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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
VODA: Let It Be A Lesson
Does etiquette suggest the Chase guys be given more room or respect than non-Chasers when battling over the same territory for several laps?...
Krista Voda  |  Posted October 08, 2010   Fontana, CA
David Reutimann expects to contend at Daytona. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Okay, be honest … how many of you last Sunday thought to yourselves, “David Reutimann must be crazy to retaliate against Kyle Busch?” That’s like poking an alligator in the face...

But although furious during the race, the “alligator,” Kyle Busch, composed himself and maturely addressed the issue following the race at Kansas Speedway. Does that mean he’s letting David Reutimann, or any other driver, off the hook in the future? I wouldn’t bet on it.

But the Reutimann/Busch incident raised a valid and timely question. During the final 10 races of the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, is there an unwritten rule regarding non-Chase drivers racing Chase competitors? Does etiquette suggest the Chase guys be given more room or respect than non-Chasers when battling over the same territory for several laps? I don’t think so, although I would support NASCAR exploring a separate points system for the Chase contenders in the final 10 races to mitigate large point swings like we saw at Kansas with Busch.
Crew members work on the car of Kyle Busch during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Price Chopper 400. (Photo: Getty Images)

The rules of the road often are up for debate this time of the season because two different games are playing out on one field – the race for the win and the race for the championship.

The presence of non-championship contenders in the final 10 races sets NASCAR apart from other professional sports, where only those competing for a Super Bowl ring are invited to play. But in NASCAR, drivers who didn’t make the Chase are racing for vital points and wins, and have just as much right to do so for their sponsors and teams as those vying for the title.

Given the marathon length of our season and the tremendous amount of work required to qualify for the championship run, I can understand why a Chaser might deem his championship aspirations more important than a 20th-place guy racing for a win, because in reality, the Chaser is racing for the bigger prize.

However, in some respects, those not in the championship conversation are racing for even more than Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick . Many are competing for more media exposure and possibly a win to either keep their job next year or attract a much-needed sponsor.

Everyone is racing for something and you never know how important that one spot might be to another team … these guys need to keep that in mind.

It will be interesting to watch the interaction between Chasers and non-Chasers as the Chase unfolds. Kansas may have been a wake-up call for several drivers because anytime something like this happens, it sets a precedent or becomes a blueprint for how to handle similar situations going forward.

Look down the list of guys in the Chase who have had issues with other drivers this year: Jeff Gordon at Sonoma certainly raised the ire of several drivers who have yet to pay him back but very well may elect to do so in the closing races. Other Chasers also have ruffled their share of feathers. The Brad Keselowski/Carl Edwards fiasco seems to have been put to rest but what about the Keselowski/Denny Hamlin squabble last year? Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson weren’t necessarily on the best of terms earlier this year either … and the list goes on.

How and where that list perpetuates itself could prove pivotal in the Chase. Kyle Busch is a perfect example of how quickly payback can throttle championship hopes. By no means is he out of the Chase, but he probably didn’t want to be held up as the poster boy for how a championship can be derailed if tempers aren’t reined in with his plummet from third to seventh in points.

Let it be a lesson for everyone else in these final seven races …we’ll see how many of them heed the warning signs...

Krista Voda is the host of NCTS Setup, the popular pre-race program for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on SPEED. She also hosts Trackside, The Speed Report and special events such as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, in addition to serving as a pit road reporter for FOX Sports. Voda also covers the NFL and BCS for FOX and has reported on sporting events ranging from The Kentucky Derby to the NCAA Final Four. Visit Krista's official website at KristaVoda.net

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The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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