NASCAR’s inconsistency in calling final-lap cautions is the hottest point of discussion following the weekend in Atlanta. It did not wave the yellow flag when a wreck occurred in the final lap of the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Drivers raced to the checkered flag. However, it did wave the flag and end the race when a similar scenario went down in the Cup Series on Sunday.
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Several drivers have been lashing out at the race officials for this volatility. Noah Gragson, who was collected in a wreck on Lap 184, expressed his thoughts on Door Bumper Clear.
He is currently the driver of the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse. All the back and forth has left him confused. However, he does know what the right thing to do is.
He said, “I understand they’re [NASCAR] in a tough position. It’s just the inconsistency we fear as drivers. When you don’t know whether the caution is coming or not, you have to hold it wide open. Sometimes you are gonna plow through someone, or you are gonna get through unscathed, and everything is going to be okay. But it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
NASCAR held a drivers’ meeting before the Cup Series race. The Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, had reiterated to everyone that his officials had made a mistake by not throwing a caution in the final lap of the Xfinity Series race. He also clarified that the caution would come out if a similar situation occurred in the Cup Series race. And it did.
So, in the promotion’s defense, the drivers did know if the caution was going to come out or not. While understandable, Gragson’s contention gets weak in this light.
What’s better: no overtimes or unlimited overtimes? ⚖️
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How did Gragson’s race on Sunday go?
The driver posted his first qualifying top 10 of 2025 and started from 10th place on the grid. He was good enough to maintain a position between 10th and 15th throughout the race. He even earned a stage point at the end of Stage 2. However, things went awry when he was collected in a crash on Lap 184.
The No. 4 Ford Mustang was brought to the pit road for repairs, however, the crew couldn’t do much to take it back on the track. Gragson told the press later, “I saw the No. 99 [Daniel Suarez] get turned through the trioval and I don’t know if he was coming back up or if I clipped him with the left rear, but I had a lot of left-rear damage and couldn’t continue.”
He did not have a great time in the Daytona 500 either, finishing in 28th place. He next goes to the Circuit of the Americas to see if it will be the venue where he finally gets his campaign going.
