Spingate - 10 Years Later
To gain more insight on Spingate, let's first go back to September 7, 2013. It's the 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 - thenn the 26th and final race in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. Back then, 12 drivers qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup - 10 of which were in on points, the other 2 were wild cards: drivers 11th-20th in points based on how many wins a driver had in the 26 races leading up to the Chase.
Heading into the regular season finale, Kasey Khane - then driving for Hendrick Motorsports - was the only driver locked into a wild card spot, having won 2 races on the season: Bristol in March and Pocono in August. New Jersey's own Martin Truex Jr. held the 2nd wild card with Ryan Newman right behind him. In order to ensure a Chase spot, Newman had to either win or finish 5 positions ahead of Truex and hope that Greg Biffle or Joey Logano did not fall outside the top 10 in points (as if either one did, the last wild card would go to them).
The other driver to watch going into the night was Jeff Gordon, who had only missed the Chase once in his illustrious Hall of Fame career - 2005. He was behind Logano by 16 points for the last Chase spot on points. Gordon would also start on pole and lead the opening 49 laps before losing the lead to Brad Keselowski on lap 50. Keselowski would dominate the night, leading 173 of 400 laps.
However, the controversy would start on lap 393 with 7 laps left in the race. Here was the radio communication between Bowyer and his team starting on lap 390 - 10 to go.
Bowyer: Carl (expletive) Edwards is going to win.
Spotter: I don't know, man. Newman's closing on him. Right now you're tied for the last spot. You're clear by two on this 13 (Casey Mears). Fresher tires.
Spotter: 39 (Newman)'s gonna win this race. Well, that kinda sucks. 9 more right here.
Brian Pattie (Bowyer's crew chief): Is your arm starting to hurt? I bet it's hot in there, itch it.
Bowyer: Oh yeah.
Spotter: Right with you, 88 (Earnhardt Jr.). Right with you, right with you.
At that point, with 7 laps to go, Bowyer spun in turn 4 to bring out the race's final caution. At first glance, it looked as though the #88 Nationwde Insurance Chevrolet piloted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave the 15 of Clint Bowyer a tap in the right rear quarterpanel that caused Bowyer to spin. However, a closer examination of the incident and the replay shows that Earnhardt Jr. never touched the 15. As if the spin wasn't enough, more egregious - the smoking gun, if you will - was a conversation between Brian Vickers - driver of the 55 - and spotter Ty Norris.
Vickers: Are we racing anyone directly in front of us that we have a chance to pass? If not, I say we lay back on the restart.
Ty Norris: We're probably going to pit here on green...we got to pit.
Vickers: You talking to me? We got to pit?
Ty Norris: Yeah. We're going to pit. We're going to pit.
Vickers: What?!
Ty Norris: Yeah you...
Vickers: I've got to what? I don't understand. Pit right now?
Ty Norris: Green flag. We've got to pit this time. We need that one point.
Vickers: 10-4. So I got a tire going down?
Ty Norris: Yes. Guys, get a look at it. Get a look at it.
Vickers: Did...uh...Martin (Truex Jr.) make it?
Ty Norris: I'll see you after the race, Brian. I owe you a kiss.
With that smoking gun, NASCAR charged Michael Waltrip Racing and its drivers with actions detrimental to stock car racing. All 3 drivers were docked 50 driver and owner points as well as a $100,000 fine for each driver, record setting at the time. All 3 crew chiefs were placed on probation for the balance of the calendar year and Ty Norris was suspended indefinitely. MWR would also end up losing long time sponsor NAPA Auto Parts after the 2013 season and by 2015, the team would shut its doors for good.
10 years later, the legacy of Spingate lives on. NAPA having left Michael Waltrip opened the door for them to sponsor the new face of NASCAR in Chase Elliott, who quickly gave them the Xfinity Series (then Nationwide Series) championship in 2014. They also sponsor another young up and comer in Christian Eckes, who is currently in the Truck Series playoffs in the Eliminator 8.
Clint Bowyer, who was forced out of his ride at MWR after 2015, spent a year at perennial backmarker HScott Motorsports before taking over Tony Stewart's car at Stewart-Haas Racing before retiring and moving to the Fox booth after the 2020 season.
Bowyer's sponsor, 5-Hour Energy, leaving MWR with Bowyer gave Erik Jones the boost he needed to start his own Cup career.
Martin Truex Jr. getting the short end of the penalties to MWR had him move to Furniture Row Racing, where he won the title in 2017. He would later go to Gibbs and has launched himself from mid-tier consistent driver to an elite championship contender.
The Toyota alliance for Furniture Row Racing, a team that has since closed down, netted Toyota a Cup Series championship in 2017 and gave Martin Truex Jr. the jump he needed to get into the best ride of his career.
Could Spingate and its fallout have been handled differently? Yes. But looking back, the way it was handled not only changed a race or even a season. It changed NASCAR forever.
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