It’s been often said in NASCAR that “the fastest car doesn’t always win the race“.
Last Sunday, this became a reality once again after NASCAR called for a controversial caution with two laps to go. The decision ultimately cost Jeff Gordon his first victory of the season and a fourth at Auto Club Speedway.
This controversy first started with fewer than three laps remaining in last Sunday’s Auto Club 400. Gordon was in command of the race and poised to win when Clint Bowyer cut a left rear tire in turn 3 while battling Kyle Busch for 2nd place. With the left rear tire down, Bowyer did a minor spin in turn 4 as he tried to gather his car. But as he straightened his racecar, NASCAR called for the caution flag, thus erasing Gordon’s two second lead.
Since Gordon did not receive the white flag, NASCAR extended the race past its scheduled distance of 400 miles in an attempt to ensure a green-flag finish for the fans. With tires being a premium and a Green-White-Checkered finish coming up, Gordon led nearly all the lead-lap cars to pit road for the final pit stop of the race.
Unfortunately for Gordon, he was beat out by Busch and Matt Kenseth who took four tires, along with three others who took just two tires for track position. With Landon Cassill also staying on track, Gordon was placed in 7th for the two-lap restart.
On the restart, Gordon was blocked by Busch as they entered turn 1 and was bogged on the inside lane, thus shuffling him out of contention and into a disappointing 13th place finish.
Meanwhile, Busch broke through the pack and passed his brother, Kurt, off turn 2 on the final lap and fended off a rookie Kyle Larson – who won his first Nationwide Series race the day before – in the final half lap for his first win of the season and third at the track.
Now, some would ask why that late caution is controversial. To those asking, there is some validity to the concern.
In the end, Bowyer did spin on the track which normally does cause NASCAR to draw the caution flag. But the controversy does not lie in Bowyer’s spin, contrary to many fans’ opinions on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The controversy lies in NASCAR’s inconsistency to draw caution flags when those incidents happen late in races.
Remember the final laps to this year’s Daytona 500?
With 11 laps to go, Kurt Busch spun off turn 4 towards the track apron and came to a complete stop at the entrance to pit road. After seeing Busch’s car did not hit anything nor anyone else, NASCAR decided not to throw the caution flag and let the race carry on.
In the middle stages of last week’s Auto Club 400, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. spun in turn 2 after cutting a tire and slid all the way to the infield grass. Since he did not hit anything and kept his car going, NASCAR once again decided to not throw a caution flag.
After reviewing these two incidents, how is Bowyer’s spin any different?
While Bowyer did spin in the middle of the track, he gathered his car back on the apron and began to roll towards pit road. In addition, no other cars were involved and no debris had been laid on the track from Bowyer’s spin – in essence the track was clear.
Now, the NASCAR sanctioning body along with other members of the media will say that it was a “judgment call.” But what judgment is there to make?
There was no reason to call that caution after reviewing the previous two incidents. The reality is that NASCAR has had their own agenda on how races should end for some time. Remember the 2011 Coca Cola 600?
On the race’s final restart, Jeff Burton was spun from 6th place as the field entered turn 1 after he checked up for Kasey Kahne who ran out of fuel after he restarted in 2nd place. Burton spun in the middle of on-coming traffic and yet NASCAR did not throw a caution flag.
Let’s go forward to last year’s Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Late in that race, Brian Vickers – a then, part-time driver for Michael Waltrip Racing – had passed Tony Stewart for the lead and appeared to be cruising towards a win when NASCAR called for a caution with less than five laps to go for supposed debris on the track. But for spectators and viewers on television, NASCAR never showed the hazardous debris that prompted the caution. Fortunately for Vickers, he was able to fend off the field and take the victory, which snapped an almost four-year drought.
Now, why would NASCAR not call a caution during the Coca Cola 600 when there is an obvious hazard on the track and yet make call for debris during the Camping World RV Sales 301 when there was none? The answer is simple.
During the Coca Cola 600, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – NASCAR’s most popular driver – inherited the lead late in the race, but was short on fuel. He was also on a near three-year winless streak. So with a long dry spell and low fuel hanging in the balance, NASCAR was not going to make a call that would be incredibly unpopular in the fans’ eyes.
But unlike the Coca Cola 600, last year’s Camping World RV Sales 301 appeared to have a rather dull finish in the making. Desperate for ratings and fan approval, NASCAR called for the debris caution that would eventually have Stewart run out of fuel from 2nd place while Vickers fended off the rest of the pack.
Like these two events, Sunday’s finish was no different. Instead of letting Gordon nurse the race’s strongest car to the finish, NASCAR called for the unnecessary caution to spice up the end. Well, they got what they wanted.
Pit strategy, an insane restart and a surprise winner made the headlines, instead of a brilliant drive by a four-time champion and 88-race winner. Incredibly, it wasn’t that long ago that an entire race could be run where drivers, teams and fans didn’t have to question the conclusion of the event. But it appears that those days are over.
Today, NASCAR seems hell-bent on trying to create the most exciting finishes for the fans, regardless of who loses out on the deal. The problem is that this concept is wrong. Winning races in the Sprint Cup Series is already hard enough without NASCAR trying to synthesize thrilling finishes.
The completion level is at all-time high. Pit stops have been the fastest they’ve ever been. Track position keeps becoming more and more important. And any small factor during a race (e.g. poor fuel mileage, flat tires, paper a racecar’s grille, etc.) can make all that effort during the weekend disappear.
If a team has done all in their power to have the best car and are in position to win, they should be given the courtesy of letting racing dictate the outcome, not manipulation by rival organizations or the NASCAR sanctioning body.
Five races into this season and already one driver and team has lost out on a potential victory with no blame to befall them. How many more will lose a race this season at NASCAR’s expense?
Now, keep one thing in mind: No immediate controversy can arise after a race as long as the sanctioning body keeps calling a fair game. Inconsistency is what draws controversy. And NASCAR has been walking down that slippery slope for quite some time. If they want to avoid another Richmond debacle, they have to continue to set the premise that fixing races is not and will never be tolerated.
But this premise must start at the very top – with NASCAR itself.
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