How NASCAR’s Promoter’s Caution for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Can Bring Extra Suspense & Intrigue Despite Initial Apprehensions

When NASCAR announced this Wednesday that it would include a “Promoter’s Caution” during the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the idea initially did not seem to go over well with drivers, crew chiefs, owners, and fans.

But in reality, what may first look like NASCAR’s folly may actually be the first step toward what could be an eventual stroke of genius.

In theory, the Promoter’s Caution puts the outcome of the race in the hands of Speedway Motorsports Inc. CEO Marcus Smith. He is the only person who will be at North Wilkesboro who can wield that kind of power, albeit with restrictions.

Smith can throw the caution flag at any point in the race with two exceptions:

• He cannot throw it after Lap 220 of the expanded 250-lap race around the .625-mile bullring (the All-Star Race is being expanded from 200 to 250 laps this year).
• He also cannot throw it after Lap 200 if a natural caution occurs due to either a crash, debris/fluid on the track, or weather impacting the race.

I can live with both those exceptions. And knowing Marcus Smith as I do, I bet he’s already thinking probably about throwing a caution somewhere between Lap 150 and Lap 190 to shake things up — if the race dictates such as if a driver like Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell or Tyler Reddick is running away with the event at that point by close to a lap or more.

Of course, Smith doesn’t have to throw a caution either, it’s all in his hands.

But What About Putting the Promoter’s Caution in Fans’ Hands?

But there’s another aspect that few — if any — folks are thinking about that could ultimately prove to be one of the biggest game-changers and improvements the sport has seen in a long time.

Let’s say that the Promoter’s Caution ultimately proves to be a big hit and drivers, teams, fans, and media alike think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread (and no, I’m not talking about Joey Logano’s “Sliced Bread” nickname).

NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports combined own nearly 90 percent of the current racetracks on the Cup schedule: NASCAR-owned tracks host 19 Cup events, SMI-owned tracks host 13 events (14, if you count the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro) and four other events are held at independently-owned tracks (Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, World Wide Technology Raceway and Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City).

NASCAR has long used exhibition races like the All-Star Race, the Clash, and others as test sessions for potential rule changes down the road. That’s how today’s Stage system was born.

But because six different track owners are hosting 36 Cup races (not including exhibitions like the All-Star Race), putting something like a Promoter’s Caution in the single hands of track general managers or owners such as NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps or SMI’s Marcus Smith would get stale real quick.

Not to mention, I can see plenty of critics saying the system is unfair.

But here’s where the genius move for NASCAR could come in: Instead of a Promoter’s Caution, why not have every track hold a contest for fans that would present a dream weekend for one single fan.

Include hotel accommodations, airplane fares (if necessary), meals, and maybe $1,000 in spending cash. But then there’s the best perk of all: instead of a race promoter throwing a caution at any time, let a FAN do it at every race.

After all, doesn’t NASCAR promote itself as one of the most fan-friendly sports around?

Putting the potential outcome — or at the very least, the bunching up of the field if a driver is running away with the event – in the hands of a driver at an unexpected point in the race would be a huge selling point (both in theory, as well as likely lead to a huge increase in ticket sales).

No other major sport has direct fan involvement in the outcome of an event. NASCAR could — and should — be the first.

Let’s not forget that NSCAR has struggled for the last 17 years — since the world economy tanked in 2008 (and into 2009) — to re-attract former fans and also attract new fans, particularly those in their teens and 20s.

Can you imagine if, say, a Kyle Busch fan sees the “other Kyle” — Kyle Larson — running away with a race at Bristol, while Busch is back in the pack, and the fan throws a caution to bunch up the field and allow Busch to literally get back into the race?

The mystery and intrigue of when a caution may or may not happen is spectacular.

The Promoter’s Caution is NOT Like the Old “Phantom Caution”

When the Promoter’s Caution was first made public, some immediately referred to it as the so-called “Phantom Caution” that occurred several times in competition over the years before they suddenly seemed to fade away after the 2016 season.

Ironically, this led to the start of the Stage system in the following year. Were Phantom Cautions preludes to what would become the Stage system?

And while some fans felt the Phantom Cautions were NASCAR’s way of creating artificial drama or ultimately fixing races (just ask guys like Kurt Busch and Casey Mears how many times they lost a potential race-winning lead when a sudden and mysterious debris caution arose), I never believed the latter.

But the Promoter’s Caution is completely different from the Phantom Caution because you at least know there MAY (or may not) be a caution thrown, while the Phantom Caution, critics claimed, was an intentional yet surreptitious way to bunch the fields up.

With the Promoter’s Caution — or if it becomes the “Fan’s Caution” — at least everyone knows there may be a chance of a caution coming out at any time.

Or not.

That’s the beauty of the idea. NASCAR may not have anticipated the negative response when the Promoter’s Caution was first revealed, but there was also significant criticism of and negativity directed toward things such as the Car of Tomorrow, the Gen 6 and Gen 7 cars, the playoff system, the Stage system, and so much more.

And while the sport lost some fans because of those new-fangled innovations, you have to admit they all ultimately brought about changes in strategy on how a race is run, how fans watch a race, and how those changes have eventually become accepted as good innovations, for the most part.

If the Promoter’s Caution eventually does give way to the Fan’s Caution, who knows, it could ultimately become as popular as if Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, or Jeff Gordon were to come out of retirement to get a piece of the fun-filled action.

I’m curious to see how the Promoter’s Caution plays out in the May 18 All-Star Race. And if NASCAR likes what it sees, perhaps the best way to integrate it into competition is to include it in Truck and Xfinity Series races in 2026 before implementing it in full in Cup events in 2027.

That way, NASCAR fans will get used to the concept in the two junior series before the sport goes all-in with the Cup Series.

Let’s face it, NASCAR may be a sport, but it’s also entertainment. And if a sport and entertainment both lose drama, fans will quickly exit both at the track or in front of their TVs, potentially never to be heard from again. That’s something NASCAR cannot afford.

Given how NASCAR has still yet to recover from the massive fan defection after 2008, I’m all for the sport’s officials to try something — anything — to bring back drama, even if some may perceive it as artificially generated drama.