Of course, nobody can change history, but sometimes it’s fun to play what if. What if “wrecker-gate” never happened, and Clint Bowyer wasn’t docked 150 points after New Hampshire—the first race of the Chase?
On the surface, just by adding back the 150 points he lost near the beginning of the Chase he’d be sitting fifth in points, 217 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Instead, in the real world, he finds himself mired back in 12th, 367 points out of first with only three races remaining before the end of the season.
And who knows, had the debacle following New Hampshire Motor Speedway never happened, Bowyer may have found himself even higher in points—maybe even a serious championship threat heading into the final three races. After all, Bowyer and the No. 33 team seemed distracted for a couple of races while fighting the NASCAR penalties—first to the National Stock Car Racing Commission, and then to the Commission’s Chief Appellate Officer. Without those distractions, the team could have garnered several more points to place Bowyer even higher in the driver points standings and closer to points leader Johnson. Just 10 more points added to the 150 and he’d be tied with Jeff Gordon for the fourth spot at this point in time.
Of course, bygones are bygones, and Bowyer, nor team owner Richard Childress, for that matter, can go back and change the past. The RCR team must move one and salvage what they can from the 2010 season.
To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.
Photo of Clint Bowyer by Amanda Vincent
No comments:
Post a Comment