NASCAR Phoenix recap: Controversy ‘rains’ during Chase playoffs

During a playoff where contentious misdeeds have been the topics du jour, it almost seemed appropriate NASCAR’s four-driver championship field was principally determined by a controversial penalty and when an inevitable rain shower would begin to fall.

The inclement weather every team had been anticipating finally intervened with little more than a 100 laps remaining in Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway, the penultimate event of the season leading to next week’s championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As the rain came down steadily, it was only a matter of time as to when NASCAR would deem the race official, and when that moment did occur the title hopes of Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch instantly washed away.

For those on the wrong side of the cut line, they couldn’t help but lament a decisive race ending short of the scheduled distance and the seemingly cruel nature of a playoff format that often leaves them at the mercy of happenstance.

“That’s the way this game is played,” Logano said. “That’s the way this Chase is.”

Despite standard procedure that a race can be declared official after half the laps are completed, NASCAR’s decision to end the final third-round race prematurely was questioned, fitting a recurring theme throughout the Chase where scandal and seediness have been pervasive. Over the past nine weeks, the defending series champion nearly started a fight in the drivers motor home lot, conspiracies abounded of nefarious acts to skirt technical inspection, one competitor appeared to manipulate the finish of an elimination race for his own personal gain, another deliberately took out a race-leader because he felt aggrieved and a rash of divisive penalties have been called.

If the design of the Chase, featuring points reset and driver eliminations every three races, is to elicit drama, then it has undoubtedly been a success. But increasingly the question has become at what cost, and in NASCAR’s effort to revitalize the sport, has it sacrificed its integrity?

“I don’t think it matters what’s fair,” Keselowski said. “It matters what entertains the fans and if the fans are happy, then that’s what it’s all about.”

Controversy and drama do sell and while sometimes unseemly, the Chase has provided no shortage of drama. And it did so again Sunday night, in a race delayed nearly seven hours by rain and later stopped after only 219 of a scheduled 312 laps were completed.

And yet, there stood Logano on pit road in the rain coming to terms that he wouldn’t hoist the Sprint Cup despite winning a series-best six wins this season. A playoff demise was not solely of his own doing, but largely because Matt Kenseth decided to take him out two weeks previous at Martinsville Speedway.

On Sunday, Logano was again in contention. Although he may not have had a better car than Kevin Harvick, who was gunning for a fifth straight Phoenix victory, he spent much of the night running second, which gave him at least the opportunity to conjure some postseason magic in the Arizona desert.

Then Mother Nature injected herself, knocking Logano, who finished third behind race-winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and runner-up Harvick, out.

“You can’t help the weather,” Logano said. “I guess it wasn’t in the cards tonight.

“It’s hard to play the race with rain in the area. You don’t know what’s gonna happen, but you just hope there’s another shot.”

At least Logano’s playoff demise didn’t come via a penalty like Busch, who by definition of the rulebook committed a violation, but one that was also ticky-tacky. Lined up alongside pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson, replays showed Busch narrowly beat Johnson to the start/finish at the beginning of the race.

NASCAR issued Busch a pass-through penalty, and though he made a valiant effort there simply weren’t enough laps to overcome the deficit. Had there been no rain he likely would have continued his charge, but as it were he finished seventh. Not a good enough result to remain championship eligible.

“That wasn’t a penalty,” Busch said. “That’s a reason to start a survey. I’m going to start a poll. I encourage everyone to go on to Twitter, my Facebook and my Instagram and follow it and we’re all going to take a survey.”

But it makes no difference what Busch thinks, even if the idea of him conducting a Family Feud-esque survey is highly amusing. Nor does it matter if the elimination-centric format is creating an overwhelming amount of controversy that can give the impression NASCAR’s playoffs may be more game show than an actual sporting contest.

“This is a quirky little sport with weird days, and this is one of them,” Earnhardt said.

Right or wrong, this is the current structure in place. Which means outside factors like a revenge-minded driver can effectively prevent someone else from winning a championship if they so choose. And if it starts to rain at an inopportune time, then boohoo.

This is NASCAR in 2015 -- compelling and ever controversial. Phoenix just happened be the latest example.