All Sport Report

Today was a bad day for NASCAR. After last week’s snafu with Robby Gordon, the last thing the Nextel Cup needed was to be rained out at Watkins Glen, where the race will be held on Sunday. This prevented racers from being able to qualify and pushed one very happy Jeff Gordon back to the pole. Unlike Gordon (who surely liked his placement) many other racers, simply couldn’t understand why qualifying didn’t commence on Saturday just prior to the Busch series race, which begins in the afternoon at 3:00 PM. With top five placements for the Nextel, which includes Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, and Tony Stewart it’s no wonder less prominent race car drivers want the chance to vie for the pole instead of accepting placement based on Nextel’s overall points system.

Stewart alone has won at Watkins Glen three times previously. To have Stewart take it a fourth time would be quite the upset. Still Gordon stands a good chance of maintaining his lead. It’s nearly as good as the chance Hamlin has of overtaking him. Ultimately, it’s a combination of a crapshoot and driving skill. We can all say every one of the 43 drivers in the race tomorrow is an excellent driver, but skill on the track, the weather, car conditions, and other drivers mean that anything can and will happen at this famed NY race track.

Frankly, I think the fact that Gordon is in first place and has been chosen to start at the pole is incredibly fair. Gordon has worked hard all season and this start is the payoff for his hard work. If they run the qualifying race, their cars have less of a chance of being in tip top condition. The drivers will be more fatigued if they plan to race in the Zippo 200, and it is an overall pain in the kiester for everyone involved. The fact that other drivers want to qualify just goes to show the top five intimidate them, especially Gordon, who has dominated racing since 1993, when he won an award for being the Rookie of the Year.

That Rookie has turned into a turbo force to be reckoned with, winning FOUR Nextel (formerly Winston) Cups in his professional racing career, which spans close to 15 years. In that time, he has won the prestigious Daytona 500 three times, and is setting the course for his fifth Nextel win, if he keeps doing what he’s doing week in and week out. We’ll see how things unfold on Sunday, and hopefully there will be no rain.

So, what do you think? Should Gordon get to start on Sunday or should NASCAR hold a qualifying race just prior to the 3:00 PM race at Watkins Glen? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Nextel Cup, NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, The Pole, Racing