The Nascar world was rocked tonight by the news that the sanctioning body had removed Martin Truex Jr. from the Chase for the Sprint Cup for manipulating the result of the race--namely teammate Clint Bowyer intentionally spinning out. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman--the driver who was most-hurt by the spin--will reportedly take Truex's place in the Chase. Here's a quick breakdown of this Earth-shattering (well, ok, maybe just Hemisphere-shattering) news:
--Ryan Newman will enter the Chase trying to end his tenure at Stewart-Haas Racing on a high note. One would also presume that, after Saturday Night's post-race comments, he'll be doing all the pit stops himself from now on.
--Martin Truex Jr. would, in theory, be left to compete for the 13th-place spot in the points standings, for which he'd receive a "Best of the Rest" trophy made entirely of tin.
--Michael Waltrip Racing has reportedly been fined a whopping $300,000. Michael Waltrip's stylists are already preparing for what's being dubbed "The Hair Gel Shortage of 2014".
--Ty Norris is reportedly suspended indefinitely, causing fans everywhere to wonder, "Mikey, Truex AND Ty? What is this--DEI in 2004?"
--All three drivers (Truex, Clint Bowyer, and Brian Vickers) have been reportedly docked 50 points each for their actions. Bowyer may attempt to appeal the punishment, pointing out that if spinning out on your own near the end of a race is against the rules, then Travis Pastrana should have negative points by now.
--No word yet on if there'll be any penalties for Bowyer's crew chief Brian Pattie, aka The Most Obvious Cheat In The World.