For only the 15th time, all major sports leagues were in action on Sunday. Major League Baseball crowned a champion in the Kansas City Royals. The NFL had one of the roughest Sunday’s I can remember in terms of injuries. The NBA and NHL are both early on in their seasons, but that didn’t stop those leagues from putting on a show Sunday as well. While those four leagues seem to take much of our attention, that’s not where I want to start. Last year, NASCAR implemented a tournament-like format to decide a champion. It’s added some drama and intrigue to a somewhat stale and outdated postseason structure. Last year saw fights in the garage after the majority of the final 10 races, but it also brought out great racing from start to finish of the those races as well. NASCAR put an importance on each race to such an extent that points and money were a premium, and that continues this season. Last night, for the 93rd time, Jeff Gordon found his way to victory lane. In doing so, he punched his ticket to the Championship 4. In the final race of the season, only four drivers will have an opportunity to win the season championship ,and Gordon, in his final season, will be one of them. In what should have been a celebratory ending to an evening it was anything but that. With 47 laps to go, Matt Kenseth made contact with race leader and current dominator of the playoffs Joey Logano. Kenseth said that he lost his right front tire, though anyone that watched knows that wasn’t the case. What Kenseth lost was his mind, and that’s OK in my book. Now, I’m not sure you can even call me a casual NASCAR fan. You certainly can’t call me knowledgeable about some of the inner workings of NASCAR teams or drivers. I wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference in a spoiler or a splitter, but I do know the difference between pride and retribution. What we saw on Sunday evening showed a little bit of both. NASCAR is a proud sport with a history of drivers that take matters into their own hands. NASCAR drivers seem to have solid memories and very little gets left unsettled when it comes to retribution. There’s always a time and a place to exact revenge on a competitor that you feel took advantage of a situation on the track. Sunday’s timing was perfect. If you know me, you know I’m all about the unwritten rules and respect athletes should give their opponents. This situation is different and has to be handled with a different set of rules. With so much on the line two weeks ago, Logano spun out a then-leading Kenseth on his way to winning in Kansas. That move got tucked away under a racing incident, but regardless Kenseth was removed from Chase contention. Kenseth promised he would remember how Logano raced him and that he would return the favor. Well, maybe not quite the same situation presented itself on Sunday, but Kenseth found himself in a situation to end Logano’s night while he was leading the race, and he did. One slight turn of the steering wheel to the right sent Logano into the wall and to the bottom of the standings in a race to the final 4 spots for the championship. And for some reason I’m OK with that. Logano is no stranger to disrespecting other racers on the track. His father has no problems voicing his displeasure when his son doesn’t get the benefits he believes his son deserves. This isn’t an issue that has started just this year. It’s been the Logano family character since he broke into the Sprint Cup Series in 2009 with Joe Gibbs Racing. Logano displays a character that doesn’t fit the mold of a typical driver and certainly doesn’t fit the mold of what the majority of NASCAR fans want to see. That’s where pride comes in. NASCAR is a sport that is based off pride. Not only is that shown on the track, but in garages across the nation as men and women of all levels build cars to compete on tracks all over. The amount of time, money, and effort given to put a car on the track is astonishing, and when a driver gets his chance taken away by someone else, pride kicks in. It’s an eye-for-an-eye mentality and it might be the last sport in the world where this mentality can still thrive. As an outsider I feel you can tell a lot by fan reaction. Last night, the chorus of cheers for Kenseth as he exited the car told the story. Fans are fed up with the way Logano handles himself both on and off the track. There’s only 42 other drivers in any given race that can handle the situation presented with the arrogance and disrespect of another driver. Last night, Kenseth decided that he was the one that was going to take care of the situation, for now.
