NASCAR’s inconsistency in deciding whether a caution ought to be thrown in the event of a wreck on the final lap is beginning to get on many people’s nerves. Officials brought out the yellow flag during the final lap of the Cup Series race in Atlanta following a crash and declared Christopher Bell the winner since he led the field then.
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They did not do this during the Xfinity Series race on Saturday despite a similar wreck and made the field race to the checkered flag. The promotion later agreed that it erred in doing so and that it should have thrown a caution. Bell, in an interview after the race finish, agreed that throwing caution is the right approach in such scenarios.
He admitted that he was shocked that the race leaders were allowed to race to the checkered flag during the Daytona Cup race as well, another instance this year where the winner was decided under yellows.
He then brought up an experience of his own to explain things. “We have been down this road before,” he noted. “I myself got crucified at Talladega a couple of years ago because they wrecked, and I was able to avoid the wreck, and I advanced positions.”
“They were, like, ‘Okay, from now on whenever the cars wreck in the last lap, the yellow is coming out so that we don’t endanger people’, and I think it’s the right call.” Bell believes that NASCAR did not throw the caution last weekend since the officials wanted the race to finish under green no matter what.
Now that is a dangerous practice. Not waving the yellow flag in the scenario meant the promotion actively made drivers in the back of the field race for positions despite cars wrecking in front of them. Hence, Christopher Bell’s contention that they made the right decision on Sunday by throwing the caution and declaring him the winner.
NASCAR admitted that it made a mistake on Saturday
NASCAR called for a drivers’ meeting an hour ahead of the Cup Series race on Sunday. Elton Sawyer, the senior vice president of competition, spoke to the drivers and admitted that his men had been wrong to not wave the yellow flag after the Xfinity Series crash on Saturday. He reiterated that if something similar happened in the Cup race, the flag would be waved.
His words went, “My last comment will be, based on (Saturday) night’s race, our goal is to finish our races under green conditions,” Sawyer told drivers. “That’s our No. 1 goal. Also, we’re not going to be racing through a debris field. So you can expect cautions to come out based on (Saturday) night. That was on us.”
As fate would have it, an exactly similar situation did occur and Sawyer kept his word. Hopefully, this rule will continue in the future so that drivers or fans aren’t confused about what the promotion will decide to do.
