Confusing finish leaves drivers, fans speechless

MONTREAL -- Busch Series drivers were on their best behavior for almost 70 laps Saturday, minding their manners in a fine display of classic road-course racing in cultured Montreal. "After you, Monsieur!" "Oh no, be my guest!"

But it was only a matter of time -- just about the time the sun started going low in the sky over downtown Montreal -- before it turned out something resembling a Saturday night short-track race as all H-E-double-hockey sticks broke out over the last five laps of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Harvick slips by

Kevin Harvick benefitted from the Robby Gordon/Marcos Ambrose tangle and won the Montreal Busch race.

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A huge pileup. Two different leaders get spun out. Confusion over the running order. The driver running first on the track gets the black flag instead of the black-and-white one.

And no fewer than three cars begin doing celebratory donuts -- the winner, the runner-up and the guy who thought he won -- prompting one Busch Series official to comment, "Did you ever see so many damn burnouts at one time?"

Confusion totale!

While Kevin Harvick was celebrating an unexpected victory, Robby Gordon was on his way to the Busch Series hauler and a chat with NASCAR's top-level management.

When he finally exited the hauler, Gordon was holding a NASCAR rule book but it was obvious by the look on his face that he didn't like what he heard -- and didn't agree with the rules interpretation that was offered.

"They said 'here's the rule book,'" Gordon said. "I play by their rules. I guess this was one of those [except in rare instances]."

The whole thing went to heck in a handbasket on the Lap 72 restart. While Marcos Ambrose and Gordon were racing for the lead, Harvick bumped Scott Pruett in Turn 2. That resulted in a huge pileup and the yellow flag flew at both the start/finish line and in each of the track's corners.

But while that was going on, Gordon had passed Ambrose, only to go spinning when the two made contact in the chicane. Gordon's car sat sideways on the track while several other cars went past.

Gordon's point was as follows: When the yellow came out, he was either leading the race or in the process of getting hit from behind by Ambrose -- and should have been placed there when the race was restarted.

"[The rule is] always go back to your position if you get spun out and Marcos spun me under the caution," Gordon said. "They told me originally go back to second place. I went back to second place.

"Halfway around the last lap, they said go back to 13th place, 14th place, something like that. Except I was never running 13th or 14th."

Nearly two hours after the race, Busch Series director Joe Balash explained why NASCAR ruled the way it did.

"Once the caution came out, the field was frozen," Balash said. "Once the field is frozen, all cars must maintain cautious pace in order to be scored. At the time that the field was frozen, [Ambrose] was in the lead. [Gordon] did not maintain a cautious pace, and by NASCAR rule, cars that do not maintain a cautious pace are scored only when they blend back into the continuous line.

"... The tower ordered the 55 multiple times to get into position. The directive was acknowledged by the crew chief of the 55 and also communicated to the driver of the 55. The driver ignored NASCAR's directive. He was warned that he would be black-flagged if he did not comply."

After trying to get Gordon to drop back in line, NASCAR dropped the green flag -- and Gordon promptly stuck a bumper under Ambrose, who went around in a cloud of smoke in Turn 2.

That incident prompted NASCAR officials to quit scoring Gordon, although he continued to run in front of leader Harvick.

"NASCAR took emergency action per the rulebook, section 12-2, thus parking the 55 which was also ignored," Balash said. "The black flag with the white cross was displayed to the 55 when it crossed the start/finish line on Lap 74. The 55 finished the line in 18th position."

"I knew that he was going to try and hit me," Ambrose said. "We were talking whether we should pull over and let him pass, but you know, I've got two laps to go and I'm trying to win the race.

"If somebody is going to take me out, they're going to take me out. If they feel strong enough, they're going to do it. I'm not going to go into it. I'm disappointed. I promised myself that I wouldn't get mad."

How hard is it not to be furious?

"I'll be in therapy for about two years I think," Ambrose said.

What had been an eventful weekend in NASCAR's first visit to the Great White North in several decades ended with NASCAR's top-level management leaving the track with serious looks on their faces, Gordon's plans to race at Pocono perhaps up in the air and Ambrose saddled with a seventh-place finish despite having the dominant car all afternoon.

"I don't know what to say," Gordon said.

He wasn't the only one left speechless after that.