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. EDT September 8, 2013 BowyerSpin (Photo: Peter Casey Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports) Story Highlights Did Clint Bowyer intentionally spin to cause a caution? Did Brian Vickers and Bowyer intentionally run well off the pace during the closing laps? Final race to determine Chase spots prompts plenty of consipiracy theories SHARE 907 CONNECT 287 TWEET 60 COMMENTEMAILMORE A conspicuous flick of the steering wheel and some curious easing of the accelerator revealed the seedy underbelly of the multicar team model Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. And it could undermine the integrity of NASCAR in such a way to demand major policy changes from a sport often tainted by the specter of conspiracy theories — but rarely in a way in which evidence pointed to such blatant orchestration. MORE: Did Bowyer spin intentionally? The ballyhooed Chase for the Sprint Cup will begin Sept. 15 at Chicagoland Speedway under the darkest cloud of its 10-season history, because the focus has shifted from the 12 drivers competing in the 10-race championship run to those who might have been unjustly excluded from it. The last seven laps of the Federated Auto Parts 400 had a nefarious vibe that had fans lighting up social media well into the wee hours while debating whether two Michael Waltrip Racing drivers took dives to help their teammate qualify for the Chase. CHASE FIELD SET: Who is in, out? Did Clint Bowyer intentionally spin to cause a caution that effectively knocked Ryan Newman (who was leading before the yellow sent the field into the pits) out of the Chase by sabotaging his chances of clinching a wild card with his second victory of the season? Did Brian Vickers and Bowyer then help secure a Chase bid for Martin Truex Jr., their MWR teammate, by choosing to run well off the pace during the closing laps, allowing Joey Logano to gain two critical positions and move into 10th in points (and the final guaranteed Chase berth) by one point over Jeff Gordon and thus vacate the final wild-card slot for Truex? HEARTBREAK: Gordon, Newman fail just short of Chase The in-car audio — in which Bowyer is told that Newman is leading the race and then told that his arm must be feeling tired — is suspicious. The in-car video — in which Bowyer seems to turn the wheel as awkwardly as a driver's ed student attempting a three-point turn for the first time — is damning. Though Bowyer tried to downplay any controversy by blaming ill handling, Dale Earnhardt Jr. noted the throttle data from Bowyer's fuel injection unit would reveal if the spin was on purpose. MORE: Edwards grabs Chase momentum with Richmond win But there already were hard numbers Saturday that fed the perception of chicanery. On the race's last lap, Vickers ran a 79.564-mph lap — more than 30-50 mph slower than any other car in the top 25. Bowyer also managed to lose two laps and nine positions by seemingly dawdling in the pits despite a fairly harmless spin that caused little damage to his No. 15 Camry. All of this leaves NASCAR, which warned teams about playing "fair and square" in Saturday's prerace drivers meeting, as it does annually before every Chase cutoff race at Richmond, facing a major quandary.

[racer50]

Now there looking into Penske

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Gordon should be added just like Newman, came from 2 laps down then Boyer did his thing and Vickers.He needs to be added he got the shaft to.Drove one hell of a race and come back.