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Danica Patrick vs. Darlington Raceway.
Oh-oh.The controversy over David Reutimann driving a clunker around Martinsville late in the race last weekend has long tentacles. They involve the archaic standard that NASCAR has in place, which allows the top 35 cars in points standings to qualify automatically.
It renders the concept of qualifying virtually meaningless, but don't blame me. Please contact your local NASCAR official if you think NASCAR's qualifying process is pointless.
That gets us back to Reutimann in Martinsville. His clunky car eventually stopped on the race track, forcing a caution and setting up yet another controversial scenario when Clint Bowyer dive-bombed into Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
But that doesn't happen without the caution and restart caused by Reutimann.
"It ruined a good race for the guys up front," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., a Hendrick Motorsports teammate of Gordon and Johnson.
But the reason Reutimann was still chasing laps was simple: He was also chasing points, too, and hoping to stay in the top 35 for a ride he shares with Patrick. After the car stalled, Reutimann was black-flagged by NASCAR and finished 35th, 79 laps down.
"It's ugly," ESPN analyst Ricky Craven said. "It doesn't reflect well on them but they are battling for their professional lives."
The No. 10 Chevy is now 36th in the standings and, if it doesn't move up at least one slot, Patrick — a NASCAR newbie on the Cup circuit — will have to try to qualify at the toughest track on the circuit for the race on May 12.
It will only be the second time that Patrick has officially driven a Cup car after her debut in the Daytona 500 in February.
Good luck with all of that.
"I just hate it," Reutimann said. "I just hate that I was involved in anything that changed the complexion of the race, so I've got to apologize to the guys that it affected. It broke a tie-rod or something like that. I was just trying to limp around there. We needed to finish the next couple of laps to try to stay in the top 35 [in points].
"I know it sucks. I hate it for everybody that it affected, but I mean I can't get out and push the thing. You know, it shut off. It's that simple."
Don't blame Reutimann. This is the dysfunctional standard that NASCAR has imposed upon the drivers, and it can have some unintended negative consequences such as what happened at Martinsville. The sad fact is that based on research done by NASCAR insiders, the chances of a top 35 car not qualifying at a race are virtually non-existent.
NASCAR wants to have a dog-and-pony show in terms of qualifying. And that's what it is — a circus every week.
It can get a little freaky at times.
gdiaz@tribune.com Read George Diaz's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego
