NASCAR stopped racing at the crown jewel race three years ago, and its return has caused quite a stir. Over 70,000 people attended the iconic race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a significant number by any means! In fact, nearby houses were seen flying race flags, with checkered flags adorning them. However, this raises the question: if the venue is so beloved by fans, why did interest wane, and why did NASCAR stop racing here in the first place?

While there were multiple reasons behind NASCAR’s decision to stop racing at the iconic track, spotter Brett Griffin has a clear take on what he believes led to the halt.

Spotter Brett Griffin points fingers on Goodyear!

NASCAR made a triumphant return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway after a three-year hiatus. The event was jam-packed, and understandably so – the Brickyard 400 is an iconic race. Even the drivers were excited, with every driver eager to perform the traditional victory celebration of kissing the bricks. In fact, Ryan Blaney said that he would rather “lick the bricks” than kiss them if he won. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin expressed his strong desire to win on his podcast. As NASCAR veterans and a reigning champion, their enthusiasm to win at the Brickyard 400 highlights the track’s importance amongst drivers.

That being said, NASCAR previously stopped racing at the track because they failed to deliver what fans wanted. Even if we set aside the fact that longer races can be overwhelming for those with short attention spans, that’s not the only reason. NASCAR failed to deliver a compelling race that captivated fans, and the 2020 event was nearly disastrous. Brett Griffin placed the blame on Goodyear, citing them as the primary reason for NASCAR’s withdrawal from the iconic track. Brett Griffin said in his podcast Door Bumper Clear, “I think 70,000-plus people showed back up yesterday because they missed the oval, and they stopped coming because of the Goodyear tire debacle. I don’t care what anybody says; they got pissed off, they got their feelings hurt. I don’t blame them, and now I think they’re just happy to see it back where it belongs. I know the place didn’t look slammed, but I’m telling you, everywhere I went yesterday—trying to get in and out of tunnels and walking through the garage—it was packed.”

He further said, “But as I was walking down there, having spotted it for 20 years at the oval and almost won it with Elliott Sadler a couple of times, and watching my good friend DJ win it, I didn’t have that same feeling in my heart because it was the road course; you know what I mean?”

His words have an impact because the tire issues in 2020 were indeed concerning. Most drivers who ran that race terminated it prematurely, and what’s a good race without the thrill of competition and consistent performance? In fact, Denny Hamlin, who was in lap 155 and in contention to win, couldn’t do so due to tire issues. He called the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a “roulette” because he, like half the drivers, didn’t know whether a tire would stay together or not. Erik Jones and Alex Bowman suffered the same fate as Hamlin. Jones hit a wall on lap 76, and Bowman crashed on lap 134. Ryan Newman and William Byron also experienced tire blowouts.

Some drivers even experienced vibrations rippling through their cars, but SHR and Kevin Harvick seemed immune to the issues, with Harvick going on to clinch his win. Goodyear appeared to have made an error. They had introduced a new left-side tire combination while retaining the right-side tires from the previous year. However, the new setup struggled due to high downforce, long straightaways, and hotter temperatures. Nevertheless, interest has been rekindled, and the race was a success, featuring numerous passes, moves, and the drama that fans craved. In fact, NASCAR might have over-delivered on the drama aspect.

Kyle Larson’s bittersweet win in IMS

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Everyone expected the race to be great, and undoubtedly it was. A massive crowd turned up, generating plenty of noise and fanfare. However, the exciting narrative took a dramatic turn, and what ensued led to a major controversy. On the final lap, Ryan Preece crashed, but NASCAR failed to call a caution, and instead kept the race green. This long delay eventually caused Kyle Larson’s victory. The delay in caution led fans to accuse NASCAR of favoritism towards the HMS driver. Given that fans already perceive Larson as NASCAR’s “golden boy” and that he received a free pass just two months prior when attempting the “double,” their frustrations intensified. As a result, fans took to social media to express serious allegations

Furthermore, even drivers like Brad Keselowski weighed in, posing that on any other day, the incident would have warranted a caution, thereby adding fuel to the fire. So, while Kyle Larson’s moment was significant, marking his first win at the Brickyard 400, it was unfortunately marred by controversy. The controversy was so pronounced that Elton Sawyer felt compelled to come out and explain why the decision unfolded as it did. He 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.”

Well, not everyone seems to be satisfied as of yet. And it wasn’t just the end caution that seems to have paved the way. The fact that after Keselowski pitted, the race didn’t stop and cars got shuffled was also brought to attention. Ryan Blaney was furious over this and didn’t stop himself from dropping the F-bomb on Larson.

Do you think NASCAR wanted to create a narrative of Kyle Larson coming full circle and winning at Indianapolis? Or is it simply as Elton Sawyer explained? Let us know.