Gluck: Ryan Newman's move shouldn't be questioned
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Newman had one shot to make NASCAR's final four, and the only way he could do it was to knock another driver out of the way.
So he did.
Can you blame him?
Thousands of angry Jeff Gordon fans can — and did on social media — after Newman slammed Kyle Larson into the wall to secure an 11th-place finish on the last lap at Phoenix International Raceway. That gave him the one additional point necessary to pass Gordon in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.
So Newman will head to Homestead-Miami Speedway tied for the points lead with three other drivers while Gordon will have to wait another year for a try at his fifth championship.
Newman did exactly what he should have done — and should be celebrated for his move, not condemned for it. Had he not been willing to get aggressive, he would have regretted it for years and become known as a driver who wasn't willing to put it on the line.
"I could live with myself (if he didn't do it)," Newman said. "Would I be happy with myself? No, because you've got to give it your all."
He did. Newman was 18th and out of the Chase picture late in the race and was told he would need to finish 11th in order to qualify for the final round.
On the last lap, he was told by his team he needed one spot — from anyone. He caught Larson heading into Turn 3 and side-swiped him.
In that situation, there's nothing wrong with that.
Sure, he'll catch plenty of heat from race fans who believe such a maneuver doesn't require any talent and would rather see drivers race cleanly. Those fans don't think contact should come into play when racing for a championship. It's not the "right way" to race, according to some.
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But the alternative was to settle for 12th place and miss a chance to win his first championship. What driver with any sort of competitive spirit would do that?
This is NASCAR, not chess or Tiddlywinks. Stock car racing isn't a gentleman's game anymore, if it ever was. Would anyone really want their favorite driver to hold off on doing whatever it took to make the championship race? If they were a driver with a chance to race for the Sprint Cup trophy, would they not try everything possible?
The same goes for Brad Keselowski's maneuver at Texas Motor Speedway last week — another circumstance which hurt Gordon's title hopes. Keselowski was racing hard, which is what drivers get paid enormous sums to do and what NASCAR chairman Brian France said he wanted to see when he announced the revamped playoff format.
Like Keselowski, Newman's slam-pass will be judged partially on who did it rather than on the merits of the move.
Had Dale Earnhardt Jr. been the one who knocked Larson out of the way, fans would laud Earnhardt's moxie and say it reminded them of something his late father — Dale Earnhardt Sr., the "Intimidator" — would do.
Instead, Newman found himself having to walk a line between celebrating his achievement and feeling a little guilty (he said Larson would understand in a couple days; USA TODAY Sports reached out to Larson, who was unable to be reached for comment).
He should focus on the former. The Newman Slam wasn't a great racing move, but it wasn't dirty, either. Should Newman somehow win the title, it will be in part because he was willing to get rough on the last lap at Phoenix.
Even Gordon said it didn't really bother him.
"That's the system that we have," Gordon said, watching the replay from Newman's in-car camera on the Sprint Vision screen. "Wait until next week when the championship is on the line. You're going to see a lot more than that.
"That's what NASCAR wants this to become, to create intensity and interest, and that's what's going to happen. You have to expect it."
In the new Chase for the Sprint Cup, anything goes for drivers who want to win it all.
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck