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Charles Googe: Put me on Robby Gordon's side; NASCAR did him wrong

By Charles Googe
Saturday, August 11, 2007

Robby Gordon was right.

Robby Gordon was robbed.

In last week's Busch series race in Montreal, Gordon thought he had won.

He did burnouts.

He celebrated.

But guess what?

He was disqualified for an incident that happened near the end of the race.

Gordon was running second to Marcos Ambrose when the yellow flag came out for an accident.

In fact, he was right alongside Ambrose challenging for the lead. Whether he grabbed the lead before the yellow came out is debatable.

At the very worst, Gordon should have been second on the restart.

But when Gordon took the lead, Ambrose spun him out. Under the yellow flag.

When Gordon got his car going, he was 13th, which is where NASCAR said he was supposed to restart.

No way, Gordon said. I'm restarting second.

After he did, NASCAR disqualified him.

But that's not the end.

Gordon then bumped Ambrose out of the lead and went on to win, or so he thought.

Did he look like a jerk for doing celebratory burnouts on the front straight next to NASCAR's winner, Kevin Harvick? Of course.

But I think Gordon should have won that race.

NASCAR suspended Gordon for the next day's Pocono 500.

Gordon apologized for acting like he had won.

But the fault was NASCAR's, not Gordon's.

Ambrose should have been disqualified, or at least restarted back in the field.

Ambrose took out Gordon when Gordon was leading.

Maybe NASCAR should have disqualified both Ambrose and Gordon.

But to come down solely on Gordon was wrong.

NASCAR needs to review its rules and do the right thing.