Several drivers upset Dale Jr passed the pace car
Quote selected text Published June 16th, 2008 in NASCAR News
Several drivers were upset that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was allowed to speed up and pass the pace car during a caution so he could save gas to make it to the finish line. The running start gave Earnhardt enough momentum to allow him to turn his engine off and coast halfway around Michigan International Speedway.
“I just didn’t know you could pass the pace car,” third-place finisher Matt Kenseth said.
NASCAR rules prohibit anyone from passing the pace car during a caution, but Earnhardt was allowed to pull in front of the pace car at least twice to save fuel. The sanctioning body eventually warned him not to do it, but by then he had saved enough to win the LifeLock 400 on fumes.
Earnhardt admitted he stretched the rules — and NASCAR’s patience — but not enough to give the victory back. “I got a little greedy,” he said. “I can understand how it looked, especially if you’re not a Dale Jr. fan. But I got the trophy; I got the points.”
Bookmark to:
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- Dale Jr: Why he didn’t go to RCR
- Expect last lap drama at Talladega
- ‘Earl’ Drives Honorary Pace Car in Fontana
Matt and any other driver needs to file a protest with not only NASCAR but the National Stock Car Commission.
No Harm - No Foul …… In listening to Nascar Channel on
Sirius after the race…John Darby - What’s the rule on
passing the pace car? stated the “pass the pace car rule” is
in place for a reason…. to prevent a drivers intent to gain
a lap. Went on to state it was obvious Jr was in a fuel
conservation mode and there was no intent to gain.
you can listen at http://www.sirius.com/nascar …
scroll down to bottom of page “Heard it on Sirius”
he was asked not to do it again, he didnt
everyone pushes the envelope and when asked to stop, unlike some others he did.
Fisha695 wrote:
Exactly. If they truly have a problem with it, they need to take it up w/ NASCAR. If I was Kasey, I’d be the first mofo in line to sign that protest too!!!
Jr be punished lol please, you got a better chance of having Bush lower gas prices and finding bin laden in the same day.
like the other person said everyone bends the rules esp to win come on now let’s ask the drivers to stop crying so much
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
Do you not remember the 100 points he was docked a season or 2 ago?
yeah, jr does get his as well
Why is no one upset that his former teammate and good buddy caused the wreck that ended the green/white/checkered finish and froze the field?
a 100 point a season or 2 ago seems to me you dont really remember when it happened either. Also he was penalized because he was guilty as he was this time. Why not penalize him this time, the rule states not to pass the pace car it doesnt matter what the interpritation of the rule is, the rule says not to pass the pace car, he did twice and there is no way around it. he should be punished.
He got the win.. He got the Points.. if it was your Driver you wouldn’t have a problem.. I’ve seen a lot of Consitancy in the Sport latley and you know what the The Drivers have Been Consitant in.. Whining and really its getting a little old.. But you know.. It’s a Sport and we all show Emotion so Brovo to all the Passionate fans out there supporting thier driver.. I’ll always Be A Jr Fan..
Bill wrote:
I actually did think about that. It is quite convenient. You
won’t hear that like you did at Richmond when people claimed
Denny caused the caution on purpose so Kyle could catch up.
Bill wrote:
???????????????????????
Are you saying that truex wrecked one of TEI’S cars to help JR? PLEASE!
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
because nascar asked him not to do it again and he didnt do it again
someone wanna point out the rule in question because no one seems to know the rule in question so far
the rule states you cannot pass the pace car to try and gain a lap, which he was not trying to do
he pushed it and when asked not to do it again he didnt
fair enough to me, and even though i dont like kyle if it was him in that predicament i would say the exact same thing
I think we shouldn’t worry about this(and for the record i’m a harvick not a jr fan), but he better be glad their was a caution on the last lap! I don’t think he’d have made it past turn 3 if it went green the rest of the way
Sam, I’m not saying Truex, I’m saying Waltrip. We all know how crooked he is. Plus, if that’s true, it’s not Jr.’s fault.
Bill wrote:
Micheal Waltrip needs points he’s not even in the top 35 come on I don’t think he would conviently wreck his car to Help Jr.. Think about it. that point was way off.. lol! But nice try.. I am a Jr Fan He did what he had to do. and like he said post race, “I got the win I don’t care what the write about it..”
Oh well, I don’t think it’s a big deal anyway.
http://www.usacracing.com/USAC/Rule_Book_files/2008rb_part09.pdf
“Should a driver overrun the pace car, he may avoid penalty
by slowing and allowing the pace car to pass him.”
Jr did just that. Lets give credit where credit is due.
GOOD JOB JR!!!!!!!!!
Who hasn’t stretched the rules a little?
Earlier in the year, Carl Edwards won with a car that didn’t pass post-race inspection. He got to keep his win, so what’s the big deal about this?
I personally think it’s about time for Dale Jr. to have some luck and things go his way. I don’t know what ROWDY BUSH was getting at because everytime Dale Jr. gets up on the rear of another car on the track, NASCAR gets on the radio and warns him about aggressive driving, but I see others do it, and nothing is said. He’s been penalized for saying a “bad word” while others who have said similiar things or even worse on the air or displayed bad behavior on the air, received just a slap on the wrist. (well, Edwards was penalized….but he got to keep that win)
Some people act like Dale Jr. has had wins just handed to him, but it’s not so. HE BROKE A 76 RACE WINLESS STREAK!! If he had it so easy, he wouldn’t have been winless for 76 points races.
This time he did what any other driver would have probably done in that position, GO FOR THE WIN!!
(and he got it…just like anyone else would have!)
NASCAR said, “Don’t do it again!”, and he didn’t.
If you tell a child not to do something again, and they didn’t, would you still discipline them?
I wouldn’t think so.
If your favorite driver does the same thing next week, will you still feel the same way?
You people are hilarious. You do not run Nascar. Nascar made it clear THEYTHEYTHEYTHEYTHEY let him do it a couple times to save fuel and he was asked not to do it no more he didn’t. The Nascar drivers do NOT run Nascar. Like they seriously could get somewhere with a stupid petition as someone said. People on this board are a lot like the Whiny Drivers in Nascar. I think they all (and on here) need some cheese with that whine. Especially Fisha with the “Intellectual Comments”.
Jr Won Get over it.
Look for Jr in victory lane some more this year. You all can count on that.
Love him or hate him
Jr sure is a Class act. That was a dramatic finish.
Oh and Running Nascar for the person who trys to turn that around has no reference towards the cars. They ones who make the Rules is who i’m referring too.
i understand this whole thing…and i myself was kind of suprised cause i seen him pull past and im screaming..”WTH ARE U DOING???? YOU CANT PASS THE PACE CAR”"”…but yeah he stopped once nascar warned him….had he done it again, ill be you he would have gotten sent to the back….its THEIR CALL…not the drivers…did u not catch the drift from that closed doors meeting they had about the whining and complaining going on?..i think its funny Vickers got screwed…maybe thats a little payback for wrecking JR in the Dega race in the fall of 2006 when he had it won…but that was totally ok cause Brian won the race…gimme a break…
but as for whining about it…Kyle Busch nearly wrecked McMurray with 20 laps to go in the Aarons 499 and he also passed below the yellow like 4 times throughout that race…did he get sent to the back? NOPE….
Every driver, unless its them, is going to have something to say about it….Petitions arent going to do anything, and nascar never takes away wins, so regardless its not gonna happen so get over it…#1 for the 88 and there is going to be more…and i hope people on here like Fisha really enjoy it when he dominates the field, cause thats usually how his wins happen anyways…hes never won in crappy weather like gordon does alot, and hes never won gambling on fuel mileage like this…SO CRY ABOUT IT SOME MORE….
Happy Fathers Day to Me…..my 2 fav drivers finished 1/2 and JR broke his winless streak…DEAL WITH IT….if the races go like they have this year with edwards/busch/kahne….JR will win again within the next 4 races…and someone will find a reason to cry about that to….and ill almost bet you JR will be the odds on fav to win the Title this year come chase time…he runs AWESOME at ALL of those tracks so good luck beating him
ganjadude wrote:
EXACTLY!!! I AGREE WITH YOU ON THOSE POINTS YOU LAID OUT THERE. BESIDES, WE ALL KNOW THAT ALL THE NAYSAYERS WILL COME OUT AND SAY ANY AND EVERYTHING AGAINST JR, BECAUSE HE’S JR.
IT WAS NOT AN ADVANTAGE SINCE HE WAS THE LEAD CAR, HE ALSO WAS TOLD AFTER HE DID IT TO STOP, AND HE DID. HE ALSO STAYED NEAR THE PACE CAR WHILE HE DID IT. YOU ALSO HAD KAHNE DOWN THERE DOING THE SAME THING!
OH AND WHILE WERE AT IT…. KAHNE PULLED DOWN LOW UNDER THE LAST YELLOW, JUST LIKE JR, AND IT APPEARED EVEN THOUGH HE HAD FUEL AND JR DID NOT, KAHNE’S INTENT… THAT’S RIGHT… I-N-T-E-N-T… WAS TO PUSH JR TO THAT LINE. WHY? BECAUSE KAHNE IS A GOOD GUY JUST LIKE JR AND KNEW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE IN A SLUMP AND HAVE LOST DUE TO SOME BAD LUCK.
SO NOW… LET’S LOOK AT IT ANOTHER WAY…. JR WAS OUT OF FUEL! HAD THE FLAG STAYED GREEN… JR MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE DROPPED LIKE A ROCK AND END OF STORY. BUT AGAIN, THE NAYSAYERS HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO TRY AND BRING JR DOWN. WELL TOO BAD. JR ONLY DID WHAT EVERY OTHER DRIVER OUT THERE WOULD HAVE DONE.
AS FOR BUSCH… HE ISN’T EVEN A DRIVER AND SHOULD BE SITTING IN THE STANDS WATCHING. AS FOR CRYING KENSETH…. WHAT HAS HE DONE LATELY? NOTHING. HE’S JUST MAD AT HIMSELF FOR HIS OWN MISTAKES AND FAILURES. HOW WOULD ANY OF THIS HAD AFFECTED HIS RUN IN THE END? ONE SPOT!!! BOO HOO. IT’S DONE, OVER, JR WON, END OF STORY
for those of u who dont think JR deserves this win…..heres a tid bit of info OFF nascar.com…check it if you dont beleive me
“Only one driver spent all 203 laps in the top 15 during the LifeLock 400 at Michigan — race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.”……and he only fell to 15th b/c of pit stops…SO HA…he deserved it…wouldnt be suprised to see 2 more wins from the 88 in the next 5 races including Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
So how come the only races a Hendricks car can win is a fuel conservation run?
because they have good cars and good strategy
Minority wrote:
your forgetting who won the CUP last year….they werent worried about this season, they wanted that cup…so they got behind in the chase trying to win it…they arent worse than last year, they are running just as good or about the same total with all 4 cars….they just dont have the wins….HMS won alot of races last year that GIBBS should have…they only won 5-6 that they actually dominated and deserved to.. that should answer ur question
LMAO I think it’s so funny he hasn’t won a race in how long and he wins a race ONLY because of a caution…is that the only way dale can win a race is because of a caution????? yeah people say that he would have won if there wasn’t a caution. yeah I think that if there was not a caution he would have either ran out of gas or would have gotten passed…yey dale for winning a race b/c of a caution..how pathetic
Gordon
you couldnt be more right he would have got passed, Vickers was on his way but thanks tot he caution and nascar feeling thata vickers needed to be put behind martin adter the caution. I disagree with you though on the statement about the only way he can win is if its a yellow, what about when nascar goes out of there way to bend the rules for him.
NASCAR SAY ” Sure Mr.Jr go ahead and pass the pace car all you need we dont mind, as matter of fact we will go ahead and put the the 83 the fastest car on the track behind one more car to help you out. If you run out of gas we will have the 9 push you and if he doesnt we will penalize him. SO sit back and enjoy your first win in a LONG LONG LONG 2 years, for the sports greatest driver..”
MR Hendrick replies “thanks NASCAR I owe”
Jr’s winning statement”uh uh uh uh we had a uh real uh uh good car today uh uh, its bout uh time uh uh i won uh uh”
Gordon wrote:
when gordon actually HAS a chance at winning…come back and talk some smack!…jr was the only car in the top15 the entire race…THE ONLY CAR and he had a top-5 car….look on the brightside…atleast its not a guy running 25th, and stays out to steal a win…kinda like mears did last year…JR has talent and its the equipment that took him out of alot of races he had won last year…ignore it fine…but look at the facts….he had the Allstate 400 all but won last year and engine blew with 15 to go…gimme a break dude…gordon wins under caution and b/c of weather and u still complain…ur just jealous….like i said when gordo HAS A CHANCE…then talk smack..right now JR is outrunning BOTH of HMS’s big dogs…learn to deal with it
Linda wrote:
I agree. He should be punished…JR, GO TO MY ROOM!
Write all ya want ,Jr has the cash and the Trophy—–good for the 88 team—–
If it is dealt with at all, it will be a “New Rule” instituted by NAPCAR.
If he was warned by NASCAR, and abided by the warning, then they were aware of the situation and did what they had to do, and, he in fact did obey that warning. Rules come about because of particular situations, (ie, “you cannot push another car on the final lap, etc) so fans can complain all they want. If in fact there was no rule in place saying that you cannot pass the pace car in an effort to save fuel with the intent to allow the pace car to pass you back, then (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) the team is to be commended for finding the loophole and exploiting it to their advantage.
As a series (IRA) official myself, I have to grin a little bit at the idea as it has happened to our series, as it has in any other as well. Then you go back and write rules, and teams take those rules and find ways around them all over again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not applauding the decision(s) or anything, just justifying it.
Paul
Whether you call it cheating, bending the rules, or whatever, Junior did what any driver in his position would have done. He bent the rules just enough to get the job done. If it had been McMurray or Kahne or anyone else, nobody would be making a fuss over this the way people are. I guess with great popularity comes great criticism.
Tony Jr. is to be applauded for the calls he made on the box, and Dale Jr. is to be applauded for using every single way and method to win short of wrecking the competition. That’s racing, and that’s the mark of a champ.
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
Atleast he’s not a punk kid with monkey ears.
I didn’t watch the race, but if he was in 2nd and someone else did that, such as Kyle Busch, every single one of you Jr fans would be up in arms. He would of been passed if he was not allowed to do that. The rule says not to pass the pace car not to gain a lap. Well that was to gain a lap. He would not have finished that lap if he had not passed the car. So therefor he did cheat the rules and of course Nascar wont punish their favorite team and driver, eh?
What I didn’t like is that he knew that it was against the rules, but he did it anyway. I say let him keep the win though so we won’t have to hear it anymore about his win-less streak.
I’m just glad that it wasn’t Kyle behind the wheel. Can you imagine the chaos if Kyle won by doing that and Jr. finished second? There’d be a boycott against M&M’s, FedEx, and Home Depot again…..
Isn’t it a rule, if you win under caution, that
the fans throw beer cans at the race car?
No, the other drivers wouldn’t have done the
same as JR, as they “KNEW” they would be
penalized. JG and JJ aren’t running as well
as JR as Hendrick is spending all his $190 million
on JR’s equipemnt. JR passed the pace car
recently, and NASCAR reversed the penalty,
which the official gave him.
GEORGE
LOL a punk kid with monkey ears, if all you can come up with is that Im not surprised your a jr fan. othern then attempting to insult one of jrs physical attributes its to easy insult his front running fans, who think hes the best driver out there
Go JR.!! Good job!! u didnt do anything wrong!! Gordon up there can suck my left nut!!
Dale Jr. finally gets his long awaited win..and now it looks like controversy is about to spoil the party.
EVERYONE IS TOO TOO FUNNY!!! JR DID SAY THAT HE PUSHED IT BUT HE GOT THE SAME PUNISHMENT AS GREG BIFFLE
DID WHEN HE PASSED THE PACE CAR HE GOT WARNED THAT IF HE DID IT AGAIN HE WOULD BE BROUGHT DOWN PIT
ROAD JUST LIKE BIFFLE WAS WARNED….SAY WHAT YOU WONT BUT JR NATION GOT ONE THIS WEEKEND AND IT IS JUST
ONE OF MANY TO COME THIS YEAR….ONLY 84 OUT OF FIRST IN POINTS GO JR GO…..THERE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE
THE ONES WHO WRITE NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT HIM………….GO JR AT LEAST FIVE MORE THIS YEAR THIS IS
ALREADY THE THIRD ONE EVEN THOUGH THE OTHER TWO WASNT A POINT RACE THEY STILL COUNT…..GO JR
all you whiners can complain all you want…point being JR has the trophy, has the win and the cash…so BOO HOO your way all way to homestead when hes hoisting that Sprint Cup trophy high above shrubs head ;)…then maybe, just maybe, you will shut ur trap!…but prob not…ull say nascar bent the rules so JR got more points and won that way…w/e cry about it
he got penalized for cussing in 2004…had the chase WON until that and handed the pts lead to Busch, then in 07 he got dock 100pts for illegal wing brackets…they appealed…didnt get over turned…BOO HOO…he gets his share of penalties just like everyone else…..Roush blatantly cheated at Vegas…last time i checked Carl still has 3 wins…so get over it seriously this is already old news…he won….go on to infineon!
GOD IM AMAZED AT YOU JR FANS HE HAS WIN 1 THATS THE NUMBER 1 RACE IN 2 YEARS AND YOU ACT LIKE HE DOMINATED THE RACE ADN HE PROVED SOMETHING THIS RACE, 5 MORE RACES THIS YEAR IS A LIL STEEP I HOPE HE DOES WIN MORE BUT YOU JR FANS HAVE TO REALIZE HE IS A MEDIOCRE DRIVER AT BEST, STEWART STARTED IN CUP THE SEASON JR DID, SMOKE HAS 32 WINS AND 2 CHAMPIONSHIPS ,KENSETH STARTED SAME TIMEAS JR HE HAS A CHAMPIONSHIP AND JR HAS WON WHAT 18 RACES, MAYBE ONE DAY JR NATION WILL REALIZE THAT JR IS A GOOD DRIVER BUT HES NOT THE BEST AND HES FAR FROM IT
hehe, gotta love those redneck nation fans WHO TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPS
Bunch of twats.
Jr. ignored the rules because he is a pussy without enough fire in the belly to win like a man.
Oh geez… can you believe Rowdy Bush did the SAME ALL CAPS THING whilst I was typing??
I guess it’s not just Jr. fans who can be twats after all!
luv24car wrote:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
As a Gordon fan you should know that Gordon owns a percentage (that has never been disclosed) of Hendrick motor sports. Do you really think a four time champion is going to lay back and not get the best equipment that he is a part owner of? I don’t think so.
VICKMAN
sorry bout the all caps i was busy jerking it to my dale jr die cast and forgot to turn the caps off LOL Just kidding thank god there is someone else who realizes jr is a dumb jabrone, and i dont mind being a twat thats far better then being a dale jr front running fan
SAM
Im not sure on this, so im asking? are you sure gordon owns part of hendrick I thought he was just listed as a car owner, in anticipation to nascar limiting teams that an owner could have
ROWDY BUSH wrote:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4
No i am not sure, but JJ calls him his boss. I do know that JG is one of the best drivers in nascar and he loves to win. I am not a big fan of his but i respect the hell out of his ability and desire to win. I just can’t believe he would lay back and let someone get better equipment than him.
SAM
I couldnt agree more i can stand gordon i think he is a sell out pretty boy, either way he can drive and he has the past to prove it, and if anybody was getting better equipment it would be mears and jr cause both of there cars are made in the same shope JG and JJ are in there own shop, so all this nonsense about JR getting better equipment is ridiculous
the rule is there so you cant pass the pace car to gain a lap back.jr was not going to get a lap back so stop crying. no iam not a jr fan but he stopped when nascar told him to. kinda like bumping the pace car under caution if you do it and they tell you to stop and you don’t then comes a penalty if you stop its over.
F.Y.I. …….for those who don’t know NASCAR rules……….
NASCAR official Jim Hunter said that Earnhardt did not violate a rule, saying that he needed only to maintain “a reasonable speed or a reasonable pace” behind the pace car and that once Earnhardt was warned not to surge ahead of it, Earnhardt complied.
And just for the record…….. no driver in the history of NASCAR has ever been penalized for this. Why? Because there is no set rule!!! You only wish there could be!!
Go ahead…… Keep crying!!! You will never be happy as long as it’s JR. in Victory Lane anyway!! LOL
NO JOE SHMOE
the rule clearly states “DO NOT PASS THE PACE CAR” it does not state you cant pass the pace car if you want if you want a lap back, you cant interrupt the rules according to your driver
Sam wrote:
The car that is now the 48 car was in 1999 a GEM (Gordon Evernham Motorsports) Busch series car, and in 2000 was run under the JG Motorsports banner, and in the end of the 2001 season that team was brought up to Cup and Merged with HMS to form the 48 car. Jeff still has minority stake in that team only (I think it’s like 15%)
I have to say ROWDY BUSH… I agree with everything you’ve said on all these articles… and you and Vickman were killing me earlier lol
I love my Rowdy Busch!!! 