Analyzing NASCAR's punishment post-Charlotte

Both drivers were involved in post-race contact as the field was making its way onto pit road, and that, according to Robin Pemberton, NASCAR senior vice president, competition and racing development, was the reasoning behind the penalties.

Drivers were dropping window nets and loosening -- if not unhooking -- safety items such as harnesses and HANS devices. Crewmen, various NASCAR personnel and others were making their way onto pit road. After a 500-mile race that lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours, everyone's guard was down, no different than after the completion of any NASCAR race.

When Keselowski drove up and into the side of Kenseth's No. 20 Toyota, and when Stewart put his car in reverse and backed into the front of Keselowski's Ford, the safety of not only drivers but also others in the area was compromised.

Pemberton said the penalties "are about maintaining a safe environment following the race. ... The safety of our drivers, crew members, officials and workers is paramount and we will react when that safety could be compromised."

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth were not penalized, although Kenseth eventually was involved in a physical confrontation with Keselowski.

Were the penalties to Keselowski and Stewart justified? Should Kenseth and Hamlin (the latter tracked Keselowski through the garage before the Team Penske driver pulled away after initially stopping in a garage bay) have been punished as well?

Contact on pit road after the conclusion of an event can't be tolerated, regardless of whether drivers have begun to unbuckle safety equipment or if they're still seated securely in their cars.

Had Keselowski turned Hamlin on the cool-down lap, as he unsuccessfully attempted to do, then continued on into the garage, it is likely NASCAR would not have issued anything more severe than a warning.

But to hit other cars once they have begun to come off the track was too dangerous to ignore.

And while Stewart may have been reacting to an incident he didn't create, the fact remains that he reacted. If officials found fault with Keselowski's actions, how could they overlook those of Stewart?

The cases of Hamlin and Kenseth are less clear, although officials apparently determined Hamlin did nothing malicious or dangerous as he followed Keselowski's car through the garage. Without knowing what evidence they had at their disposal, it's difficult to determine how they came to their decision.

Kenseth rushed up and nearly tackled Keselowski, an incident that quickly sent crewmembers and officials rushing in to separate the two drivers.

No punches appeared to be thrown, unlike earlier this season when Marcos Ambrose punched Casey Mears following a race at Richmond International Raceway.

Both those drivers were fined and placed on probation, Ambrose for the punch and Mears for what officials described as instigating the altercation.

Were Kenseth's actions seen as a reaction to Keselowski's earlier contact? The evidence would seem to indicate that was the case, and perhaps reason enough for NASCAR officials to take no action against Kenseth.

Such flare-ups weren't unexpected given the nature of this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format, where drivers and teams must navigate their way through a trio of three-race segments to advance to Homestead-Miami Speedway, where only four of the original 16 will have an opportunity to contend for the championship.

Three of the four involved in Saturday night's post-race scrapes -- Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin -- are among the 12 still attempting to advance to the next round.

The racing on the track and the drivers' emotions have increased substantially under the new format. Officials walk a razor's edge in trying to police such incidents without legislating the passion out of the sport.

"We knew that the new Chase format was likely going to raise the intensity level," Pemberton said, "and we want our drivers to continue to be themselves."

Did officials make the right call with Tuesday's decision?

Fans of the sport either believe they did or did not, depending on where their allegiances lie.

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