November 2, 2010
By Allen Madding
When the checkered flag flew at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday over the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Mountain Dew 250, Kyle Busch had violated the “No Racing Below the Double Yellow Line at Talladega or Daytona” Rule. Busch had pushed Aric Almirola around the 2.66-mile final lap and then gave him a little shove high and dove underneath him for a battle to the finish line.
But on the way to the start/finish line, Busch made a misstep and crossed the double yellow line. The fans in the stands and the fans watching on television all turned to each other and explained, "this has been a black and white rule with absolutely no gray area since its inception."
NASCAR’s Mike Helton has said it multiple times, “This is your warning: race above the yellow line. If, in NASCAR'S judgment, you go below the yellow line to improve your position, you will be black-flagged.”
The driver’s intentions for going below the line has been previously lobbied to NASCAR and has always fallen on deaf ears.
In 2008, Reagan Smith and Tony Stewart were racing back to the checkered flag, and Smith dropped low to make a pass on Stewart. Stewart jerked down in front of him to block the move. Smith instinctually swerved to avoid wrecking both cars. Smith crossed the start/finish line ahead of Stewart but NASCAR gave the win to Stewart. When Smith lobbied that he did not intentionally drive below the double yellow line but was forced down there by Stewarts move, NASCAR said, “No Dice.”
In the next driver’s meeting at a Superspeedway, Helton clarified the rule, “To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap.”
NASCAR had drawn the line in the sand, stood with the toes of their shoes on the edge of the line, crossed their arms, and said, “Do Not Push It!”
With this explanation going on in the grandstands and in living rooms all across America, the sporting public awaited the ruling from the NASCAR control tower. When the ruling came down, the masses had bewilderment painted on their faces. NASCAR ruled that Kyle Busch had won the Mountain Dew 250.
So what logic, or lack thereof, was used to make the decision? Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition explained that Busch “was spinning sideways and he was correcting it.”
Twitter became a hotbed in the hours following the race. Many expressed their unbelief that NASCAR had gone soft on their hard stance on the yellow line rule. Others claimed that NASCAR had stepped over its bounds to benefit Kyle Busch, one its Sprint Cup drivers who regularly interlopes in the minor leagues of NASCAR effectively stealing the minor league teams opportunity at the division’s purse money.
So when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Amp Energy Juice 500 got underway, many wondered how this one would finish. After 188 laps of two cars shoving each other past long single-file lines of cars drafting, 87 changes of the lead among 26 drivers, and only seven caution flags, it all came down to the money lap. Kevin Harvick had a fender out front of his teammate Clint Bowyer when they both crossed the start/finish line as the white flag flew for the final lap. But a multi-car wreck ignited behind the leaders as they set off into Turn One. NASCAR threw the yellow flag and set off the track’s warning lights.
By NASCAR’s rules, if the yellow comes out after the white flag has flown, the race is over. Now all that is left is to determine the winner. So as the entire field slowed down to 55 mph to come back around the 2.66-mile track, NASCAR began to make its determination. When the cars reached the entrance to Pit Road, NASCAR still did not know who the winner was.
So, Harvick and Bowyer both slowly came to the start finish line. After waiting sometime, Bowyer elected to do a burnout and celebrate the win. Harvick sat quietly in his car on the front stretch. Once Bowyer’s burnout was complete, NASCAR still had not made a determination. So both drivers headed to Pit Road and towards Victory Circle.
Finally, NASCAR declared Bowyer the winner and pointed both drivers to the spoiler inspection line at the entrance of Pit Road. Once both cars had their spoiler angles measured and approved, Bowyer was directed to Victory Lane.
NASCAR clearly explained that at the split second the yellow warning lights were activated, that Bowyer’s car was a few inches ahead of Harvick’s in the Turn 1 area. Fans and spectators quickly vented their disbelief and confusion over the finish.
While Sunday’s finish was controversial in nature, it appeared the sanctioning body did its best to review the technology they have put in place for these kinds of finishes and they took their time to rule fairly.
Saturday’s finish however was the sanctioning body being inconsistent in an area where until this weekend they have always been consistent and unwavering. Why NASCAR chose to back down from their hard line in the sand addressing going below the yellow line is anyone’s guess, and the number of theories are endless.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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