A race or a disaster? The NASCAR Texas Motor Speedway playoff witnessed a whirlwind of on-track and off-track problems. With tire blasts and other technical issues with the cars, the governing body was also accused of taking unfair decisions.
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During the race, Denny Hamlin ran into Hendrick Motorsports William Byron. However, Byron did not take this well and got back on track to avenge the run-in. And to top it all, he chose to serve his payback under caution. Wrecking a fellow driver under caution obviously deserves a punishment, but surprisingly, Byron didn’t seem to get any.
Other NASCAR drivers like Kyle Busch highlighted the unfairness of the entire incident. Whereas, Byron wrecking Hamlin midway, under caution, and taking a lead without any repercussions also infuriated NASCAR fans. And other NASCAR community members too put forward their opinion regarding the same.
In the recent episode of Door Bumper Clear, NASCAR spotter Freddie Kraft expressed his hopes of NASCAR treating Byron fairly. He further compared the incident to the treatment meted out to Kyle Busch and Johnny Sauter under similar circumstances. Moreover, he explained why he hopes NASCAR would take up fair action against Byron. He said;
“The biggest thing that I am taking away from this is that you’ve set the precedent. Kyle Busch wrecked around Hornaday under the yellow, he got suspended. Johnny Sauter spun out Austin Hill at Iowa in 2019 under yellow, he got suspended. Surely they are going to be consistent to spin William Byron, right?”
Although Kraft did make a good point, his co-host Brett Griffin disagreed with his contentions. As soon as Kraft put forward his view, Griffin said; “No way, no chance. No chance he is suspended.”
What did NASCAR say about the incident?
NASCAR’s answer to the accusations was more shocking than the decisions it took on the Texas Motor Speedway track. Reportedly, a senior NASCAR executive shared the behind-the-scenes events with NBC Sports. The executive shockingly admitted that the officials on the track did not notice the Denny Hamlin and William Byron wreck under caution.
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#NASCAR admits that officials missed William Byron spinning Denny Hamlin under caution but hinted officials may still take action. https://t.co/qp5DWJThSQ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 26, 2022
Scott Miller, NASCAR’s senior vice president of the competition revealed that the officials in the tower were busy ascertaining the reason behind the caution. He further said; “The William Byron-Denny Hamlin thing, we had no eyes on. We saw Denny go through the grass.”
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Moreover, he said that after watching the incident on replay, there wasn’t much that they could do at the time. But he too was not sure if this was NASCAR’s final decision or if something stern was ahead for Byron.