The Internet was not kind to the guys from Joe Gibbs Racing on Sunday afternoon, a day on which Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch spent cruising in the back, their left-turn signals blinking as the proverbial slowpokes on Talladega's super-speedway.
They didn't have anything to lose hanging in the back, but much could go wrong if they tried to race in the front.
So what's a man supposed to do? Exactly what they did.
Fans took to their keyboards to express displeasure, but it was a pointless rant.
"I think really guys would rather be in the situation where they feel like they've got to go win," owner Joe Gibbs said. "I think the drivers kind of all feel that way, but at the same time it's a playoff and you've got to say what is smart and so you certainly don't want to make a big mistake of some kind and cost your sponsor and everybody that's wrapped into this. It's a huge deal for us today."
Each and every sport establishes the rules of engagement. The NASCAR Chase hybrid _ a deal involving wins and points _ encourages a cautionary approach if you are on the brink of qualifying for the next round, a move that gets you closer to a championship.
And that is everyone's goal, first and foremost.
Kenseth finished 28th, Edwards 29th and Busch 30th in the Hellmann's 500. And teammate Denny Hamlin _ in a more precarious position _ finished third, allowing all JGR drivers to advance.
This is no different than teams running out the clock in a football game, and the quarterback taking a knee to preserve a victory. No matter that you needed 10 more passing yards from your guy to win your fantasy-football game.
The reality is to play within the rules and do everything you can within the rules to win a championship.
Kenseth, Edwards and Busch did just that _ with strong finishes in the previous two races that locked them into the Chase grid barring any cataclysmic circumstances.
Hanging in the back helped make sure that nothing bad happened.
