ERIK'S EXPOSE'
11\16\97- Finally, after two weeks of calculating and consternation, the NASCAR Winston Cup championship would be decided on the reconfigured quad oval of Atlanta Motorspeedway. Points calculations showed that Jeff Gordon would have to finish eighteenth or better to guarantee a second championship title. It turned out to be somewhat too close for comfort, with Gordon managing to finish in the seventeenth position, two laps down. Not the best way to win a Cup, but it'll do.
Congratulations Jeff Gordon! The kid from Vallejo has done it again, his second title in three years and the third in a row for Hendrick Motorsports. Last year Terry Labonte would wait until the final race to claim his championship trophy, this year it was Jeff's turn. Fittingly, the winner of last season's decisive event, Bobby Labonte, would again bring home victory. This time though, he was nothing short of utterly dominant.
With a pole speed of 197 mph, Atlanta is now the fastest track in NASCAR with restrictor plates slowing Talladega qualifying runs to the high 193s to low 194s. Geoff Bodine grabbed the top starting position, but faded early and fast.
Gordon wrecked his primary car in a freak pit row incident during Saturday's early practice and was forced to qualify in a secondary vehicle. This would be a trying weekend for the Rainbow Warriors, and the competition wasn't giving an inch. After some quick preparation and a brief test, the DuPont team's bad luck persisted as they hit some liquid in the first corner during their qualifying hot-lap. Gordon's car bobbled slightly and he lost serious time, barely making the field in the thirty-seventh position. Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett had no such mishaps, qualifying ninth and third respectively. Both seemed poised and ready to claim their first championship.
The race wasn't run or won in qualifying though, and Gordon seemed hungry as ever for a second title, waltzing through the field to eventually settle into a position at the middle of the pack. Once he was safely in position to retain the points lead, he drove a steady line and avoided trouble, rolling home in an adequate seventeenth place. Meanwhile Jarrett had early problems that sent him far back in the pack, while Martin ran strong among the top five. Both Dale and Mark would lead, but this was to be the day of Bobby Labonte and the Interstate Batteries Pontiac. Early they made refining touches to their setup and within two pit stops proved to be the dominant car. At one point during the race Bobby led by over nineteen seconds.
No one had a car that could run with Labonte after ten or so laps, and he meandered home well ahead of everyone at the race's end. Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett battled for second spot in the race as well as in the points standings, with Jarrett scooting by with three to go. At the finish the top five would be Labonte, Jarrett, Martin, followed by the surprising Jeff Green and Derrike Cope, two drivers not often mentioned among the leaders. For the Dale Earnhardt fans out there, he finished sixteenth, having gone an entire season without a win for the first time in 15 years.
Another epic NASCAR season has concluded, with only three brief months until they fire 'em up for another Daytona 500, ready to do it all over again. I don't know about you, but I can't wait.
In my last expose I mentioned Michael Schumacher and the incident at Jerez. Well it turns out the FIA saw fit to give the controversial German what amounts to a slap on the wrist. He has been disqualified for the 1997 season, having been stripped of his points and second place. By taking away Schumacher's second place position in the points, the FIA has effectively accomplished nothing. The British press has condemned the ruling, acknowledging that the door is now open for any driver to do as Schumacher did in hopes of gaining the championship. If you ask me, Formula One's ruling body has a made a grave mistake it will regret sometime in the near future. Michael should have received a huge fine at the very least, though I honestly believed he deserved a two or three race ban next season.
Apparently Ferrari will retain his services for the 1998 F1 season, though they expressed doubts about his character during the weeks previous to the FIA's ruling. One thing that seemed to be overlooked was Michael's use of similar tactics to lock up the 1994 championship. Perhaps those who consider "Schumi" the best there is should reconsider just how it is he has gotten where he has, and whether or not his trophies have been won on skill or brutish racing behavior. There is still a lot of room for class in the ultra competitive world of auto-racing and I'm not so sure how much room there should be for those who win without it.
Until the next time, keep it on the asphalt.
-Erik
