Yahoo Autos Revved Up: Autoweek Racing Readers Have Their Say, Oct. 6 Edition
As the racing season continues to wind down, bench racing via Autoweek’s Revved Up! weekly mailbag continues to ramp up.
Grab yourself a cup of coffee or soda or even a beer and check out some of this week’s interaction with readers:
Denny Hamlin Blames NASCAR’s ‘Bad Leadership’ for Next Gen Car Safety Issues
Readers Say:
2001225: If Hamlin wasn't talking about (NASCAR president) Steve Phelps, then who was he talking about? Makes no sense. I have seen NASCAR decline in every way since Phelps took over. He's more worried about non-racing social issues than racing. He needs to go. I think Hamlin is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He's just covering his 'tracks' now.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: Love or hate him, there’s no disputing that Denny is one of the most passionate individuals about the sport. Plus, he sees things from two unique perspectives that most other drivers don’t: he’s both a NASCAR Cup driver and a Cup team co-owner. He “gets” how one impacts the other and vice-versa. I will take Hamlin at his word when he said he “made it clear (he) was not directing anything at (Phelps).” There are others under Phelps who had a more direct role in developing the Next Generation car, which is where I think Hamlin’s ire is focused upon. That being said, and this is not an excuse as safety is the No. 1 priority, but the Next Gen car was going to have growing pains in its first year and I believe next year much of its struggles in 2022 will be gone.
NASCAR Comes Down Hard on William Byron for Ramming Denny Hamlin at Texas
Readers Say:
• Justbob: Once again NASCAR proves what a joke it has become. Extremely harsh penalty for a joke of an infraction. I'm not saying that bumping Denny under caution is OK. If they felt any kind of penalty was in order, it should have been handled immediately. At the very maximum, by race end. But no, NASCAR cannot determine if it was an issue or not for almost two days? Sorry, but NASCAR should get the penalty for incompetence and lack of fair officiating. A stop and go, or to the back of the line, nobody would argue with. But major fines and probably torpedoing the young man’s championship run two days after the fact, is way out of bounds. It is funny how certain drivers are judged compared to others. Zero consistency and penalties way after the fact show how there is class warfare in this circus. The trapeze artists and the lion tamers are treated totally differently by the clowns running the circus.
• Adw55: It's a lose-lose situation for NASCAR. If they had done nothing they would have been accused of favoring Hendrick. They do it (way too late) and are now accused of "class warfare." Agree that it should have been done much earlier if they were going to do it, and I think they should have released some sort of statement defining why they imposed the penalty they did; otherwise it's just as lame as critics are pointing out.
• HornetRX-7_FD: NASCAR must restore credibility with fans and drivers/teams by consistently categorizing intentional hits for what they are. The action NASCAR took with WB is 100% correct and can be the basis for decisions going forward. Any sanctioning racing body needs to do the same; it keeps drivers/cars on track longer, racing costs lower and fans celebrating great racecraft. If a fan wants Demolition Derby, attend and fund those events. It has no place in today’s race car scene.
• Roxie44: Does NASCAR really have to explain why intentionally slamming into a car and spinning it during yellow flag conditions merits a penalty? The safety of pit crews, safety personnel, and track workers is important. Not everyone has a helmet and roll cage!
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I see both sides, that of the readers and that of NASCAR. Yes, NASCAR should have addressed the Byron penalty during, or at the very least, immediately after the race. It should not have waited two days to make a decision. Roxie44 makes a very astute observation that what happens to track personnel and the risk they run of sustaining injury if the Byron vs. Hamlin wreck goes wrong and one or more folks in the pits gets hit? I think a more appropriate penalty would be Byron be immediately DQ’d during the race for what he did and a $25,000 fine. This way, he loses money and he loses any points he may have earned. It’s the same principal, just no need to wait two days or longer to make a decision. NASCAR needs to be ready to make immediate decisions when it comes to incidents of this type.
W Series May Be Nearing End of the Line
Readers Say:
• Formaldehyde: This series is obviously the wrong way to go about things. Women are perfectly capable of competing head to head with men in motorsports. So instead of wasting the money, they should be sponsoring Jamie Chadwick and similarly talented women in F2 and F3. When one of them finally shows they are experienced and talented enough to be ready for an F1 seat just like the men do, that is when you will see the first really competitive female F1 driver.
• Aus890: Exactly! It still amazes me that Indy Car, NASCAR etc. need to have "diversity" programs that are specifically aimed at women and racial minorities. In drag racing in the 1950/60's it was difficult for women to be accepted but that changed and for over 50 years they have been a major part of the sport. Minorities have been around since the start of the sport and there has never been a need to have specific programs to allow them to compete.
• Formaldehyde: Discrimination is an entirely different matter. I was referring to the supposed need to have separate female-only racing when they are physically capable of competing head-to-head with males, unlike so many other sports where differences in sex make such a huge difference. Both sexism and racism are just as pervasive in motorsports as they are in society in general. There is a reason why Willy T Ribbs was unsuccessful at progressing past Trans Am given his talent and experience, just as there is a reason why there are no female drivers in F1, IndyCar, and the top tiers of NASCAR at present. Some of it can be explained by what is effectively the same as de facto segregation. There are not nearly enough affluent black pushy parents who want their kids to be race car drivers, just as there are not nearly enough white affluent pushy parents who prod their daughters either. But despite all that, there are some who do break through the barriers. What they then find is that there are very few sponsors who are interested in them. If it wasn’t for Go Daddy, Danica Patrick may have never become an IndyCar and NASCAR driver. She is still vilified by many, just as Lewis Hamilton continues to be despite 7 F1 championships.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I love the W Series. I admit I had early doubts about the sustainability of the series, but I was also willing to keep an open mind. Jamie Chadwick could race on my team ANY day. But all that being said, and particularly with the serious financial difficulties the W Series is reportedly experiencing, while I would hate to see the series go away, I think many of the women in the series have more than proven themselves worthy of receiving a shot in other series, particularly Formula 2 and 3—or at the very least, Indy Lights. The problem is getting team owners, who are often set in their ultra-conservative ways, to be open to letting female drivers race for them. I hope F1 or the FIA throws the W Series a financial lifeline because I really would like to see the series continue for a long time. One fan wrote in comparing the W Series to how the WNBA was a fledgling operation back in its early days. The comparison is notable. The W Series needs time—at least another 3-5 more years—before any thought to pulling the plug is given.
Mercedes Team Principal: Lewis Hamilton Says He Can Race in F1 for 5 More Years
