Sears Point

[Crash Test]

What did you think of that race?

I think Harvick deserves a good clip around the ears....goose...

[Joe Fan]

Can't argue with the results from Harvick's standpoint. He went from 30th to 14th, that is a difference of 48 points. Track position is critical on a road course which is why he wanted to get in front of Robby, so that he could get his lap back with a late caution. Robby Gordon should have let him go by early on because Harvick was faster since he was on new tires. I am sure that Kevin would have returned the favor had he not been able to stay in front of him. Instead Robby preferred to not take that gamble and it blew up in his face. To bad, so sad. All is fair in love, war and stock car racing (which is somewhere in between).

[Emfa]

Originally posted by Crash Test
What did you think of that race?

Not bad for the good ole boys in their overweight tin-tops . There was pit strategy, lead changes, passing door-to-door racing (all the reasons why we watch NASCAR) - and Jeff Gordon got beaten!

Originally posted by Crash Test
I think Harvick deserves a good clip around the ears....goose...

I'd like to shake his hand. He was obviously being held up and I couldn't help but think, while I was watching, of the recent Monaco race. Although there are obvious differences, quick drivers being held up always make for a "lively" discussion.

[Joe Fan]

Having thought more about this, I think Robby wasn't being so much of an arse as he was wanting to keep Harvick behind him so that he would have a buffer between himself and Jeff Gordon. The "I'll let you by when a caution comes out" probably wasn't satisfactory to Harvick because after his tires starting to wear down, he would have had to fight to keep Jeff Gordon behind him. If Harvick stayed behind Robby as a buffer in a pitlane deal, would Jeff Gordon let Kevin by him if he happened to get by both of them? I am not so confident that he would. I think Harvick did the right thing. His move resulted in him gaining 48 points and kept him 9th in the point standings.

[Crash Test]

But not considering points, this guy was a whole lap behind the leaders, and he did directly effect the outcome of the race... Maybe I'm a bit touchy about it because a very similar thing happened here in Australia with Matt Neal last year...

[Roselady3]

I think that Harvick was doing exactly what he was expected to do.
He said prior to the race that his goal was to finish on the lead lap. He was just trying to accomplish his goal.
IF Robby had listened to his spotter, & let him pass, Tony would not have had enough to catch him. Robby wasted a lot of time & eneregy on keeping Harvick behind him....I personally felt that he LOST the race because he refused to let a faster car with better tires get by. Tony is no dummy, & thats exactly what he wanted them to do. He snuck by & took the race. Ok - so I'm different. Just my silly 'ol opinion!

[Ax Slinger]

Tony Stewart: He won the race, and advanced a spot in the points race.

Robby Gordon: Well, what can you say about someone who battles with a rookie that's a lap down, and loses the race because of it?

Jeff Gordon: He didn't win the battle, but he's winning the war.

The Hired Guns: Hrmph. Bad idea in the first place. This ranks right down there with ringers in a football game. If you can't play with the regular team you have, you shouldn't play at all.

But overall I thought it was a great race.

[KC]

Robby Gordon has not made any friends in NASCAR, but I do believe that Harvick knew he could take him out without repercussion. If that had been Stewart or Jeff Gordon leading he would have been black-flagged for taking him out.

I think that idea that somehow the road racers don't deserve a ride in NASCAR comes from the good old boy network. How else does a guy like Hut Stricklin keep a ride? Because he is related to or married into the NASCAR family. NASCAR is full of drivers who just make up the numbers no matter what ride they have.

[Joe Fan]

Originally posted by KC
If that had been Stewart or Jeff Gordon leading he would have been black-flagged for taking him out.

KC, I respect you tremendously but this is complete BS. If it were late in the race, NASCAR would have told him to get the hell out of the way and let the leaders battle it out for the win, or else he would have been black-flagged. This is the only circumstance that this would have occurred. NASCAR is pretty intent on letting the drivers police themselves but when it comes down to the last few laps, they get on the radio and warn drivers to get the hell out of the way or be blackflagged. However, there was still plenty of race left when this situation arose. The very reason why Harvick was where he was on the track at that time, was due to a pit road speeding violation. He was on fresher tires and Robby was intent on keeping a buffer between himself and Gordon/Stewart. When Harvick drove him hard in the corner, Robby didn't back off. Robby would have wrecked both of them on several occasions if Harvick didn't back off. Same goes with Harvick.

The bottom line was that Robby Gordon chose to go about this in his own way and it backfired. He could have let Harvick go by and if Harvick was jeopardizing his position by holding him up later, Robby would have been justified for punting him. Actually this scenario would have most likely resorted to a black flag. If a backmarker repeatedly blocks the leader, NASCAR has been known to intervene when it starts getting ridiculous and give warnings and then blackflags. But the whole point here was that Harvick was behind Robby Gordon and not holding up the leader. And Robby was the one who guilty of doing some blocking.