The 2024 Coca-Cola 600 came to an end after just 249 laps of racing due to bad weather in the Charlotte region. Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday, NASCAR executive Elton Sawyer said that challenges in drying the track and the idea of an early morning finish led to the call to end the race. But who was it that made the decision?
Advertisement
Sawyer says that the promotion’s officials work together with broadcast partners, track staff, and the local authorities to make such calls. “Ultimately it’s our decision, it’s a NASCAR decision,” he stated. “But we do work closely with our folks at Speedway (Motorsports), work closely with our TV partners to get to the right decision.”
He continued, “If you look closely at how that day unfolds, and there’s a lot of people behind the scenes that are there early in the morning to get the facility ready, local law enforcement officers that are directing traffic, things of that nature. … You take all of that into consideration.” He noted that restarting Sunday’s race would have meant that it concluded at 2:00 a.m. ET even without any cautions.
He expressed his regret that they did not want to have to make such a decision but were forced to act rightly towards competitors, fans, and the workers who’d been at the track all day. Though safety crews had initially tried drying the track, high levels of humidity and relentless rainfall halted the progress. The race was called at 11:30 p.m. and Christopher Bell was declared the winner.
Kyle Larson’s inability to drive in the Coca-Cola 600 was an unfortunate consequence
Larson had flown into Charlotte from Indianapolis after completing the Indy 500. He’d hoped to take over the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro that Justin Allgaier had been driving for him, but the race was stopped just as he arrived. “A lot went on Sunday with the Kyle Larson back-and-forth, and to see him in the car Sunday night would have been great. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way,” Sawyer said.
Rain wreaked havoc across many areas across the country this past weekend and NASCAR was just one of its victims. The safety crews and ground staff will have to be thanked aplenty for their relentless efforts in trying to see the race completed as intended. The next Cup Series race will be on the upcoming Sunday at the Worldwide Technology Raceway.
