Robby Gordon Appeal Upheld
After holding Robby Gordon over a barrel for a couple of weeks, the National Stock Car Racing Commission has taken the unusual step of reversing Gordon’s points penalty and crew chief suspension for the “Nose Gate” infraction.
The Commission, while asserting that the team is ultimately responsible for the car it presents at a NASCAR event, looked to the to “extraordinary and unusual” circumstances” surrounding Robby’s case. Looked with relief, we think.
Even as NASCAR seeks to win back its “traditional” fan base, this is not the time to cripple the operation of its most notable, if irascible, single car operation. The scrappy Gordon has emerged as a vaguely ironic icon, a throwback to the days of scrappy teams and he-man drivers.
Fans everywhere have been waiting this week to see if NASCAR…err, ,the “National Stock Car Racing Commission” … was going to do the right thing and reverse Gordon’s suspension. The reversal portends to be a popular choice among said “traditional fan base.”
Gordon made plenty of noise this week about the impact of the points penalty, going so far as to suggest that he might switch to open wheel cars, now that IndyCar and Champ Car have kissed and made up. He’s played the attention with savvy and fairly blunt rhetoric, exactly as the “traditional fan base” would hope.
It’s not hard to see this one as “David vs. Goliath,” and instinct suggests that a lot of that “traditional fan base” was watching to see if a genuine little guy actually has a chance against the machine in today’s corporate NASCAR community.
So why is this a “racing business” issue?
Gordon’s primary sponsor, Jim Beam, has got to be thrilled. They’ve gotten huge exposure, as Robby’s car and uniform have been all over the racing media. They’re also now seen backing the underdog, always a favored position in American society and sports.
The other big winner in this mess is NASCAR’s vaunted “campaign” to win back its traditional fans. It would have suffered a huge publicity setback if it was perceived as, essentially, ruining its last one car operation.
While we’ve got some major reservations about a “campaign” to win back its fan base (smacks of the very kind of hype that has pretty well fatigued the traditional fan base), we give credit where credit is due.
The Commissioners did the right thing, both practially and poetically. They’re all apparently racers with a genuine interest in the sport (see Jeff Hammond’s quick and useful explanation on FoxSports.com). This time, they showed they also understand the P.R. implications of undercutting one of its key tenants: On any given day, anybody can win.
[...] is a difference in the Waltrip case, where gaining an illegal competitive advantage was the goal. Robbie Gordon was an exception While nose-gate and Long’s engine are totally different, a lot of the principle arguments apply [...]