Analysis: The line between 'rubbin's racing' and dirty driving

When Nemechek put the bumper to Custer a second time, it was still just racing.

But when Nemechek turned the wheel into the No. 00 truck and knocked his fellow competitor into the fence all the way to the finish line, that was not the only line that was crossed.

Custer was loose enough when the trucks made contact the second time that Nemechek running him into the barrier probably wasn't even necessary. It’s unlikely Custer could have gathered up his truck in time to beat Nemechek to the checkered flag.

Nemechek insists that the move he made is what any driver would have done to win. And if he has the opportunity to win, he’s going to take it.

Whether you agree with Nemechek’s racing philosophy or not, before crucifying 19-year-old driver, consider this: How was his move dramatically different from Chase Elliott dumping Ty Dillon in the final corner of the Silverado 250 in 2013?

Dillon, who was a full-time competitor in the series, had led 25 laps before running low on fuel coming to the white flag. Elliott caught Dillon on the last lap. The two raced side-by-side with Dillon pulling ahead — but not enough. Elliott reeled in Dillon in the last two turns and hooked him coming into the final corner.

Growing pains

Elliott was vilified following the incident with Dillon at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Three years later, fans consider the second-generation racer the heir apparent to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Other teen drivers entering the sport have learned how far to push the envelope. Most learn where the line is. Those who don’t eventually fade away. Nemechek is savvy enough to know the limit.

Applying a bumper for the win is nothing new in NASCAR — particularly in the truck series. Heck, Carl Edwards used the chrome horn to move his own teammate, Kyle Busch, coming to the checkered flag at Richmond International Raceway Sprint Cup race in the spring.

Last year in the Chase, Joey Logano nudged Matt Kenseth out of the way at Kansas Speedway only to be repaid two weeks later at Martinsville Speedway.

During his post-race interview, Custer said retaliation is not on his agenda, but he won’t offer Nemechek any breaks either. Other competitors are likely to race Nemechek in the same fashion.

When it comes to policing actions on the track, Custer said the ball was in NASCAR’s court. Still, Custer hopes that, given the opportunity, contests should be decided by racing — not wrecking a competitor for the win.

“When you don’t give a guy a chance,” Custer said. “What’s the point of racing? I couldn’t do anything else. He gave me no choice, no chance to do anything. That’s not racing in my book.”

NASCAR's take

NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell described Nemechek’s actions as aggressive, but reminded listeners on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that stock car racing is a contact sport.

“When drivers are racing for position, we expect that there could be contact,” O’Donnell said on Tuesday. “In this case, we would say that was a very aggressive move but made the determination at the race track to declare John Hunter the race winner.

“From there, where we go is we've got a number of things we put in place via the rule book to take our time, to look at everything that happened —not only on the track but post-race as well. We've got a lot of video we've got to look at. We've got a lot of people still we've got to talk to about that incident in totality….and make some determinations.”

O’Donnell said he would not be surprised to see contact between the two teenagers in the future. But he wouldn’t speculate on what reaction the sanctioning body might have.

As for Custer’s post-race retribution, the 18-year-old racer acknowledged that tackling was never his forte.

“I played freshman football, but that was definitely my biggest problem,” Custer said. “I would not get low enough. I wasn’t expecting him to duck at the last second.”