NASCAR Must Send Strong Message Against Retaliatory Actions On Whelen Modified Tour

(The article below is a RaceDayCT column – The views expressed in this column are solely the opinion of the writer)

It’s fair to say, the NASCAR Modified Tour FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 Sunday at North Wilkesboro won’t be an event highlighted anytime soon to showcase the greatness of asphalt Modified racing. 

Playing as the undercard event to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Sunday, the wreck-marred NASCAR Modified Tour event ultimately saw 89 of its 150 laps run under the caution flag at North Wilkesboro. 

And after a day wrought with a multitude of frustrating moments on track for the series, there was one moment that should be making NASCAR Modified Tour series director Jimmy Wilson and NASCAR Regional managing director Joey Dennewitz sit up and take notice, and take action. 

On lap 105 of the event, Stephen Kopcik ended a feisty battle for fourth place with Tyler Rypkema by sending Rypkema’s car viciously into the turn one wall. The move by Kopcik looked intentional and apparently served as retribution for Rypkema tapping Kopcik in the rear the lap before. 

This week, NASCAR must send a message to Kopcik, his team and every other competitor on the series that intentionally wrecking another competitor will not be tolerated and will not come with a soft penalty. 

In the best interest of the series going forward a suspension of at least one event for Kopcik is the only way to send the message to the series as a whole that intentionally wrecking other competitors is not only immensely dangerous but will not be accepted for any reason. 

Understand this, in racing at all levels there’s always going to be some level of self-policing involved on the track. Call it what you want, give-and-take, tit-for-tat. Those times when someone gives a shove and and someone offers a shove in return and officials let it go. Let the natives sort it out amongst themselves without stepping in and over-officiating the moment one might say. 

But self-policing cannot rise to the level like it did involving Kopcik and Rypkema Sunday at North Wilkesboro.

Obviously, in a setting like what took place Sunday, the only one that truly knows the intentions of their own actions is the person committing that action. Did Kopcik intend to destroy Rypkema’s car and end his day? Only Kopcik truly knows the answer to that question. But, the evidence involves indicates that it’s very likely that ending Rypkema’s day was Kopcik’s intention in turn one on lap 105 Sunday. 

Watching replays of the incident, one can tell just how much force Kopcik carried into the corner and into the back of Rypkema’s car by how far momentum carried Kopcik’s car up the track through turn one after hitting Rypkema’s back end. 

Rypkema headed into in turn one with his car at the bottom lane of the track. Kopcik makes contact with Rypkema’s car at the bottom of the track at the entry to turn one. When Rypkema’s car snaps right and goes toward the wall, Kopcik’s car goes from the bottom lane of the track all the way to the top side of the track, nearly making contact with Rypkema’s car against the outside wall. It’s a clear indicator of how much extra speed and force Kopcik entered the corner with to hit Rypkema from behind. 

It’s really hard to believe that NASCAR officials could objectively look at what took place between Kopcik and Rypkema on lap 105 and not see that the intention wasn’t to tap Rypkema or set him up for a bump and run. The intention – in racing parlance – was to send him. To knock him out of the park. 

And what only adds an extra layer of ugly to Sunday’s incident and the aftermath is that ultimately the penalty offered during the event by NASCAR for Kopcik’s action was just simply toothless. It was as close to meaningless as a penalty could be. Worse still, it could be said that Kopcik actually used the penalty to his advantage on the track. 

After the incident NASCAR penalized Kopcik to the tail end of the lead lap. While still under caution after the incident Kopcik took the opportunity to head to pit road to change his right front tire. Kopcik restarted the race after the incident in 13th place. 

So, for apparently intentionally wrecking another competitor on the track and ending that competitors day, Kopcik was penalized eight positions on the track and afforded the opportunity to come into the pits and change a tire and not lose any more positions on the track for doing so. 

That is pretty much the definition of an absolutely meaningless penalty. The last thing any series or track wants is competitors intentionally dumping other competitors and then using a penalty to pit and make their car better. 

The question asked by many following the incident is why Kopcik wasn’t simply parked for the day by NASCAR after the incident? And it’s a fair question to ask. It seems like across the realm of short track racing competitors are typically parked for incidents far less egregious than what Kopcik did Sunday. 

It doesn’t seem all that outlandish to operate a series or track with a simple philosophy that if there is any indication a driver has made the decision to intentionally wreck someone to end that person’s day, then the offending driver should also have their day ended by being parked by officials. 

On Sunday, while the Boehler Racing Enterprises team took Rypkema’s mangled race car back to the pits to be loaded for the ride back to Massachusetts, Kopcik was racing to a sixth place finish at North Wilkesboro. 

Kopcik, who came into the event 15 points off the lead in the driver standings, left the track having cut that deficit behind the top of the standings to just eight points. There’s nothing that looks or feels just about the fact that a driver intentionally wrecked another driver during an event and then ultimately improved their place in the series standings at the end of the day. 

Offering up a toothless penalty like what took place Sunday only sends the message to every competitor on the NASCAR Modified Tour that intentionally ending someone’s day on the track is an acceptable form of retaliation and will only come with light punishment. 

Instead, the message should be sent that a driver will not be allowed to intentionally wreck another competitor on the track and then head to the next race like nothing ever happened. 

NASCAR must change the sentiment of its message this week with a suspension. Wilson and Dennewitz must step up and send the message that intentionally wrecking other competitors will not be seen as a minor offense and will not be handled by offering up what ultimately are meaningless in-race penalties. 

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