Matt Kenseth deserves punishment for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano

Over the last dozen years NASCAR has enacted various procedural changes including double-file restarts, green-white-checkered overtime finishes and the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format designed to provide additional elements of excitement.

Each of these alterations were a dramatic departure from how NASCAR long operated, and with each new wrinkle a segment of fans grew further disenfranchised, feeling that the sport they adored was transforming into an entity more concerned with entertainment than anything else.

Now, thanks to Matt Kenseth’s appalling and calculated act of revenge during Sunday’s playoff race at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR now finds itself at a crossroads where officials must decisively demonstrate that the sport is not merely WWE on wheels, but a legitimate sporting contest.

Ten laps down after being involved in an earlier incident, Kenseth deliberately turned into race-leader Joey Logano then stood on the gas to drive Logano’s car against the Turn 1 wall. Had Logano won -- he had the dominant car and just 45 laps remained -- he would have automatically clinched a spot in the championship finale and been favored to score a series-first title.

Kenseth denied his act of retribution was intentional, claiming a tire failure was the culprit for him veering into Logano, whom coincidentally Kenseth’s had a beef with since Logano cost him a victory two weeks ago.

But Kenseth’s excuse is as spineless as his act of cowardliness. Replays definitively show all four tires were up on the No. 20 car and Kenseth first, swerved left into Logano then, refused to decelerate until Logano’s machine clobbered the outside wall.

Some will contend what Kenseth did has long been part of NASCAR’s eye-for-an-eye culture, where payback is expected if you rough a competitor up. And while that belief isn’t without merit, it does not absolve a driver when they step over the line between hard racing and acting like a goon.

This wasn’t Kevin Harvick desperately trying to maintain playoff-eligibility by blocking faster cars, as he did last week at Talladega Superspeedway. In that instance no evidence conclusively showed Harvick deliberately wrecked Trevor Bayne and as such, the defending Sprint Cup champion was not penalized.

But what occurred on Sunday was the very essence of premeditated, and for that deplorable act Kenseth should be suspended for next week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Any action less than sitting Kenseth for a week will besmirch NASCAR’s reputation almost beyond repair and diminish the integrity of its playoffs by essentially allowing outside forces to dictate who wins and loses a championship.

Never should a driver several laps behind be permitted to willfully affect the title picture because they feel wronged. It doesn’t matter that Kenseth is one of the most respected drivers in the garage, a former Cup Series champion who before Sunday conducted himself with class. He lost control of his emotions and took it upon himself to act as judge and jury.

NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said post-race the sanctioning body would continue reviewing what transpired and any potential penalties would likely be announced on Tuesday.

Kenseth supporters will point to Logano spinning Kenseth out of the lead Oct. 18 at Kansas Speedway as justification why Kenseth doesn’t warrant punishment. Except, Kenseth contributed to his own demise that afternoon by blocking Logano’s attempt to complete a clean pass several times. That includes once forcing him into the wall, which ultimately led to Logano tagging Kenseth’s bumper as they sped into the corner.

That exchange was the epitome of hard racing -- two strong-willed drivers refusing to back down -- and how the events unfolded was expected. NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France said as much the following day when he called Logano’s shove of Kenseth “quintessential NASCAR” during an interview on SiriusXM Radio.

But there was nothing “quintessential” regarding Kenseth’s act of revenge. It was a barbaric maneuver that should never be tolerated under any conditions.

“What was disappointing today was the incident that I think we’re referring to would be a driver that’s not competing for a win, in fact, was many laps down when that happened,” O’Donnell said. “In our minds, that’s a little bit different than two drivers really going after it coming out of Turn 4 for a win versus what happened tonight.”

A week ago Kenseth derided the Chase knockout format following a controversial finish at Talladega, saying it encourages drivers to play games and not race. He said NASCAR created a system akin to a circus and as such, it was bringing out the worst among its participants, an assertion Denny Hamlin agreed with Sunday.

“The structure in which we have around us is not very strong as far as an authority figure saying, ‘No, you cannot do that anymore,’” Hamlin said. “It’s just tough for us because this is what’s been created. I love Brian France, but when he says that drivers are doing what they have to do, it seems like he’s promoting this type of racing so that’s tough to crown a true champion when things go like this.

“It’s a no holds barred, wild, wild west.”

But if NASCAR has in fact become a circus or devolved into the “wild, wild west,” then Kenseth acted as a clown on Sunday. Which means it’s time for NASCAR to don the white hat and play the role of the sheriff and clean up the sport by issuing a harsh rebuke of Kenseth’s behavior.