Imagine this: you are leading the last few laps of the race comfortably, certain to take the checkered flag. And then suddenly there’s a “late yellow” for something that doesn’t warrant it. Any driver would be frustrated!

The same was the reaction of Tyler Reddick at the recent Michigan race. Not just him, but the entire NASCAR community is calling out the decision. The question here is not about NASCAR throwing a caution. It’s about the inconsistency. A similar incident happened at the Indianapolis race when Austin Cindric spun and hit the wall, but NASCAR did not raise a yellow flag there.

Now, fans speculate NASCAR is doing this to manipulate things on track and increase the race’s dramatic value. Adding on to the discussion is NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he discusses the on-ground events on Dale Jr. Download and questions the quickness of the decision, emphasizing, “The quickness of it (the decision) is the only concerning part.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. disagrees with NASCAR

What happened at the Michigan race was a late-race caution that left Tyler Reddick frustrated. With a commanding lead and victory seemingly in sight, Reddick’s dominance was disrupted when Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall, nearing the end of the race. The ensuing caution erased Reddick’s advantage and forced the race into overtime. Many questioned NASCAR’s decision as the incident did not seem like it needed a yellow, and the race could have continued. Expectedly, Reddick lashed out at NASCAR too, saying, “Is this a f**ing joke? Come on. It’s bulls**t. He touched the fu**ing wall. … Good grief.”

However, in the end, Tyler Reddick won and surged ahead of William Byron, who finished in P2 on the second overtime restart, narrowly fending off both Byron and Ty Gibbs to claim victory. What is being questioned here is, why was Reddick denied a comfortable win?

In the August 20 episode of Dale Jr. Download, Junior agreed with the 23XI driver’s frustration. He said, “If I was driving the car leading the race, hell yes, I have the same reaction as Reddick, and maybe even you know running in the top 10 or the top five I might have the same reaction like what the hell?” 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. further talked about how if he’d been in NASCAR’s shoes, he would have done things differently. He added, “If I was in the booth I would be like oh no, keep them going don’t throw the yellow, we’re almost to the finish. If we can avoid the yellow, that’s my mentality, in my mind.”

According to Dale Jr., this was a classic opportunity for NASCAR to increase the drama of the race, and they took it. Continuing his argument, he said, “I’m thinking though that for TV, they can deny it if they want, but for TV for the promoter, track owner, and possibly for NASCAR, they’re thinking, Oh hell yeah, late-race restart drama. Oh yeah, you know we’re trying to our audience is building all the way through the race right? So right there in the last 10 laps, you’ve got the largest audience you’ve got the most people paying attention to what you’re doing and can you give them something exciting?”

However, is it justified to just do this to increase the thrill of the race, or to increase the viewership?

The same wasn’t done at the Indianapolis race, where Kyle Larson took the win, even after Austin Cindric spun at the last moment. Dale Jr. in his episode tries to explain why NASCAR probably ruled differently in both cases.

How is the Indianapolis case different from the Michigan one?

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In the last lap of the Brickyard 400, Austin Cindric spun and hit the wall in the same place as Martin Truex Jr., and instead of throwing a caution, NASCAR let the race continue. He held off Tyler Reddick to take the chequered flag. However, had NASCAR given a caution here as well, the race results could have been different. Maybe Reddick would have had his third win in Michigan.

As Dale Jr. tries to be in NASCAR’s shoes, he said, “There’s also the idea that maybe nobody was watching Cindric’s ass running back there wherever he was at, you know, even if he’s running 12th, 15th, 10th, 20th. I don’t know where he’s running, but maybe they ain’t even looking over there. He’s not the focus.” 

Further, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tyler Reddick, and Martin Truex Jr., they were at the lead of the race and hence had all the focus of the race. Voicing the same, Junior said, “Good chance that NASCAR and a lot of eyeballs are paying close attention to that right. So maybe that’s why there’s a difference between the reaction to those two incidents just saying. I wish they hadn’t thrown the yellow because it wasn’t probably that necessary.”

If this is how NASCAR rules, it is unfair, right?

There has to be some consistency in what warrants a yellow and what doesn’t. This should then be applied across races, no matter the situation of the race. What do you think? Was NASCAR correct to throw a caution in the Michigan race? Let us know in the comments down below.