Thanksgiving Classic’s Pit-Road Brawl Highlights Major Flaw in Asphalt Racing, Reveals NASCAR Insider

At the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park, it was a real nail-biter as Ryan Joyner was breathing down Bradley McCaskill’s neck, giving him a run for his money in turns 3 and 4. As the race neared its grand finale, with the checkered flag almost in sight, Joyner’s car gave McCaskill’s a not-so-friendly nudge from behind, setting off fireworks of tension. This heated moment quickly snowballed into a full-blown melee, roping in not just the drivers but their crew chiefs too.

Nick Hoffman chimed in with his two cents, highlighting how this kind of drama has been recurring on the course in this year’s asphalt races. He believes the root of the issue lies in the grueling routine: being trackside at the crack of dawn, shelling out a small fortune on tires, running 200 practice laps, only to end up wrecking the car in a race that might not even cover the costs. And now, Kenny Wallace, an old buddy of Hoffman’s, has stepped into the fray, ready to toss his hat with his own perspective on the matter.

NASCAR luminary, Kenny Wallace is of the opinion that a revamp of the racing schedule could put the brakes on such chaotic incidents

Echoing his pal Nick Hoffman’s Twitter musings, Kenny points out that the big-ticket races with a million-dollar prize usually stretch over two to three days. In his view, the solution is straightforward: these asphalt series need to downshift to a one-day event, much like the good old days in the Busch series. According to him, getting through the big gate at 9 AM, unloading one’s gear, breezing through tech, should ideally be the scene. The action should kick off around 1 PM, with practice from one to three, followed by qualifying and the race – all in a day’s work.

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But how did it start? As car counts started dwindling, tire manufacturers saw a golden opportunity to cash in. “Let’s extend practice to three days,” they suggested, eyeing the chance to sell more tires and pit passes. As Kenny Wallace puts it, the strategy of tiremakers and track owners: “[…] was make good money overcompensating. You know, that’s what it is and you’re not gonna get fans in the stands anyway for three damn days in a row.” Kenny laments that the tracks are anyway unlikely to pack the stands for three consecutive days. He suggests that even if the tire companies and track owners might grumble, a shorter schedule could be the series’ saving grace, not only in terms of survival but also in curbing on-track aggression.

Besides, since the dust-up involving Ryan Joyner and Bradley McCaskill wasn’t the only storm brewing on the track, a solution to such situations is desperately required. That’s because, even a future Cup series driver from Tony Stewart’s camp got tangled in a situation like that.

Josh Berry got hit by Brenden Queen during the final laps

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In the final lap madness, Brenden Queen threw caution to the wind, jostling not just Josh Berry but also Kaden Honeycutt in a last-ditch effort to clinch the lead. When driven about any potential rough play, Berry artfully dodged laying blame. 

He said, “Myself personally if I could replay it I think I was too patient with 45 and a double zero on the restart there side by side. I could have put them three wide and I just didn’t want to do anything. I just didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize our car, but this guy’s either. […] And I was able to get around him and then, you know, he got back into me, I got back into him, we were kind of crossing each other over. […] Sure, you know, I’m not gonna call it bare foul. I think I could have done some things better. I think we could have the car a little bit better maybe we could get away”.

As Berry hotly pursued Queen, their skirmish cracked open the door for pole sitter Kaden Honeycutt to dive into the mix, turning it into a gripping three-horse race. Honeycutt’s bid for the lead hit a wall thanks to Queen’s bullish defending. He was anything but pleased with Queen’s maneuvers in those nail-biting final moments.

Read More: Josh Berry Turns Diplomatic After Thanksgiving Classic Run Leaves Kevin Harvick’s Former Crew Chief Disappointed

So, what do you think about Kenny Wallace’s take on the situation? He’s got a unique angle on why these races often end up more like demolition derbies than sporting events. Share your thoughts!