Cry Me an Amazon River Robby!
When does the Parade start?
The “Rally for Robby” T-shirts have already hit the streets. (Who profits from that?)
There must be a parade planned right? Complete with elephant dung Pooper Scoopers trailing it.
Which come to think of it, maybe those that have that thankless job should lead this parade because what follows is nothing more than elephantine BS put out in the best traditions of PR campaigns run by those that have done wrong.
Robby Gordon has been wronged is the short of it. He’s continued the same line he started with when penalties were handed down, “not my fault, they did it to me.”
“They” being anyone, GEM, Dodge, Chrysler, Five Star who produces the parts (Partridge in a pear tree was axed at the last minute), anyone but an employee of Robby Gordon Motorsports who actually made the mistake.
And yes, I agree, it was a mistake. The same type of mistake Max Siegel called Dale Jr’s that cost 100 points.
Robby claims “a hundred [points] could be life-threatening to our team,” but it don’t stop there,he’s threatening to leave; “If this sticks I don’t know what our plan will be. I think [IRL and CART are] back together, and I think I can drive one of those cars.” (The merger is a done deal BTW)
Pul-lease! Didn’t Robby just align himself with Evernham Motorsports who himself became a minority owner of his own team when multi-millionaire George Gillett Jr jumped in with both feet and FAT wallet. Yeah, I thought that was the case.
Overblown rhetoric aside, if Gordon has made it thus far on his own he damn sure isn’t going to fold his NASCAR tent after getting a cash infusion from GEM.
The most likely scenario is GEM will pay the fine behind the scenes and live with the point loss.
Worse case is NASCAR capitulates and lessens or removes any of the penalties assigned. It would negate the validity of all those that went before it.
It’s instructive at this point to recall Max Siegel’s words at the time of DEI’s penalty: “We are not disputing the ruling,” Siegel said. “But we are appealing the severity of the penalty because the penalty itself is not spelled out in the rule book.”
If I were Max, or heaven forbid Teresa, if Gordon’s appeal works I’d immediately be on the horn to NASCAR crying a larger and longer river of tears than Robby is at the moment.
One final note, Jeff Burton always a consistent voice of reason around the garage, had this to say on the current bruhaha:
“NASCAR is in a tough spot there,” he said. “I’m sure in the panic to get everything switched over I’m sure it was an honest mistake. But at the end of the day NASCAR can’t concern itself if it’s an honest mistake or not. If you break your rule, you break the rule.”
Um well, yeah. But that reality will never sink into the heads of some of the more vociferous members of Robby’s Cortege
Pretty much, Marc.
You either present a legal car at any and all inspection points, or you don’t. If it’s not legal, you’re facing fines as per whichever rule it is that you’ve broken.
Intention or not aside, there’s never intention. Either no intention of getting caught, or no intention of doing something wrong.
It’s like your parents teach you, or damn well should have, “Ignorance is no excuse.”
So what’s up with the theatrics? Broadway is at the other end of the country, not out near L.A.
If that’s truly the case, so be it. NASCAR was consistent with this ruling, and Dodge (through the medium of Robby Gordon Motorsports) is the first kind soul to stroke a check for charity.
B double O, H double O.
Luke’s last blog post..Daytona 500: 45 Days and Counting
NASCAR will open a very large can of worms if they modify what Robby has now.
If they decide behind closed doors they are wrong, just keep it to themselves and issue a ruling/directive that allows for “intent” sometime down the road.
Then stand back and wait for every Tom Dick Harry, Ray, Jack, Rick, Richard and Petty claim “intent” for every infraction from bad parts to farting on pitrow..
Sorry, Robby.
There’s no crying in NASCAR.
Nascar had every right to penalize Robby Gordon. But why did they come down harder on Rob than the 88 team who cheated DURING THE RACE! It’s so obvious that Nascar has it out for the 7 car. Hendrick delibeately cheats last year and gets the same penalty? Please. Oh yeah 88 fans, Dale JR is perfect example of what happens when you put an AVERAGE driver in a Hendrick car (see Jimmie Johnson). Intent SHOULD have a part in the ruling, dammit.
Waltrip should have been banned for life for the stunt he tried last year.
And just what did the 88 do in the race Jon?
What kinda evil deed was done?
Wow, Marc.
“Somebody” certainly has their blinders on today.
But hey, NASCAR is one giant conspiracy, and everyone is in on it in the garage. Of course, with all those people, not one opens their mouth.
Sheesh… some people just don’t get it.
Luke’s last blog post..Daytona 500: 45 Days and Counting
I’m no Robby Gordon fan … but, c’mon. 100 points for something that was obviously unintentional? It seems a little steep to me, especially considering that Junior’s Nationwide team was docked 25 points for blatantly messing with the deck lift on their car after qualifying. Further proof of NASCAR’s inconsistency.
Tim, I think you miss the point.
Nationwide != Cup.
The penalties in the Cup Series were in line with what they do for infractions with this car. So a penalty in one series proves absolutely nothing in another, and only serves to try and divert the issue with smoke and mirrors of false comparisons.
NASCAR set the precedence that you will present a legal car for inspection. If you fail to do so, you are subjected to penalties. That’s no different than any other time. In the past there were some gray areas, however one of the lesser implications of this car is for them to remove gray area.
Just like your parents should have taught you, “I didn’t know” is no excuse.
Luke’s last blog post..Daytona 500: 45 Days and Counting
Tim, to add what Luke said: I would agree Jr’s penalty was a bit less than I expected given that it was an obvious attempt at altering the car after tech-inspec, however as pointed out you are comparing apples to not just oranges (way too small) but to cantalopes.
Like fruit salad, fine keep it on the dinner table.
A fair comparison would be the current penalty to Robby and that of Dale Jr’s when he was docked the same amount because of wing struts that were out of spec.
At the time team president Max Siegel said:
Of course the appeal failed because it was well known before the first CORN event was ever run the fines and point reductions would be much stiffer than any handed out with the “old car.”
Marc, m’dear, you’ve effectively said more about this issue with your myriad comments and posts all over the ‘Net than Robby has. Talk about crying an Amazon river.
Thanks Carrie, glad you noticed, but you’ll note I bring facts to the table. As opposed to overblown rhetoric and inaccurate comparisons like “some” people. Far too many I might add.
I would also say making comments on 3-4 NASCAR blogs in a population of approximately 50 by my last rough estimate can hardly be classified as “all over the net.”
But have it your way, you are the “expert” when it comes to all things Robby.
And BTW, what took you so long to visit, has your “Robby Radar” been on the fritz?
Or did “Robby, the one I LUV” not work in Google for you and the trip here took longer than usual?
Oh yeah…one last thing, if I buy you a Rally for Robby T-shirt can we kiss and make-up?
With the economy in the doldrums, sponsors disappearing at an exponential rate, Greg Biffle wearing a “will race for a trophy” sign during the rain out tv interviews, I think the penalties are too harsh. Especially in the Nationwide series.
The crime deserves punishment, but they need to be more realistic on the penalties. One quote I read is it’s like the death penalty for jay walking.
And the thought of Robby back in the IRL brings smiles to my face. How far behind could JV be??
Sooo penalties are mitigated by the economy George?
Great, look forward to the cost of a speeding ticket going down this week or next. Or the months spent in the slammer for tax evasion, or assault on your tax preparer for screwing the pooch in the first place.
The quote you read… it’s from Robby. The same Robby that was just given a large cash and engineering infusion from GEM’s multi-millionaires.
Boo frickin’ Hoo! :-[
Yes, the penalties need to fit the crime, regardless of the economy. This is a SPORT they are regulating, not a criminal legal code. Look what Max did in F1, 50 million dollar fine for McLaren, Renault get off scott free for a similar if not worse offense. And the cries of injustice were not over Renault getting off, it was over the extremely harsh penalty McLaren received.
It’s not unreasonable to ask for interpretation of penalties, which is why most judges have latitude when handing out sentences, including probation.
Hey I’m no fan of Robby, his stunt last year at the Montreal Bush race should have drawn severe penalties and I think he’s a chucklehead; but the issue should be the penalty, not the chucklehead.
The issue is the penalty, and it has been known over a year what they would be it a team fiddled with the new car. The precedent was set and this continues it.