NASCAR brings its overtime rule into action when a race must be extended beyond its fixed distance because its final laps were under caution. A race goes into overtime under two scenarios, first, if the yellow flag is waved before the race leader crosses the finish line under the white flag (which signals the final lap of the race). Second, when the yellow flag is waved again during the first lap of overtime.
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The standard is that a race cannot end under the yellow flag. So, when a caution occurs in the final lap of a race, a two-lap overtime goes into effect. Once the debris or hazard has been cleared from the track, the contenders line up behind the pace car to begin their overtime laps. Just like at the end of a normal time race, a white flag will be waved at the end of the overtime’s first lap.
Either the checkered flag or the yellow flag will be waved at the end of the second lap. Overtime can be attempted as many times as required to declare a winner. Should a caution occur before the first lap of overtime can be completed, the procedure will be restarted. It should be noted that overtime does not come into effect if the race leader has taken the white flag before entering the final lap of the race.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Faulkner details the overtime rule in NASCAR
Matt Faulkner is a former racer and multi-disciplinary engineer, who currently works with Joe Gibbs Racing as the lead meteorology engineer. He also hosts the team’s “Overtime” series on social media. In a recent explanation on his show about the workings of the overtime rule, he used the example of a 2004 example from Talladega.
Battling Jeff Gordon for the lead, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had crossed him when the caution flag came out in the final laps of the race. But since he did not get past Gordon before the flag was out, he ended up losing the race to Jeff Gordon. Upset by the results, fans ended up hurling beer cans at Gordon’s ride. Not wanting such incidents to reoccur, the promotion brought the overtime provisions inside its book.
The current overtime-line rule that is in practice came to be in 2016, before which there was a green-white-checkered flag restart if there was a caution in the final stages of the race.
