Photo Credit: Pete Noel/OnPitRoad.com
It seems that Martin Truex Jr. is a little upset with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. over his refusal to get out of the way and let MTJ pass him since Stenhouse Jr. was a lap down and MTJ was racing for the win. It begs the question whether lapped cars should get out of the way of lead lap cars and let them pass. While I do like MTJ and he is a talented driver, he’s completely wrong on this one.
One, Stenhouse was only one lap down and he was in the lucky dog position. Two, he was running a fast car and was racing to get back onto the lead lap. Three, with the current points system every lap and every position counts and could mean the difference between racing for a championship and racing for contractual obligation. Four, this is racing and as long as a driver has a competitive car and stands a chance at winning, they are under no obligation to let ANYONE pass them.
Had Stenhouse been running a car that was beat up and obviously slower than those in front of him or if he was several laps down, then I could see Truex’s point. But he wasn’t. I get that MTJ is a very courteous racer and would have moved, but that’s his choice…not his obligation. As a fan, I would be very upset if my driver moved out of the way if he didn’t have to, especially toward the end of the race. I want my driver to race hard for the win every week. I want them to try to hold on to their position and if another driver passes him, it’s because the other driver raced harder.
I want to hear what you have to say though. Should Stenhouse Jr. have moved out of the way and let Truex pass him or should have MTJ raced him harder for the position?
The only reason to make it easy for a guy to lap you is to get that favor in return. To say that someone should stop racing, in a race, is ridiculous. The problem is that the cars get tight with a huge spoiler on them. No one is a ‘choir boy’ out there. Ricky’s comments about remaining the first car a lap down are accurate…and I’m not a fan of any of these guys.
Thank you for your comment! I agree.
Thank you for your comments…agreed.
No he should not get out of the way, Ilike Matin but just because he races for one of the top car owners he should not get any favours.
Thank you for your comment Bill….agreed!
If you have a faster car, you should have no problem passing. Everybody that is on the race track has a right to what ever lane they choose no matter what.
Thank you for your comment Bob!
That’s what they are there for, to race. I didn’t know only the leaders should race. Kind of like homestead last year. They should take off their pink panties and everyone out there should race.
You covered everything and I agree with you.