The Good, The Bad & The Ugly From NASCAR’s Sunday In Phoenix

Column By: JOHN DOUGLAS / RPW – AVONDALE, AZ – The pressure cooker that is the NASCAR Playoffs headed to the desert in Phoenix, Arizona for the second to last race of the 2017 season this past Sunday. With one spot remaining and five drivers vying for a chance to race for the championship at Homestead, things were bound to get interesting.

Here’s a look back on the weekend’s top three moments, ranging from the incredible to the forgettable.

The Good

Matt Kenseth’s drive on Sunday led to one of the more gratifying victory lanes of 2017. He captured the checkered flag in what is most likely his penultimate race in a NASCAR career spanning 20 years, 39 wins and the final Winston Cup in NASCAR’S history before Sprint/Nextel assumed the primary sponsor role of the series in 2004.

Kenseth’s pending transition into ‘retirement’ (he won’t actually use the word) came slowly, yet surprisingly, as seats were filled with drivers over the course of the season. Yet somehow, the Wisconsin-native found himself on the outside looking in at the game of musical NASCAR containment seats.

Youth…something that was once Kenseth’s ally now seems to be the enemy. The 2000 Rookie of the Year now finds himself at 45 years old and being shuffled out of a series he once dominated. At one point, he was unstoppable to the tune of a 33-week stretch as the point leader on his way to the 2003 Championship…a NASCAR record.

Kenseth’s win on Sunday was one for the old guard. It was a shining example of hard work, determination and the will to win that someone, no matter what age they may be, can muster up in a time of importance. For Kenseth, that moment came in the ‘Valley of the Sun’ in front of thousands in attendance and millions watching on TV. It was a fitting close to a career, no matter the result at Homestead, for someone who never needed anything but an opportunity to succeed.

The Bad

I’m not one to show manufacturer bias when it comes to NASCAR. There’s no question the more manufacturer involvement the better. However, when two of four spots available to the championship contenders are from one brand, from one team for all intents and purpose (Joe Gibbs & Furniture Row), we have to ask if there really is an advantage.

Toyota has operated under a one-team mentality since its entry into NASCAR’S top level. They have never steered away from openly-admitting that they all share information on what will help the brand as a whole perform on track. In contrast, we have no Chevrolet teams represented, but do have two Fords in the final 4 in the form of Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. These brands, though, work in a much different manner.

Ford does most of its work together on the Superspeedways as they practice drafting with each other almost as a Tour de France team would go about their business.

Chevrolet seems to be a free-for-all. While simulator time at the GM factory is nice, no actual on-track cooperation seems to take place on a race weekend.

Is this where the others are falling behind? Either way, NASCAR needs to make sure that next year’s season sees a bit more parity among manufacturers…especially on the intermediate tracks. The Toyota teams seemed to have a stranglehold on them in 2017.

The Ugly

While I don’t think anyone who isn’t Denny Hamlin or a Denny Hamlin fan minded what happened Sunday at Phoenix, NASCAR may have to…whether they want to or not. Sure, we in the media and fans at home love a good rivalry, the fact remains that these are living human beings in extreme danger at every turn.

NASCAR has allowed things to go too far in the past while trying to find the balance between emotion, entertainment and safety. It’s a tightrope I am glad I don’t have to walk myself, but there are many examples I can recall from memory. Geoff Bodine vs. Dale Earnhardt. Jeff Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer. Both situations where NASCAR has had the unpopular task of reigning in driver’s emotions before someone got hurt.

I reckon before Homestead, NASCAR may have to do the same with Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. I don’t think anyone disputes who started what and who retaliated in what manner, but at this point, that’s irrelevant. NASCAR needs to remind these two men that they’re exactly that…two men, who can easily be out of a race car due to injury or worse if they don’t choose to use their better discretion in future encounters.