The Great Padding Debate

By Mark Young   

Now you can ask my friends that I talk racin' with, for some reason I like Robby gordon.  I always have and since he started running his own equipment and has to keep stuff in one piece doesn't drive with quite as much insanity as he did years ago.  Ever since this guy came onto the scene from open-wheel with a mouth like DW's used to be but couldn't back it up on the track he has been the Black Sheep of the herd.  Even after he has matured and is much less outspoken he is still NASCAR's whipping boy and this weekend is no exception.

Does anyone really believe that if a Hendrick car had lost a piece of padding that this big of a deal would be made of it?  What about a Roush car or DEI car?  I don't think so.  I hate say it but at least the caution that was caused for debris actually was because of debris!!  NASCAR looked at every car and yet they still aren't satisfied.  Is this the first time something like this has come about?  Will completely change the outcome of the Chase?  Or is NASCAR going to try and make an example out of Gordon again?  It was a piece of foam for crying out loud and if one of those drivers was able to rip one off, which was surely zip-tied to the car, while driving one handed at over 190 miles per hour then heck I would shake their hand rather than penalize them.  We have drivers out there that can't handle driving decent at Martinsville with two hands!!

This story is not finished but this writer would not be surprised if Robby got nailed and made an example of.....again.