Did someone have a convient flat late in the Richmond race to tighten up the field ???

What would the Chase for the Sprint Cup be without a little controversy at the outset to spice it up?

That occurred Thursday when, during the Chase Media Day events at downtown Chicago restaurant, when Jeff wondered aloud if the late-race caution caused when driver Paul Menard spun his No. 27 Chevrolet last Saturday night at Richmond was intentional.

"Here's what I am going to say about it: You do whatever you can as a team to win, win races, win championships, and if any of that is true of what's being speculated right now, all I have can say is I've lost a lot of respect for Paul, if that's the case. But I don't want to blame him for any of that if it's not true,"

Menard's spin with 17 laps to go in the Wonderful Pistachios 400 came while Gordon was in the lead, with Menard's teammate at Kevin in hot pursuit. Harvick subsequently beat Gordon off pit road and went on to win the race, while Gordon had to settle for a third-place finish behind Harvick and second-place finisher Carl. Now you saw the race---what do you think????

updated by @johnny-mallonee: 04/03/17 04:48:33PM

I did see the race, every lap of it. I would hate to try to venture a guess on that one. I note the spin occurred where there would be little or no damage to the car. As competitive as the sport is, I still cannot imagine a man as honorable as I believe Richard Childress to be making even that suggestion.


--
What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.

what I thought too but it is a talk vocal ed by jeff gordon

Jeff should have kept his trap shut even it is true. If he isgoing to bang on someone it should be Richard Childress as Paul MAY have been given instruction.

This is typical of the open mouth syndrome which we all suffer from time to time.

A note to Jeff, take care of it on the race track.

Honorable? Come on, Legend. I've personally witnessed Childress himself bring out the yellowso Junior Johnson's car ( with Guess Who at the wheel?) could win. You ought to have seen ole RC move ever so gently up the track at Riverside in June 1981, ever so softlykiss (maybe)the wall, then stop his car in that big sweeping final turn (where everybody on pit road could see what he was doing). There were only a couple of laps left and Dale Earnhardt in the Osterlund Wrangler Pontiac was ahead of Darrel's Mountain Dew Buick. The lap before, we all saw Junior walk down to RC's pit and have a conversation with RC's crew chief, Kirk Shelmerdine. Next lap, RC brings out the yellow. DW beats Dale out of the pits with two laps to go and they run 1-2. The only honor displayed in this instance by RC was "honor among thieves." But, what are you gonna do. Everybody on pit road knew what had happened. A zebra doesn't change his stripes.


--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

It would appear that Wonder Boy has rattled RC's cage - wonder how NASCAR would go about investigating as Mike Helton says they are doing?:

Sep 16, 1:10 PM EDT

Childress says Menard not ordered to call caution

By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Richard Childress is denying his team ordered Paul Menard to cause a caution at Richmond in an effort to help teammate Kevin Harvick win the race.

Menard's spin with 16 laps left last week came when Jeff Gordon was winning the race. The drivers pitted under caution, Harvick was first off pit road and held off Gordon to win his fourth win of the season.

Gordon has called the timing of the caution "a little fishy," and NASCAR president Mike Helton says officials are investigating.

Childress issued a statement Friday morning at ChicagoLand Speedway, saying there were no team orders and Menard would not participate in something so deliberate.

2011 The Associated Press.

--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

from the original AP story:

Radio chatter between Menard and his team that was played this week on Speed Channel indicated there was a moment the group switched to an encrypted frequency before Menard spun.

--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Yes to all you say, Jim. "Money talks, nobody walks."


--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

OK... now we have the official opinion of Kurt Busch's bodyguard... Mr. "I wasn't planning to have any of them over to my house for Sunday dinner," Mr. Excitement himself:

I dont think a driver should ever bring out a caution to take the win away from another driver...
Jimmy Spencer | Posted September 16, 2011 Charlotte, NC RELATED
Richmond Retribution
An interesting chain of events unfolded Saturday night at Richmond over Paul Menard and the No. 27 teams radio that, in my opinion, makes it look like Menard intentionally brought out the caution that eventually helped Kevin Harvick beat Jeff Gordon. Menard had been involved in a crash earlier with Matt Kenseth and was approximately 80 laps down as a result. Menard possibly was looking for a little payback but was reminded by his spotter that Harvick was leading the race and that they did not want a caution at the moment. While the team basically asked Menard not to enact his revenge with Harvick out front, he also was getting consistent updates on the battle between Harvick and Gordon.

Then a little later, Menard came on the radio and said he thought he had a right-rear tire going down. But he wasnt told to come down pit road, despite the fact he was 80 or so laps down and wasnt racing anyone for position. Why stay out there and risk tearing your car up when you have absolutely nothing to lose by pitting?

Then a few laps later, Mike Dillon, Richard Childress Racings vice president of competition, came on the radio and asked crew chief Slugger Labbe to go to channel two. Why would Dillon ask Labbe to go to channel two to discuss their race car that was 80 laps down?

When it was all said and done, Gordon took the lead with about 23 laps to go, and as he was checking out, Menard spun out with 18 or so laps remaining. Gordon wasnt too happy about that on his team radio after the race, and he had every right to be mad.

I like Harvick but I also like Gordon and I dont think a driver should ever do something like that to take the win away from another driver. I think back to how well Gordon treated Menard when he won the Brickyard 400, and it makes Saturdays deal even harder to stomach. I am not saying that Menard intentionally brought out the caution every person can look at the facts and draw their own conclusions but there was a lot of interesting, circumstantial chatter on the No. 27 teams radio that night.

However, I do think that NASCAR should penalize the No. 27 team by making them sit out an hour of practice at Chicagoland on Friday or something along those lines. While were only speculating that it was intentional, a message needs to be sent that this type of action will not be tolerated.

--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"