NASCAR Forced to Cover Up Their Inefficiency After Uproar From the Racing Community Becomes Overwhelming

The 2024 season’s races are turning out to be quite exciting. Some, like Bristol, had drivers scratching their heads over unexpected tire wear, while others stirred up some different drama. Take Richmond’s race for instance, which lands in the ‘drama’ category. Denny Hamlin‘s victory turned heads, not just for his driving but for a bit of controversy at the end. As the lead car, Hamlin took off a bit quickly on the last restart during NASCAR overtime, but no flags were thrown. Martin Truex Jr. was quick to call it out, saying Hamlin jumped the gun, but NASCAR checked it out and initially gave it the all-clear.

However, later NASCAR flipped their script, saying Hamlin did start a tad early but argued that with the race winding down, they had to make a call fast. The race results, although, aren’t set in stone until after the post-race check-up, so there was a minute to breathe and get it right. And it’s not just a few of us raising eyebrows. A bunch of fans were left feeling a bit miffed by how NASCAR chose to deal with the situation.

NASCAR’s back and forth about Denny Hamlin’s jump start at Richmond

Elton Sawyer, the big shot over at NASCAR for competition, opened up about the whole kerfuffle that got fans all stirred up. Initially, they looked things over and decided Hamlin’s move was within the rulebook, so his win stood. But then, Sawyer sort of leaned the other way during a chat on SiriusXM NASCAR, hinting that maybe they should’ve called Hamlin out. Diving back into the footage, Sawyer admitted that, yeah, Hamlin did hit the throttle too soon. He reasoned it as one of those split-second decisions that are tough to make, especially in the heat of the race’s final moments.

He pointed out that NASCAR is a live sporting event, and unlike other sports, you can’t just hit pause and huddle up to review a play. He also mentioned that if this had happened earlier in the race, like lap 10, 50, or even 300, they might have made a different call. Now Elton Sawyer popped up on Fox NASCAR, doubling down on NASCAR’s decision to let Denny Hamlin’s move slide. He explained, “We’re [at that time] looking at all of our available resources- SMT data, we’re looking at the replay monitor. And at the time, because you’ve got to make a split-second decision, it’s a bang-bang call at the end of the race.”

“With the evidence and the information we had in front of us, we made the call that we thought like that time was the correct call. Now, with the opportunity to review that all day yesterday, looking at it multiple times, again, I still feel like we made the right call at that time. That was again with the… opportunity for 24 to 36 hours later, Denny did roll early? And, um… That’s what we got.”

But then, Sawyer kind of sidestepped, trying to soften the blow by maybe dropping the ball. He mentioned that while NASCAR values every single lap, from the get-go to the 400-plus finish line, if they are thrown into a crunch-time situation like that again, they’d handle it just the same, no matter if it’s lap 40, 50, or 300. He stated that they aim to have a bit more breathing room to review things thoroughly. But when it’s down to the wire, there’s this extra push to get the winner’s call right, and, of course, to keep everything fair and square.

While Sawyer might have a point about the need for quick decisions, it seems like fans aren’t exactly buying it. The explanations and justifications he’s offering aren’t cutting it for them.

Fans aren’t exactly thrilled with the officials trying to smooth things over

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Fans were all over the place. One fan was scratching their head, saying, “So what I’m hearing is “I think it’s legal on the last lap.” Another fan did not mince words, pointing out, “Bullcr*p answer. A race isn’t official for many minutes after a checkered flag in every race. Inspections post race, etc. NASCAR does have the luxury of a time out as they say. They f’ed up, plain and simple.”

But what do rules suggest? Well, rule 8.5.3.2.B of the Cup Rule Book suggests, “The initial start and all restarts shall be initiated within the restart zone on the racetrack. Double red lines on the outer wall designate the start of the restart zone. If the lead vehicle does not restart by the time it reaches the exit of the restart zone, designated by a single red line on the outer wall, the starter will initiate or restart the Race.”

Additionally, section 8.5.4.D of the Cup Rule Book says: “The Race leader is the control vehicle for each restart.”

One fan outright called it cheating: “LOL. So cheating at the end is ok. LOL,” while another’s just seemingly shaking their head, saying, “This isn’t ideal.” There’s even a fan calling out NASCAR for playing favorites: “I don’t think I would have said that. He just confirmed they will enforce rules only when they feel like it.”

And then there’s the fan who’s calling Elton Sawyer and NASCAR out for being two-faced: “Dear Elton and @NASCAR , Do you know how hypocritical you sound when last week you penalized people for “track limits” violations, including SVG ON THE FINAL LAP, then talk about it being different for a final restart? Consistency is all we want.”

Another fan was just baffled by the whole explanation, “This response is even worse than ‘we looked at it and thought it was fine’. Good lord.” Well, what do you make of this whole debacle? 

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