NASCAR’s rules and officials play a crucial role in determining the race winner. They recently clarified their position on the Ryan Preece incident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has sparked some controversy.
Do you recall Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2003 run at Talladega? His win stirred debate about whether he went below the yellow line, but NASCAR ruled in his favor. In contrast, Regan Smith was penalized for a similar incident during the 2008 Amp Energy 500. Currently, Ryan Preece’s incident on track is under scrutiny, potentially affecting Kyle Larson’s win. Dale Jr. has voiced his support for NASCAR’s decision.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. calls it a “caution”
On the 30th anniversary of the race, Kyle Larson celebrated his win by kissing the bricks, but his victory followed a series of dramatic events, suggesting he had luck on his side. With three laps remaining in the final overtime, Larson, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney were the contenders, thanks to a multi-car crash, Keselowski’s empty fuel tank, and a red flag. Ryan Blaney lost the lead, allowing Larson to take the win.
Many thought Denny Hamlin’s crash would be the final drama, but it wasn’t. On the last lap, Ryan Preece spun in turn 2 and ran out of fuel, stopping in the middle of the track. Despite this, no yellow flag was raised. Preece later explained, “To clear the air. Normal operating fuel pressure is 66psi. When I slowed, the engine went to 12 psi. The engine would not go at WOT (wide open throttle). I ran out of fuel.” Many questioned why there wasn’t another restart, but NASCAR defended their decision. NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer stated, “Obviously we’d like for it to play out naturally. We want our teams to race to the checkered flag. We did everything we possibly could. We kept an eye on the #41. He got turned around. He was really giving a solid effort and once he came to a stop and we could tell that he had, I think, a flat left-rear tire he wasn’t going to move. We’d already taken the white, we just couldn’t run by there again. So it was unfortunate, but it was the right call.” Dale Jr. supported this decision on the July 23rd episode of the Dale Jr. Download, saying, “That to me is a great explanation. But only problem with that is. I knew he wasn’t going to be able to move before they got to turn 4 and I think a lot of people feel that way. This isn’t like an intentional goof by NASCAR.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. added that the decision was influenced by the track’s size: “His decision has a lot to do with the size of the race track. So if this happens at a short track, I think it’s a caution. You know it’s a caution before the white. If it happens at a smaller track even Nashville. But it’s such a large race track that there’s time to wait and they took advantage of that unique aspect.”
Not everyone agreed with NASCAR’s decision. Veteran Kevin Harvick, a three-time winner at the Brickyard, criticized NASCAR for not issuing a caution when Preece’s car stopped. On Episode 45 of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” he said, “I thought the call at the end of our race was not good. When Preece spun out, he was mid-pack. He wound up nosing into the fence barely and the tire was flat. He was on the rub blocks, the tire was flat, he was not going anywhere. And they waited and waited and waited and he wasn’t moving sitting up on the racetrack. The caution should have been thrown in Turn 4. And it just doesn’t seem there’s as much consistency as there needs to be when it comes to these calls at the end of the race. Whether you throw a caution or not throw a caution.” Harvick expressed his disappointment with how the race ended: “I didn’t like how the race ended with the caution not being thrown. … Whoever was watching that needs to be talked to. Because the tire was down… it was sitting on the rub blocks. And when they sit on the rub blocks, they don’t move.” Denny Hamlin, who also missed out at the Brickyard, vented his frustration on his podcast “Actions Detrimental,” saying, “So they had roughly eight seconds to make a call there, and they did. Austin Cindric spun through the infield at Nashville, gathered up, kept going, and that was instantly a caution. This is what we’re talking about. NASCAR, this is your inconsistencies that people gripe about. They have a right to gripe because it is just so inconsistent. You can’t decide whether you want the caution or don’t want the caution. That’s the agitating part.”
Decisions at such a historic track, or any race, must be made with utmost caution as they can be decisive in the race to the championship. What do you think about NASCAR’s decision?
