The Richmond controversy has brought a lot of bad blood to the premiere racing series. Bubba Wallace was recently seen infuriated by a fellow racer for hooking his car, even in the Legend series.

But the tale of the NASCAR Cup Series is a lot more intense. The whole idea of “doing whatever it takes” doesn’t sit well with many drivers. Many of them have been openly vocal about issues with the format, Bubba in particular. These drivers rejoice in respectable racing and are putting up a fight to bring to light the underlying issues of the system that provoke reckless driving. But it’s hard to define the line when it has been endorsed gloriously by veterans of the sport.

“You do everything in your power under,” says Bubba Wallace

The debate about where the line lies has been ongoing for ages. There are no explicit rules or algorithms to define the line, but there certainly is an implied one. Elton Sawyer clarified a few days back that “drivers know exactly where the line is,” the same line that Brain France used in 2015. But the drivers are as clueless about what it really means today as they were back then.

But then, it’s not really about knowing where the line is when all hell is raised on the drivers from the beginning of the season. Bubba Wallace was asked during a pre-race presser at the Michigan International Speedway how the desire to do whatever it takes originates. He responded, “It starts at Daytona media day. What will you do to win a race? And whose fault is that? The system’s fault, alright. They created this system, you know, the system to where you put it all on the line.”

And he’s absolutely correct. The system prompts drivers and teams to clinch race wins at all costs. The Playoffs were brought into place to promote drivers with the most wins to be eligible for winning the championship. Although it was never intended by NASCAR to promote reckless driving, that is what it has come down to. Ever since the erstwhile ‘Chase’ has been the format, drivers feel it is alright to use any means possible for the victory lane.

Tony Stewart proudly announced before the season finale in 2011, “I’ll wreck my mom to win a championship. I’ll wreck your mom to win a championship…This is a war, this is a battle, this is for a national championship. So, it’s no holds barred this weekend.” All drivers in that era probably felt that way. But this generation of drivers is more woke to what’s right for the sport.

“You know we always say will you wreck your mother to win. Of course, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you wouldn’t. No, I mean, I wouldn’t.”, says Bubba, dismissing Tony’s notion of “going for it”. He dictates the line by narrating the 2018 season finale at Martinsville. “He (Joey Logano) moved him (Martin Truex Jr.) out of the way, knocked him up the groove and they drag race to the line.”

The whole point is as soon as the bumping becomes aggressive rather than an attempt to take a lead, it crosses the line of healthy racing. There’s no more rocket science to it.

“At the end of the day, it’s a self-policing field”

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The true passion for racing allows the driver to stay true to their roots. For drivers to be respected in any racing series, they need to earn it by learning and growing in their craft. Racing clean comes with experience, just like the understanding of where the line is.

Lines blur when the drivers do not feel capable of winning races through their talent. It is only then that anyone uses obscure means to get a dig at winning races. To those people, Bubba cautions, “If the officials don’t take care of you, we know how to take care of you.” To be honest, professional drivers do know how to race dirty when it comes to it. They just choose not to unless it’s unavoidable.

So, the line is clearly out there, and now it’s on those with the right mind to respect it and be respected for it.