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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK – AUGUST 08: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, exits his car after the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 08, 2021 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK – AUGUST 08: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, exits his car after the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 08, 2021 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at the Talladega Superspeedway was surprisingly civil, for the most part. Of course, there was one big wreck, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr spun Harrison Burton around. In response, other drivers also spun, trying to avoid that incident. However, that didn’t mean that the race was devoid of caution periods. As it turned out, Daniel Hemric ground to a halt at the end of the pit road.
Admittedly, many people wondered why a caution came out when he was supposedly safely out of the way. Some people brought up the example of Kyle Busch who crashed close to the same area. The idea does have some merit because, it could happen, but it doesn’t mean that it should.
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What were the NASCAR fans actually arguing about?
Some people admitted that putting out a caution was the right call. Especially since nobody wanted to endanger any more drivers, given what happened to Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman. However, they did object to the length of the caution and felt that they took too long to clear Hemric’s #16 car.
The caution is fine… I wonder why it took so long to go back to green
— Logi (@HiMyNameIsLogi) October 2, 2022
DON'T CARE
THEY LITERALLY PARK THE PACE CAR THERE IN NR
— Carter Friesen (@CFriesen85) October 2, 2022
They park it behind a wall just past the exit of pit road. Don't know what your smoking.
— JJWolf0498 (@JJWolf0498) October 2, 2022
The problem is we're a multi billion dollar industry and we should have protocol in place to get the cars off of pit road in that instance and not throw a caution.. I didn't want them to wreck or tear up cars, but we've been around a long time and it shouldn't have happened
— Braden McMillan (@BradenMac2) October 2, 2022
Some people pointed out that the pace car was often located in the same area. However, that was quickly disputed by other fans, who revealed that the pace car was actually behind a wall, and out of harm’s way. One thing is for sure, they bemoaned the lack of protocol to rapidly remove a car from such a vulnerable position.
You either have to push it manually or get a tow. There's no scenario where either of those can happen under green. We cant complain about safety all month and then also get mad when they do something for safety.
— philip – pikmin 4 (@4_pikmin) October 3, 2022
He was in pit road, I don't think this is valid at al.
— HarringtonMAH11 (@HarringtonMAH11) October 2, 2022
The difference is after about 12 seconds the car leaves under its own power. This car wasn't gonna be able to do that,
— Curtis Blair (@DangerInvasive) October 3, 2022
Yeah, I hate that the caution ruins what was a good looking finish, but Hemric could've gotten seriously hurt if someone wrecked coming to the line
— DGM Racing Fanpage (@dgm_racing) October 2, 2022
What NASCAR does is either push the car manually or tow it, and doing that under caution makes sense. Few people agreed that cautions, so close to the finish, often ruin some races. However, in the interest of driver safety, it was a necessary evil. Who knows, there could have been a frantic finish to the line, and a potential wreck could have clipped his stationary car.
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