Blocking In NASCAR Should Be A Non-Issue, Welcome to Parity Boys and Girls

The last race we had, Tony Stewart made a move to pass Joey Logano on a restart, but Logano made his own move to block Stewart.  After the race, Stewart was all fired up about Logano doing to him, exactly what he himself would have done.  I'm guessing Tony forgot this was NASCAR and not some other racing league that has banned blocking.

And needless to say, Tony was pissed.  He wanted a piece of Joey's ass after the race.  But almost every fan and reporter, to a tee, made mention how this is something Tony himself has done and all those folks also reminded us of a huge wreck at a restrictor plate race that was caused by Stewart himself making a move to block someone.

So be it.  The goose, the gander, the kettle and the pot.

But I'm a bit surprised this debate about blocking is still going on two weeks later.  Or, then again, maybe not since there's been no new news to capture our attention.  Kurt hasn't mouthed off at anyone, Kyle hasn't called the Gen-6 any foul expletive, Mr. "5-Hour Energy" hasn't chased anyone new down.  So this is the latest headline that's still glowing brightest in the aftermath of the last race from two weeks ago.

But the question remains of whether blocking should be allowed in NASCAR?  Should blocking be a valid or allowed part of the sport?

Folks, WELCOME TO PARITY!!!

NASCAR has worked hard to get all the cars/teams on as equal footing as possible.  And now that they are, we are going to start seeing this tactic more and more.

And yes, blocking should be allowed.  It's a valid maneuver that's deployed within most events that involve tactics.  Period.

Honestly, with Logano's move, that meant his eye was on the prize, that first-place trophy.  And if he didn't block, how would his fans and sponsors feel?

In chess, you make moves to block attacks on the king.  In boxing, you block punches from landing valuable points.  In football, you block the pass-rush and defend your quarterback. In war, you make moves to keep the opponent from making their own successful moves.

Blocking is a valid tactic, no matter what.  Not blocking is like seeing the opponent coming, and laying down. And in this day, when teams are more equal in car,  blocking is going to come to the forefront of our attentions.

In the yesteryear of NASCAR, blocking wasn't so much an issue because there was a huge disparity between teams.  There still is a disparity, but that's more in engineering set ups and team experience than car power.  Today, if all the cars lined up 43 cars across in a huge drag race, the only real difference between them all would be gearing, driver style, set-up and luck. 

Today, if all things worked out perfectly, they'd all be exactly even coming to that imaginary drag race.

Many years back, I remember one fellow fan on a bulletin board always complaining about the lack of parity.  In his mind, it was not a real competitive racing event unless every single one of the 43 entrants could lead a lap.

If that were the case, there would be no stand-out driver.  There would only be NASCAR the sport, and who happened to outlast the other drivers in a blocking fest.  Because in my mind, that's what parity brings to the forefront.  The unique and personally stylized tactic of blocking.

As it stands, every restrictor plate race (barring the Gen-6 era) has come down to exactly that... who to block when in those last three to five laps.  Blocking has been a huge part of the sport at those tracks and it's been the cause for most of the big wrecks we've seen at the end of the race.

Now that the cars are even more equal on different tracks, we'll be seeing more of it.  If NASCAR banishes blocking, they're removing the reality of the spirit of competition.  It would be the equivalent of sending a boxer into the ring and telling him he can't raise his hands higher than his mid-section, unless it's to hit the other guy in the head, because he won't be blocking those hits.

And blocking is made possible because someone was good enough to get in front of someone else just as good.  And if that blocked party is just as good, a single blocking move would not eliminate him from contention with that one move.  Heck, drivers even "block" when they hold the preferred line in turns, keeping the other driver in a different, less optimal line.  Thus, preventing him or her from getting a run on them.

Blocking has caused many-a-wreck.  But when thinking of that preferred line, heck, blocking has even become the important factor of closing laps of some great race finishes!  (Can anyone think of a Rockingham or Darlington race when a few drivers were mere milliseconds apart at the end?)

No, if blocking was banished, it would have to be micro-managed and I think there would be an exodus of fans from the sport. 

But then again, the name of the game is getting new fans on board and retain a certain percentage of old and old-school fans.  NASCAR will do what is deemed tactically proper in the game of numbers and TV ratings.  Even if that meant setting programming hours (defined as race time) to block the other networks and sports out of the critical demographic of fans they're trying to capture.

I could be wrong but that's just my take on things.  -Bruce

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