The most important parts of the race were controversy and sorrow, with the lone bright spot a jubilant and thankful Martin Truex, Jr. pulling into Victory Lane for his first points-paying Nextel Cup win.

During the race, FOX reported that NASCAR’s founding son, Bill France, Jr., had passed away at his home in Daytona Beach. Mr. France was 74 and had been in poor health for the better part of a decade following a heart attack and cancer treatments.

For many of the newer fans of NASCAR, new in the last five years or so, let me explain a little bit about Mr. France. Son of “Big Bill” France, he is the one who completed the negotiations started by his father to bring in R.J. Reynolds Co., the parent company of Winston cigarettes, which was the title sponsor of the series for decades.

France had a way with words, tributes have said, and he was strong-willed and success-driven. He helped mastermind the rise of NASCAR to one of the top spectator sports in America and allowed it to grow outside the confines of the Southeast. He was shrewd, he was savvy, and he didn’t give up the day-to-day duties until 2003, when son Brian France became the heir apparent.

NASCAR as most of us know it would not exist today if not for the innovations of Bill France. Many of the tracks you know and love wouldn’t be hosting the marquee events we look forward to each year, and places like Daytona International Speedway would have merely been a dream.

While some say he ruled with a benevolent but iron fist, it is important to remember that one cannot build a dynasty out of weak parts. Services will be Thursday and information regarding the funeral and memorial contributions can be found here at Jayski.com.

As the NASCAR community mourned the loss of one of its leaders, two of its most vocal, talented and champion drivers became involved in a skirmish so foolish it could have cost the life of an innocent crew member.

I won’t debate here who was to blame or who wasn’t to blame for the wreck between Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. What I do know is that immediately following the on-track incident, Busch drove onto pit road and headed for Stewart’s stall, where the No. 20 was parked and receiving repairs.

Jason Lee, jackman for the Home Depot team, was working on the right front of the car. Busch purposely drove into the right side of Stewart’s car, coming close enough to Lee that Lee jumped onto the hood of Stewart’s car to avoid being hit.

Photos show proof that the No. 2 did make contact with the No. 20, but regardless of the speed or amount of contact between the two cars, it did put a crew member in danger. Had Busch’s car hit Stewart’s enough to move the No. 20, Stewart could have run over his own jackman.

After reading many articles and some comments regarding the clash, it seems that the majority of people agree that Kurt crossed the line by endangering the life of someone who was unprotected. Stewart is fond of quoting NASCAR when he remembers that NASCAR told him that the cars “…were not to be used as a weapon.”

Many have called for a suspension, heavy fines and major points penalties. Tuesday, the day penalties are normally handed down, was largely silent from the NASCAR office. Most believe the penalty (if there is one) announcement has been delayed in deference to the France family and the funeral services for Bill France.

At press time, two racing news outlets are tentatively reporting that Busch has indeed been suspended for the upcoming Pocono race. It is important to note that this has not be announced officially and may only be an unsubstantiated rumor, but this writer feels it is almost certain and certainly imperative that some form of punishment be laid down.

Personally, I feel like suspension at Pocono isn’t too much of a punishment from an aesthetic point of view. Yes, clearly the team would lose points, both driver and owner, and lose valuable spots. But by their own admission, many drivers find the two Pocono races to be repetitive, boring, and in each case, 100 miles too long.

With the disappearance of shifting, drivers are often “relaxing” down the longest straightaway in racing, the Long Pond stretch. The biggest problems here are navigating the three turns presented in the racing triangle, which legend has were modeled after turns at three different prominent speedways at the time of construction.

One of those rumored tracks, Indianapolis, is the track many teams take their Pocono car to due to the relative flatness of the track and other similarities. Look for references to Indianapolis to be made this weekend as teams collect data that will hopefully prove useful on the Hoosier oval some two months down the road.

The only vivid memories I have of last year’s Pocono races are the horrendous crash Jeff Gordon experienced and how Denny Hamlin swept both races, one of them even after running over a curb and having the nose of his car fixed with that ubiquitous black racing tape.

I hope that next week there will be some exciting news to report from Pocono that doesn’t involve crashes or ill-will.

Until then, remember that rubbin’ is racin’.

Have a question or comment for Samantha? Email her at samanthamaynard@sportsgrumblings.com