NASCAR Caution Flag Controversy: Jeff And Jay Debate

The following is a debate between SB Nation Motorsports Editor Jeff Gluck and SB Nation contributor Jay Pennell.

Jeff: So what’s your take on the whole caution flag controversy at the end of the Coca-Cola 600? Should NASCAR have thrown the yellow for Jeff Burton’s wreck instead of letting the race finish?

Jay: I intially thought they should have thrown it, but I thought there was a lot more wreckage than there actually was. I do find it ironic that in the beginning of the race, they threw a caution for a “beverage can,” but when Burton ran into the back of Brad Keselowski and debris was coming off, nothing happened. I guess I would agree with Tony Stewart in that they need to be consistent with their calls throughout the entirety of the race.

Jeff: Maybe it’s just because I’m used to the inconsistency, but I’m actually not too upset about it. I’m a supporter of debris cautions at times, because I like seeing the field get bunched up again for a double-file restarts. That’s where the vast majority of the action, passes and controversy seems to occur in these races.

I don’t particularly enjoy watching someone with a seven-second lead go around the track in a single-file parade, so it’s fine if NASCAR wants to throw a caution when maybe it’s not absolutely necessarily. By the same token, I’m also OK with them NOT putting out a caution late in the race when it would potentially spoil a good finish.
Jay: Inconsistency in NASCAR? Surely you must be joking. I think this is one of the major reasons those outside the NASCAR world criticize NASCAR. By choosing when to throw a caution and when not to throw a caution, those outside the sport see NASCAR as determining the outcome of the race and not letting the event play out on its own.

Touching on what happened Sunday night, I also think one of the major reasons the caution was not thrown was due to the fact the majority of the field was running out of gas. Had they thrown the caution when Burton spun, that would have extended the race even longer and thus caused more drivers to hit pit road. Now THAT would have been a restart.

Jeff: I’ve always been fascinated by the caution decisions. One of my favorite things to do is listen to race control when they’re trying to figure out whether or not to throw a caution. It’s head-scratching at times, but I think part of NASCAR’s charge is to manage the pace of the race.

If there hasn’t been a caution for awhile, I believe they’re more likely to act on a report of debris; if there has been a period of several cautions around the same time, they’re more likely to let something go.

Now, if NASCAR was favoring an individual driver over another, that would obviously be a problem; but in my mind, the cautions are more about the “show” than playing favorites.

Jay: I agree with that to an extent. I really questioned their debris caution earlier in the race while green flag pit stops were cycling through. There were only a handful of cars – cars that had not run up front most of the day – that had not pitted and by throwing that caution it not only messed up the running order, it slowed the “show” and most likely confused the fans in the stands. Those at home have the TV coverage to keep them updated on the race, but when a caution comes in green flag stops, it can be hard to follow sitting in the stands.

I do think Kevin Harvick’s comments after the race touched on it perfectly. He said after talking with NASCAR following the Kyle Busch incident that there has to be a judge at all times and that is NASCAR’s job to do. It’s a tough job. I’ve done some officiating at a local indoor go-kart track and even there people get very upset by what they see as judgement calls.

Jeff: I’ve heard NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell say several times that NASCAR is the government – and nobody likes the government. But I’ll take that a step further: It’s part of our nature to question the government. And when we see something we don’t understand or feels fishy, all of us question it – loudly.

In that respect, NASCAR needs to do a better job with its communication to the fans and media about cautions. If there’s a piece of debris, tell the TV networks where it is so they can zoom in on it. If NASCAR didn’t call a caution, have an official visit the TV booth and explain why. In most cases, fans would say, ‘Oh, OK. I get it.’ But the lack of communication is hurtful to NASCAR’s image at times.

Jay: I would agree that NASCAR should do a better job communicating with fans when calls such as this occur. By the same token, there was a good bit of criticism of the officials at the Indy 500 for waiting to throw the caution flag, too. Like I said before, NASCAR does not have an easy job and these issues are not exclusive to NASCAR. In terms of NASCAR being the government, that’s a topic for another conversation.