NASCAR Wrong to Wait on Caution

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Filed under: NASCAR 

 

Dale Jr & Girlfriend Amy Reinman | Photo

 

NASCAR Wrong to Wait on Caution

NASCAR was wrong for waiting so long to throw the caution on the last lap at Martinsville Sunday. If they are going throw a caution for a water bottle with 50 laps to go they must throw one when a car is sitting dead on the track at the start-finish line with the leaders coming.

John Andretti spun his car on the last lap as the leaders were taking the white flag. NASCAR race control watched and waited as Andretti’s car sat there with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the pack headed back toward Andretti and the start-finish line at full speed.

Finally the caution flag flew with Hamlin, the race winner, just yards from the flag stand. The lead cars barreled past Andretti at near full speed.

How can NASCAR call a caution for a tiny piece of debris – but wait for so long to call one when a car is sitting dead in the water at the finish line on the last lap?

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19 Comments on NASCAR Wrong to Wait on Caution

  1. dw on

    2. that was so wrong they should have throwen the flag when spun out in front of the flag stand and didn’t that was just so wrong i think they better view the caution flags more often …. and not throw caution flags for a dam water bottle

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  2. marcel on

    3. Fans don’t want to see a caution on the last lap unless it would be a green,white ,checker restart. It was a good race.

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  3. Mick on

    4. I’m all for safety, but next it’s going to be a Q-tip that’s causing a caution. NASCAR has people looking over every inch of every track, from above and the infield. They can’t tell litter from a piece of steel? Safety is for the drivers, crews and the fans, and dead cars at the S/F line constitutes an IMMEDIATE caution! Race run over too much to throw the flag?? Lord knows you can’t have that!!!!! Grow up, NASCAR, it’s time.

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  4. Daniel on

    5. I think nascar is doing right to let them race back to the checkard flag on the last lap,they should have never started this ,its a whole lot better then a winner determined by a team mate spinning out or crashing someone so their camp can win the race.
    A safer way they could control this is by flashing the green and yellow on the last lap only, to signal to the drivers that there is a possable car on the track in the front streatch.
    The harsdest racing and where more chances are taken in a race is comming out of the last turn to try and pass before the finnish line
    But then lets dont forget that they do have communications with their spotters who will tell them this .
    SO LETS GO BACK TO RACING TO THE CHECKER FLAG

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  5. REGAN on

    6. IT’S EASY TO UNDERSTAND. NASCAR WANTED AND DID EVERTHING THEY COULD TO SEE THAT THE GOLDEN BOY#48 WON THE RACE!! I HOPE TO SEE HIM UPSIDE DOWN AT TALLADEGA THIS WEEK!!NOT TO BE HURT BUT JUST OUT OF THE RACE. AS FAR AS GORDON BEING MAD ABOUT BEING BUMPED HAS NOT EVER DONE THE SAME? IT IS CALLED SHORT TRACK RACING AND I HOPE TO SEE MORE OF IT! DALE SR WOULD HAVE NEVER STOOD FOR THIS B/S THAT NASCAR WANTS TO CALL RACING!!!

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  6. CHAZ on

    7. why a caution? hell there were only cars sitting in the middle of the track geez, but let kyle fart and they red flag

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    Marie Reply:
    October 27th, 2009 at 10:48 am

    You are absolutely right! Your comment really gave ma a good laugh! Sounds like you like Kyle about as much as I do, which is not at all!

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  7. BOBBY ELLERBE on

    8. GUESS EVERYONE FORGOT ABOUT THE CAUTION FOR A PIECE OF PAPER ON THE TRACK…………

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    Marie Reply:
    October 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am

    Yeah, how about that?! I could tell on TV that it was a piece of paper, and NASCAR couldn’t?

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  8. Bethie May on

    9. I was so surprised that the race went on with everyone racing hard as they could at the finish and that poor guy just sitting there……..what was his opinion on the way it ended? Sure am glad he didn’t decide to get out of the car in a hurry. It should of just ended when that car went spinning. I was kinda shocked that finish was allowed . I think it was a big boo-boo on the Nascar powers that be.

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  9. jcline on

    10. Nascar did this because they can. Don’t forget nascar is a monoply.

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  10. Rosey on

    11. NASCAR will always use their power to turn things to what they consider “best for the sport”….in other words, they wanted a caution with appx 50 laps to go, and they made darn sure they had one. Conversely, on the last lap(which I did not hear announced as a ‘green-white-checkered’)they wanted the finish to be as exciting for the fans as possible. Never mind poor Andretti parked there like a sitting duck, us fans has to see us an exciting ending….From the looks of the stands, the majority of fans there had already headed home. It was disheartening enough to see all those empty seats, but it was downright irresponsible for NASCAR not to have dropped the yellow flag immediately. I also felt it extremely unfair for the guys from the middle on back, they had to slow down considerably to avoide a collision, and I’m sure that changed the finishing order for many of them.
    I’ve only been a fan/follower of NASCAR for a few years, but even I know that they have the power to do whatever they want, and they use that power any way they like.

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  11. harry kimmey on

    12. IF FANS STAY HOME NEXT WEEK, THEN NASCAR WILL RUN A RACE RIGHT. BUT WE DON’T STICK TOGETTHER ON NOTHING, JUST BITCH ABOUT IT. JUST LIKE POLITICS AND OUR MIXED UP GOVEREMENT. WAKE UP AND JUST WATCH TV THIS WEEK.

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  12. Bethie May on

    13. They really oughta listen to the fans a little and I think the most of us like the exciting endings BUT NOT when we can plainly see there should of been a caution.

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  13. Marie on

    14. Thanks! You gave me a good laugh! And, you’re right, you know!

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  14. Marie on

    15. I didn’t see the end of the race; whenever Dale Jr has problems and no chance of winning or having a good finish, I turn off the TV. I have no desire to waste my time sitting there just to see Kyle Busch or, in this case, Denny Hamlin win. I cannot tolerate either of those two smug jerks and their asinine comments, namely about Brad Keselowski. I hope when he gets into Cup racing, he shows both of those imbeciles how to race and win!

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  15. JILL on

    16. Of course they didn’t throw a caution Jimmie wasn’t in front.

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  16. Wild Bill on

    17. I’ve been a racing fan since the 60′s. Started off at the local short track. Then watching “Wide World of Sports” and “Car and Driver”. And to be quite blunt…Quit your friggin whining! The sport is changing just like every other sport. Do I like all of the changes? Hell no!!! But it’s still the best show on earth. And by the way…If you think NASCAR is a “monopoly” then you don’t know what a monopoly is. According to Webster’s anyway. In my experience NASCAR makes mistakes. But the fans are the REAL IDIOTS. Any of you mistake free? Fans have been screaming for years to tighten up the field. Now they have. Not good enough. How many of you are members of the NASCAR Fan Council? (very easy to become one) They do listen to us. Like all the morons voting Dale Jr’s crew fastest of the year. What??? By the way…I’m a huge Jr fan. Where have all the REAL fans gone!?

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  17. shannon volek on

    18. My family and I were there this weekend and we couldn’t understand why NASCAR didn’t throw the caution. I was not the only one in the stands screaming to throw the flag and feeling like we are just about to see a major crash. Someone would have gotten seriously hurt if they would have hit the 34 car. What was NASCAR thinking? We are just glad that Jimmy didn’t win again, along with alot of others around us.

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