We break down NASCAR’s last-lap caution call from this weekend’s Pocono HighPoint.com 400 Cup Series event.
In the eyes of a great many fans, NASCAR and their officiating are, well, less than consistent. Making a poor caution call here or there happens, as this is a very fast-paced sport. Some fans feel it happens an awful lot.
This has been the case for several years, not just the last year or two. A notable incident occurred as far back as the 2008 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega where Regan Smith was clearly forced below the double yellow line while taking the win. NASCAR gave that win to the second-place finisher, Tony Stewart.
This weekend’s HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono brought us yet another questionable call by those in the tower.
The Situation
With two laps to go in the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway, after what appeared to be contact from the No. 7 of Corey LaJoie’s front bumper to the back of the No. 41 of Ryan Preece, Preece was sent spinning coming out of the Tunnel Turn (Turn 2).
NASCAR did not throw the caution. NASCAR let the race play on. Denny Hamlin led the field past the start-finish line for the white flag and down the first straightaway just before the field made it to Turn 2.
NASCAR then decided it was time to throw the caution for the 41, which had not yet moved. The caution call by NASCAR at that moment ended the race. With that, Denny Hamlin became a seven-time winner at Pocono.
A closer look at the incident between @RyanPreece_ and @CoreyLaJoie. pic.twitter.com/IW77NYMpw5
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 24, 2023
What Fans See With the Caution Call Made
The timing of the caution call represents more inconsistency among the decision-makers. Or… Attempted manipulation of the race finish. It is pretty easy to see how the situation may look this way.
On lap 93, the No. 20 of Christopher Bell went around on his own bringing out a caution call that would end Stage 2. Many fans saw this as NASCAR waiting until Hamlin crossed the start-finish line to prevent another late-race restart and give him the major milestone victory that he achieved.
NASCAR’s Objective with the Caution Call
It’s honestly quite simple. NASCAR has been criticized, and rightfully so, for manipulating “boring” or “uneventful” finishes in the past. This one is just another of the times when the sanctioning body tried to prevent that from happening.
NASCAR held off the caution call for as long as possible, as Preece made no major contact and was actively trying to fire his race car. On top of that, the car was not in the immediate driving line.
At one point, Preece did manage to fire the No.41 and got it to roll although not for long. But once it was blatantly obvious the car was not going to start, and the field had gotten too close. NASCAR made the call to through the caution flag and end the race.
Featured image credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
