34 feet 9 inches of luxury fun!
LOL---Here's an article from Thatsracin.com...
Here we go again
By JIM UTTER
ThatsRacin.com Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The final result of Friday night's Winn-Dixie wasn't altered by the penalty NASCAR assessed to Jason Leffler well after the race was over.
Only NASCAR's credibility, which has been on an amazing disappearing act of late, took a hit.
Again.
How tired are we of this story?
How tired are we of writing it?
Sometimes you wonder if anyone cares. Sometimes you wonder if you're writing only for yourself. But I write because it's right.
On the final lap while leading the race, Jason Leffler saw the biggest threat to his victory at Daytona International Speedway quickly approaching behind him – restrictor-plate ace Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt Jr. went to the high side of the track in an effort to pass Leffler in the final turn. So what did Leffler do? He tried to prevent Earnhardt Jr. from doing so.
He drove his car right up the track to block Earnhardt Jr.'s advance.
He did what countless drivers have done countless times on countless restrictor-plate tracks.
But this time, for trying to do everything he could to win, Leffler was assessed a one-second penalty and dropped from second to 13th after the race.
He was nabbed for "unnecessary roughness" as NASCAR spokesman Rick Houston so eloquently put it in the press box. I'm still searching for that term in the 2004 Busch Series rulebook.
It wasn't even like Leffler won the race. Mike Wallace won, passing Leffler while Leffler and Earnhardt Jr. tangled.
Oh, and by the way, according to NASCAR, Wallace won by a mere 0.116 seconds, astounding since the car that finished 0.116 seconds behind Wallace was Leffler, not the new second-place driver Greg Biffle.
What explanation do we have for keeping the 0.116 seconds? Here's another good one. According to NASCAR, it was because the penalty was assessed after the race.
Never mind the infraction occurred during the race.
There are many sarcastic phrases I could use to add to the already enormous amount of bad-mouthing NASCAR has received in recent weeks for timing and scoring fiascos and the "non-punishment" punishment of Tony Stewart.
This time, though, I am going to allow the winner of Friday night's race explain what he saw in the incident in question.
"As far as what (Leffler) did going up the race track going up in front of (Earnhardt Jr.), that's a classic Dale Earnhardt Jr. move right there," Wallace said.
"I've watched Dale Jr. the last three or four years. He moves around like a snake. Leffler just tried to block the move and slow his momentum down."
So, either Earnhardt Jr. should have been penalized in almost every other restrictor-plate race he has run or won, or NASCAR blew it by singling Leffler out Friday night for preventing Earnhardt Jr. from winning the race.
I wonder which scenario is more likely.
I think everyone already knows the correct answer.
34 feet 9 inches of luxury fun!
Ya lucky so-and-so :-)