My two cents
This just in: Blocking is not
against the rules in NASCAR.
Actually, it’s not ‘just in’ but
with all the discussion the past two weeks over Tony Stewart’s criticism of
Joey Logano’s blocking move at Auto Club Speedway, you’d think the issue
somehow remained unaddressed in NASCAR.
For as long as NASCAR has existed,
there has never been anything in the NASCAR rulebook (in any of its three
national series) prohibiting blocking.
Other motorsports series do frown
on the practice – notably Formula One and IndyCar – but not NASCAR.
That doesn’t mean it may not
always be “appropriate” in terms of driver etiquette.
Now, some drivers may decide they
won’t tolerate it from their competitors and vow to wreck those who do it, even
though they employ the move themselves. Please see Stewart on multiple
occasions during his career in regards to that example.
Ryan Newman, on a teleconference this
week, went so far as to call blocking “a chicken
way of driving.” Yet he is often selected as the driver most difficult to pass
by his competitors.
The newest “big story” in NASCAR may be the
use of blocking, but the bottom line is, the issue of right or wrong lies in
the eyes of drivers affected.
As long as there remain no guidelines to its
use in the NASCAR rulebook, the only ramifications will be from fellow
competitors.
For 60-plus years that appears to have been
enough to keep the practice in check.
But even if it isn’t, this is still racing.
If someone is trying to get by another driver, why would they expect to complete the pass without being fast enough to do so?
You could always try IndyCar - it has a button you can press when you aren't fast enough to pass.
