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Quick takeaways from Michigan: Keselowski's penalty is likely pointless

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Throughout 2016 we may have way too many quick thoughts for our post-race posts. So consider our Takeaways feature to be the home of our random and sometimes intelligent musings. Sometimes the post may have a theme. Sometimes it may just be a mess of unrelated thoughts. Make sure you tweet us your thoughts after the race or email your post-race rants via the link in the signature line below.

• Brad Keselowski finished third in Sunday’s race at Michigan. Afterwards, his car failed the laser inspection station during NASCAR’s post-race inspection.

Based on precedent, don’t expect the penalty to be meaningful in any way. Matt Kenseth’s car failed post-race laser inspection after he won at New Hampshire in July and received a 15-point penalty. Keselowski will likely receive a similar penalty.

Keselowski is already locked into the Chase by virtue of being a four-time winner in the Cup Series. If the Chase started this week he’d be tied for the top seed with Kyle Busch. Just like with Kenseth’s points penalty, a 15-point penalty will mean absolutely nothing for Keselowski’s Chase. He’ll still be the top seed in the Chase, assuming Busch doesn’t get a fifth win over the next two weeks.

The pointlessness of the points penalties also makes us wonder just how many, if any, teams are willing to risk failing the laser station for an enhanced advantage on the race track and a possible win. The three Chase bonus points for Kenseth’s win weren’t taken away at New Hampshire and three bonus points in the Chase are certainly worth 15 regular season points that disappear in a couple weeks.

But that risk-reward ratio shouldn’t exist in the first place. NASCAR has tried to simply its penalty procedures with a five-level process, and has done a better job of making penalty reports more transparent. However, the penalty process is still extremely flawed and this is a prime example of why.

• Jeff Gordon didn’t drive the No. 88 this week, though he was at Michigan on Sunday and on top of Chase Elliott’s pit box for the latter stages of Sunday’s race. NBC approached Gordon, a Fox Sports analyst, late in the race to talk about Elliott’s chances and Gordon said he was nervous.

We understand completely why Gordon was with Elliott’s team. He’s back with Hendrick Motorsports next weekend as the driver of the No. 88 and he’ll always have loyalty to the No. 24 team. It’s impossible to expect him to disregard that loyalty. However, given that Gordon was tasked with playing a crucial role on Fox’s broadcasts in the first half of the season, the optics of Gordon spending a non-driving weekend as an honorary member of his former team aren’t the best.

It’s yet another example of the conflicts of interest that are rampant in NASCAR, and also another reason why there was validity to Keselowski’s Pocono comments about Gordon’s conflicts of interest.

• Tony Stewart is officially in the Chase because it’s impossible for him to fall out of the top 30 in points. Stewart finished 21st on Sunday and didn’t have much speed at Bristol. But we’re not going to use either of those performances as an indicator of his Chase chances. Bristol isn’t in the Chase and the Michigan race utilized a rules set that won’t be used again the rest of the season.

• Speaking of the rules used at Michigan, we’re a fan of the lack of downforce. Drivers were forced to slow down nearly 50 MPH in the corners on Sunday. More throttle off time is a good thing; even if Sunday’s race wasn’t a thriller.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!