When the caution flag is waved during a race in NASCAR today, it is a mandate for drivers that they must slow down immediately and freeze their positions. The pace car takes control of the event till the issue that caused the flag is sorted and the racing resumes. But this safe and straightforward method wasn’t always the norm. Until 2003, a procedure called “racing back to the caution” was prevalent.
Advertisement
According to this rule, drivers can continue to race till they reach the start/finish line in the event of a yellow flag. The positions that they gain in doing so would stand.
There was an unwritten agreement amongst drivers that they would all slow down despite the legality of racing unless a victory or a special outcome was at stake. This understanding was to avoid dangerous circumstances.
Unfortunately, drivers began taking the agreement more loosely around the turn of the century and NASCAR was forced to intervene. During a 2003 race in New Hampshire, Dale Jarrett nearly got himself into a lot of trouble after causing a caution.
He sat in the middle of the track in his wrecked car with cars zooming past him at tremendous speeds. This incident served as the last straw.
For anyone wondering what happens when racing back to the line went wrong…. pic.twitter.com/s9Eh5oiS7u
— Alex Kerner (@psychedalex68) September 21, 2023
Mike Helton, the former President of NASCAR said in a statement, “We will eliminate the practice completely and no longer depend on the gentleman’s agreement by drivers, in an effort to further ensure the safety of the competitors.” The green-white-checkered flag rule was then implemented to stop a race from finishing under caution.
Dangerous incidents caused by the “racing back to caution” rule
Another incident that gained fame at the same time as the Jarrett occurrence was the 2003 race at the Sonoma Raceway. Kevin Harvick had been leading Robby Gordon when a caution flag came out in the 71st lap due to an incident in a different part of the track.
Harvick slowed down as per the gentlemen’s agreement but Gordon kept pushing and passed him before reaching the start/finish line.
Harvick later termed it a “chicken move” and gained support from the likes of Jeff Gordon. Robby Gordon went on to win the race and was not penalized for the move since racing back to caution was still legal at the time as per the book. However, he was subject to a lot of controversy based on ethical grounds.
Once the rule was abolished, drivers including Jarrett and Jeff Burton acknowledged that it was the need of the hour considering how inconsistent the self-policing by drivers was.
