Josh Berry was disappointed after NASCAR ruled him out of the race in Kansas following a first-lap accident that flattened his tires. He could’ve been able to continue to race had the officiating body allowed his car to be towed to the pit road for a change of tires but it did not do so citing the Damaged Vehicle Policy. Fast forward to Talladega and major causes for concern arise.
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More than 25 cars were caught in a wreck in the superspeedway with five laps to go. Drivers including Chase Elliott were allowed to be towed to the pit road after sustaining damages to their cars. Repairs were made and once the vehicles met the minimum speed required to get back into the race, they were allowed to do so. This infuriated Berry more than most.
He told Bob Pockrass after the race, “Get towed to pit road, buddy! Because that had be breaking the Damaged Vehicle Policy. F****** 42 cars over there doing burnouts! Slinking rubber all over. The safety workers are trying to get going. But if you have four or five tires and you have to get towed to pit road, you are done, right? What do you think, Bob?”
Josh Berry when he got out of care center obviously was wondering whether cars in the accident were going to get towed to pit road (**includes an f-bomb) pic.twitter.com/mlPh72hlA7
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 6, 2024
His words reflected the frustration that arose from the fandom when NASCAR refused to let him back into the race in Kansas. The rule book states that a damaged car ought to be able to get itself back to the pit road if it needs to stay in contention. But with four flat tires, that wasn’t a possibility for him. The only question now is, why were Elliott and others treated differently at the Dega?
Fans criticize NASCAR for inconsistent decision-making
Elton Sawyer explained the different decisions in Kansas and Talladega to the press. While doing so, he admitted that a different call could’ve been made with the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing car on the former track. He also noted that his team would break the rule apart during the offseason to improve it.
But fans were quick to land shots where deserved. One wrote on X, “We get it, it’s because it was Chase Elliott” There has been a long-running conspiracy theory that NASCAR doesn’t sting the Hendrick Motorsports driver hard even when he is on the wrong side of the rule book. The scenes from Talladega reiterated that.
We get it, it’s because it was Chase Elliott
— Brian #MSAwareness (@StormingB81) October 6, 2024
Another said, “They didn’t let Blaney get towed back at Watkins Glen and his car was way less damaged than some cars today. You can’t randomly change a rule whenever you feel like it.” The autonomy with which the officiating body operates doesn’t sit comfortably with many. This includes the fans.
One fan found it rather obvious that NASCAR was getting sued. They wrote, “They’re just allowed to have multiple interpretations for the same rule on a week-to-week basis? No wonder they’re getting sued” Other comments followed along the lines of, “NASCAR is consistently inconsistent,” and, “Literally just admitting to making it up as they go..”
With the heat on its back rising, NASCAR ought to get some calls right to get the fans on its side. What appear to be stormy clouds are approaching with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filing an antitrust lawsuit against them. Accusations of favoritism or inconsistency are the last thing the organization needs on its plate.
