It appeared over the weekend that NASCAR applied a brand new coverage that made an additional effort to not fairly throw a warning on the ultimate lap of a superspeedway race.
It appeared that approach as a result of NASCAR evenly utilized that stance in each the Truck and Cup race throughout two completely different race administrators. But additionally, all through the weekend, solo automotive spins with none further contact that erratically drew cautions previous to this weekend didn’t.
There appeared like a concerted effort to be extra cautious with the warning.
Cup Collection managing director Brad Moran was on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday morning and mentioned the Sanctioning Physique was extra lucky that the incidents underneath this specific microscope didn’t end in a yellow flag, circumstantially.
Watch: Race Rewind: Chaotic closing laps result in epic end in Daytona 500
“The race administrators did an excellent, nice job this weekend,” Moran mentioned. “Chase Brashears referred to as the Truck and the O’Reilly Race and Tim Bermann referred to as the Cup Race. The Cup race was a bit of more difficult however we now have quite a lot of sources. We now have flip spotters, cameras and replay, quite a lot of of us within the tower. We now have distant race management.
“We now have all these sources that talk to us, and we felt there was nothing that we needed to instantly exit … we have been nonetheless monitoring the state of affairs in (Flip 1) and we have been capable of let that one play out to the start-finish line.
“Clearly, the warning got here out when the leaders received collectively proper at start-finish line. They crossed over it underneath inexperienced after which the warning flew. That’s all inside a break up second. So we positively held it so long as we might however we’d strive to do this final yr, the yr earlier than and nothing modified. It simply laid out that we might do it at this specific race.”
On NASCAR’s Hauler Discuss podcast, league managing director of communications Mike Forde says they have been bailed out by Daytona’s vital run-off space and that this may occasionally not play out the identical on the final lap this weekend at Atlanta.
“We might even see a success that appears exhausting, a nose-into-the-wall collision that bent the entrance clip, and we have to get security vans on the market as quickly as attainable,” Forde mentioned. “We didn’t see that in Daytona.
“Or that very same kind of wreck might occur, however the runoff space in Atlanta is nonexistent. There’s a ton of runoff space in Daytona. And so due to that, they have been capable of get out of hurt’s approach. In Atlanta, that in all probability received’t be the case, so there could also be a flag. We’re going to do our greatest to take care of consistency. That’s the final aim, however each wreck is a snowflake. No two wrecks are the identical, and since we’re at a distinct observe, it adjustments the sport.”
The one current change, says Forde, is that NASCAR will probably be extra diligent about throwing a warning if drivers would want to traverse at pace by means of a particles discipline, which got here up after the Daytona 500 final yr.
“That was type of a line within the sand of shifting ahead, that is the philosophy,” Forde mentioned.
And people evolving choices are primarily based on communication with the Driver Advisory Council by means of guide Jeff Burton.
“They’re ensuring that the drivers really feel that what we did (at Daytona) was right,” Forde mentioned. “And if they’ve any suggestions, we’ll completely take it. … We wish to guarantee that the drivers really feel comfy, and that’s why we modified on the particles discipline philosophy. That was direct driver suggestions from the likes of Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and others who mentioned, ‘Don’t put us in a state of affairs the place we’ve simply received to go one hundred pc throttle and hope for the very best.’ You may’t have that.”
Denny Hamlin endorsed the method this weekend so long as there’s continued consistency.
“Nicely, I feel everyone seems to be okay with no matter it’s, so long as it is constant,” Hamlin mentioned. “Someone mentioned, so long as it is the identical for all races, and this weekend, they have been very constant. So I do not suppose anybody ought to have any gripes about that.
“We noticed they set the tone actually on Friday, and they also let these guys race it out.
“I used to be on the opposite finish of the observe. I can inform you that I did not suppose I used to be in any hazard or the automobiles — those that did wreck in Flip 1, they ended up all within the apron of the grass so that they have been off the racing floor. There might need been one type of operating the apron or limping house, however there was no extra site visitors to undergo there.
“It looks like how they’re calling this now’s that if it’s a must to drive again by means of it, if there’s a number of automobiles that is received to drive by means of it and any person is on the racetrack, they are going to name the warning. Nevertheless it appeared prefer to me after I drove by means of there 30 seconds later, no one on the racetrack had any — was in any hazard. I used to be wonderful with it.”
Learn Additionally:
NASCAR additionally continues to take heed to followers and contemplate what adjustments may very well be made after one other Daytona 500 featured giant parts of the race asking drivers to journey in a pack at 50-60 % throttle.
They do that to spend much less time taking gas on pit street to allow them to attempt to choose up observe place that approach with passing so difficult within the pack.
Moran says they’re not oblivious to fan sentiment.
“Yeah certain,” Moran mentioned on Sirius. “We now have quite a lot of fan councils and we hear. We take heed to the followers and the trade. However, I don’t know when the final time you went 165 or no matter miles per hour, three-wide down the freeway and it’s fairly entertaining once they’re doing it.
“However we perceive what of us are saying. It’s not a simple repair however we’ve had assembly with trade members and crew chiefs have instructed us this can be a instrument of their instrument field that they’ve discovered through the years. This group is greatest at benefiting from any state of affairs and that’s how they win races.
“Telling them to cease that isn’t actually going to work. It’s on our radar and we’re definitely trying into it. However there isn’t actually one factor that we will flip the change and alter it. That is being mentioned inside the trade.”
Forde echoed that sentiment on his podcast too.
“Eliminating that completely might be not going to occur, however that doesn’t imply that we’re not going to attempt to work at it,” Forde mentioned. “It’s one thing on the docket. Followers wished change within the playoffs, we did that. Followers wished extra horsepower, we did that. Followers wished to vary the (Charlotte) Roval to the oval, we did that. So that is additionally on the listing of fan suggestions, so we’ll see. TBD and no actual solutions but, nevertheless it’s one thing that’s on the listing.”
Learn Additionally:
We wish your opinion!
What would you prefer to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Staff
