Dale Earnhardt Jr. disputes Talladega finish
By Jared Turner - SceneDaily Staff Writer
Friday, October 10, 2008
Todd Warshaw
Getty Images for NASCAR
CONCORD, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw nothing about Regan Smith’s last-lap pass of Tony Stewart last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway that merited the penalty Smith received for passing below the yellow line.
That’s because Earnhardt Jr. believes that Stewart, who moved down the track to protect the lead when Smith pulled to his inside in the trioval coming to the checkered flag, forced Smith out of bounds. If that were the case, Stewart – not Smith – would have been penalized because of NASCAR’s rule that states if a driver is forced below the yellow, the driver responsible for forcing him down there is the one at fault.
NASCAR didn’t deem that to be the situation at Talladega and stripped Smith of what would have been the Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver’s first Cup victory.
“In my opinion, the 01 (Smith) was forced below the line,” Earnhardt Jr. said on Friday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “The two did make contact – (Smith) was on the inside of Tony and he had no choice other than to move away from Tony and that sends him below the line and in my opinion, the 01 wins the race. I feel like Tony did what he had to do. In the car, everyone would have done what Tony did, everyone would have done what the 01 did. Neither one of them were wrong or right.
“What’s curious is when are you forced? Show me some video. I want to know what’s forced and what’s not. I felt like that was being forced.”
Earnhardt Jr., a former DEI driver and five-time Talladega winner, doesn’t know what Smith could have done differently once he and Stewart were side-by-side.
“[Smith] can’t sit there and hold his line,” said Earnhardt Jr., who left DEI at the end of 2007 to compete for Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s going to wreck Tony and probably wreck himself. That’s ridiculous to expect someone to be that bull-headed about a situation like that and put everybody in jeopardy just to not be accused of passing below the line. I don’t think he went down there – he didn’t pull down there and then go by Tony. He was forced down there. That wasn’t his choice.”
Unlike Smith and some other drivers who said after Talladega they thought there was a gray area in the rules that allowed a driver to pass below the yellow on the last lap or with the checkered flag in site, Earnhardt Jr. disagrees. He says NASCAR has been clear in stating that passing below the yellow is off limits at any time in the race. Where the gray area lies, according to Earnhardt Jr., is in what exactly constitutes being forced below the line.
“Regan was not going to the apron,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He was actually under the 20 car (Stewart) and passing the 20 car on the race track there for a split second when Tony came down and they actually touched and then he was forced on to the apron. … It was just really tough. I’m not complaining one bit, but I’ve always felt pretty good about everything they’ve done with that rule because it’s a very tough rule to govern. It’s a very very difficult rule to govern because it takes a lot of criticism from the media off and on about it being a gray area.
“And it always will be a gray area until you put a wall there. But I don’t understand how that wasn’t being forced down.”
Earnhardt Jr. can relate to Smith from personal experience. He remembers being in a position similar to Smith at Talladega in spring 2003 when he went out of bounds to pass Matt Kenseth for the lead with just over three laps to go. In that instance, NASCAR ruled that Earnhardt Jr. was forced below the yellow. He went on win the race.
“I was in the same situation … going into Turn 3 and I was forced below and I was declared OK,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “And it was exactly the same. It was exactly the same. I know for a fact that Regan didn’t go down the front straightaway and plan to pass him on the apron.”
Instead of being credited with the win, NASCAR scored Smith 18th in the final running order. And that, in Earnhardt Jr.’s view, was the worst part of the deal.
“He crossed the finish line thinking he might have won the race and he ends up going home 18th, and he has got to climb on a plane to go home finishing 18th,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “And you can tell him all day long that everybody in the garage knows who won that race and this, that and the other and kind of make him feel better, but it don’t help. It’s just tough.”
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25 responses to "Dale Earnhardt Jr. disputes Talladega finish". Post a Comment.
Bill Rogers said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 4:07 PMright on Jr. Good call. Wish NASCAR saw it that way.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDarrell Driskell said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 4:42 PMI'm glad to see Jr. call out NASCAR and their wrong decision.. Regan was the winner and was forced below the line.. Clear and simple! Don't worry though, NASCAR wouldn't think of any discipline againest Dale jr because of this, because the stands would be 75% empty come race day if no Jr in the race!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportCarolyn Oster said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 7:00 PMJr is just trying to justify his gift in 2003 and nascar left him get away with going below the yellow line. The rule is very simple and not hard to follow and Smith was not forced down he went there Jr needs to watch his video again.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJayne Deere said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 8:27 PMWhy would they even write a news story like this. What the H@#% does Jr. have to do with it?
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPB said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 10:11 PMCarolyn, you can watch the video as many times as you want Tony came down on the 01 and forced him below the line. Every angle of video shows that. Both did what they needed to do its NASCAR's problem with enforcing a rule the same way twice in a row that creates these types of situations.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJulie Seybert said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 10:15 PMi totally agree with you Jayne !!!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPB said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 10:40 PMThe press has talked to virtually every drive that would listen for opinions on the pass. It just so happens this article covers Jr. on Sirius on various shows they had various drivers opinions, on other sites they had yet additional drivers...
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbonnie lewis said:
Oct 10, 2008 at 11:42 PMBiffle said virtually the same thing on "This Week in Nascar". Most drivers have been asked their opinions and IT IS EVERY DRIVER'S BUSINESS since this situation will occur to almost everyone at some time. And it is TOTALLY RELEVANT that so many drivers interpreted the rules as Regal Smith did. It shows where Nascar is ambiguous and Nascar is responsible for having unclear rules.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbeth emerson said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 12:29 PMListen Jr gave his opinion they asked and recieved. I am very proud of what said he was dead on as far as him in 2003 it was not the same A as what happened to Smith and Jr got no give me. If you think he did you are so wrong. one thing about Dale Jr you will always get an honest answer even if it is not what you want to hear. It is called freedom of speech. So bug off Jr.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 3:24 PMjunior is right Regan Smith is the winner but Nascar gave it to chubbo DISGUSTING
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 3:27 PMBy the way, Does NASCAR have an issue with the Army? That's the second race they took from the Army car that rightfully belonged to them.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportLarry Taylor said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 4:01 PMwhich just goes to prove one of the true "givens" in NASCAR racing, Earnhardt Jr doesn't have rules administered to him like everyone else. jr did the same thing when he passed Kenseth but the ruling went the other way....wonder why?
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPitFrog said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 4:17 PMJunior should focus on winning his own race.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjerry swiatek said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 4:28 PMThats right , but JR described that well, he got the right call and reagan got wronged, thats what he is saying if you read well, Again the truth only comes out of JR. no matter what anyone thinks or sees it, He also may not be right but what you see is what you get and he calls a spade a spade no matter who disagrees, (even Nascar)
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» Confirm Abuse ReportGREGG FORGEA said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 8:40 PM#20 = 1st
Report as Abuse#01 = 2nd
18th = B.S.
Still talking about it = Pointless.
Enough. It's a done deal.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportThomas Mikulski said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 8:57 PMNascar blew it again!! This is why I'll not go to or watch races next year, except for the truck races. That's where the REAL racing is to enjoy and deserve watching with full field or not. BRING BACK the real STOCK cars without the wing and kill the COT.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportphyllis hamilton said:
Oct 11, 2008 at 9:53 PMI was at the race. Smith should have won. but he is just a rookie. Tony is in the chase, Nascar took the easy way out. When they gave Jr. the win, it was the right call and if they did things right Regan Smith would have been the winner. If you dont want an opinion dont ask for it. If you dont like Dale's opinion then read something else.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkenny mckinney said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 12:22 AMat least regan smith was closer to winning the race than jr the whinner earnhardt was.
Report as Abusego jr nation...lol...what a joke.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDee mcclure said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 1:01 AMlay off dale jr he was telling the truth as he saw it. everyone should know by now dale jr does not LIE
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKim Phelps said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 1:05 AMI was at that race and let me tell you, the fans were NOT happy with Smoke being given the win. He clearly came down and forced Smith below the yellow line. Watch the replays and you will see it. Smith got robbed and the fans know it. Jr just stated the obvious.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTim the Fan said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 7:36 AMI'm liking Jr. more and more. Read between the lines and he knows he gets conciderations from NA$CAR, he also knows that it happens for others too. In this case it was Tony and Tony isn't as well liked as Jr. so this year it was wrong and in 03 it was right. Love NA$CAR or hate it, but it's always interesting. Now about Kevin and Carl....Nah
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbill thompson said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 9:31 AMhey nascar, i'm ready to make fair and just decisions for you, EMAIL FOR DETAILS!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPat Draper said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 10:55 AMOh come on now jr. if you would have been in tony's shoes you would have done the same thing and never looked back. Get with the program. Just because your name is Ernheart though no one would have said anything about it. Thats what grips me about you jr. Yours living on your name, maybe you don't want to but never the less your stuck with it. So might play it for all its worth.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportphyllis hamilton said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 8:01 PMi didnt know so many people have green eyes. JEALOUS,jealous, people. You just cant wreck JR. NATION. we are here to stay so get used to it . We just want others to leave him alone . Worry about your favorite driver or do you like anyone.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportFRANK LAVACCA said:
Oct 14, 2008 at 4:06 AMjr. is right.anyone who thinks tony is a nascar favorite is a fool.even gibbs don't like him anymore and thats because he's tired of driving rice burners.but he did force the kid down there and correct,they did what they had too.at fault is nascar and thier'IN OUR OPINION'almost sounds like a traffic cop giving his opinion of what you did and being totally wrong.you still get the ticket and tony still got the win.good thing is wasn't punk busch or they both would have wrecked.
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