NASCAR addresses decision to remain green during last-lap wreck of Daytona 500
After being quick to pull the trigger on the yellow flag earlier in the week, NASCAR swallowed the whistle at the end of the Daytona 500. As the field wrecked on the last lap, William Byron emerged on the outside line and won his second Great American Race in a row.
NASCAR has had a history of inconsistent calls. So much so that many fans don’t ask for one outcome or another, just that one rule be applied evenly throughout the season. In this case, throughout the same race week.
Erik Jones lost his Duel race last Thursday because NASCAR threw the caution flag before the finish line. With most of the field wrecking or having to divert their path because of the final wreck, no caution flag came out at the end of the Daytona 500.
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports got clarification from NASCAR.
“Why remain green to the finish tonight as opposed to other races this week? NASCAR was able to dispatch safety equipment on the backstretch to get to those cars as the leaders raced to the finish. They then threw the caution after the leaders crossed the finish line.”
This is a strange argument. Not because of the decision itself, but because of the decision in light of other very recent decisions made by the same officials. Fans find that frustrating and you can’t blame them.
Denny Hamlin not impressed with Daytona 500 officiating
Last night, Denny Hamlin was more than disappointed with the decision. He thought that a caution would come out when Riley Herbst spun, but was pleasantly surprised it stayed green. Then in that final wreck, Hamlin was heavily involved.
“They’ll [NASCAR] react. When they feel like they get trashed socially on a call, then they’ll go the other way on the next one,” Hamlin said about the officiating. “Either way, we weren’t going to win, so I don’t care.”
Cole Custer ended up contributing to the two final wrecks in this race. A hard push to Christopher Bell who then got into Ryan Preece. Unfortunately, that led to Preece once again flipping on the backstretch.
The end of these races has gone from intense to desperate. One moment we are watching Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin trading places for the lead, a great display of superspeedway racing. Then, William Byron emerges from the smoke. Tyler Reddick was behind him. No one was sure if they were racing or riding under caution. Byron walks away with another Daytona 500.
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