a pass under the yellow line then let them, or just keep taking chances that the next last lap block might be the one that kills who knows how many people.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report