Telling penalty?
Punishment of Brad Keselowski, crew chief might provide answers about NASCAR inspections,
If he were plumbing the edges of NASCAR’s new rules package or inspection system, crew chief Paul Wolfe might have been doing the same with the revamped points system that will determine the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion.
That’s assuming the crew chief for Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford was actually tinkering when his team was snared postrace for a rear skew beyond NASCAR tolerance after finishing fifth Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
Team Penske said Wednesday that it was “evaluating the area in question.” If this was the result of some unforeseen circumstance, that’s unfortunate for Wolfe but still might provide a template for navigating a season under the new systems.
NASCAR levied a hefty 35-point penalty against Keselowski and the team and assessed Wolfe a three-race suspension and fined him $65,000 in response to major postrace malfeasance discovered in a laser station inspection. That stings.
But it could be ultimately beneficial if Wolfe can more definitively define the edge of what can be exploited when the series returns to Phoenix for the next-tolast playoff race of the season. Keselowski might not still be a viable championship contender by the time the series reaches that final cut race. But maybe he will. Same goes for teammate Joey Logano. But now, there’s information in the notebook.
Trouble is, if a risk was taken, the risk might not be worth the same reward as just a year ago, when a win punched an irrevocable playoff ticket and the assurance of a virtual points reset in the playoffs. There is a reset, with an asterisk now. It is for certain, despite the penalty, that Keselowski will be a member of the 16-driver playoffs that commence 22 races from now. His victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway ensures that. While the rest of his season — and those of fellow winners Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman — is more than a prolonged test session because of playoff bonuses in a revamped points system, taking a chance right now would have been alluring.
In losing 35 points, Keselowski dropped from second in the driver standings to fourth. His five playoff points remain in the bank, and he figures to accrue many more with stage wins or further victories after starting the season with a win and two top-five finishes in four races. He would currently be in line for a sevenpoint bonus entering the postseason, as the top 10 drivers in the standings are rewarded points in a sliding scale.
But the regular-season points leader earns 15 points to carry through the playoff rounds, and Keselowski is now 41 behind leader Kyle Larson. Twenty-two races give him plenty of time to make up those points, but in a series where minuscule margins have determined advancement in recent seasons, this could have ultimately been a risky parlay. Or trading points now for a chance at another championship trophy later.
If a risk was taken, it was a bold one.