Yellow Flag for NASCAR

The 2023 Daytona 500 saw a relatively low amount of cautions compared to years past. While some see cautions as part of the sport and you can’t blame them for losing a race, Kyle Busch could certainly say that the caution that came late in this years 500 cost him his first win in the Great American Race.

        Earlier in the race, Riley Herbst spun into the grassy patch next to pit road and as he was able to collect his car without being in the way of any car, there was no caution. However, with 3 laps to go, after Kyle Busch was pushed to the lead by teammate Austin Dillon and William Byron, Daniel Suarez spun in a very similar spot. The difference between them is that Suarez never caught the grass and was able to gain complete control of his car without even coming to a stop. Despite this, Nascar was quick to throw the caution.

        While on one hand I understand wanting closer racing to finish a race, the other hand shows that this call was one that shouldn’t have been made. With the Next Gen cars, the racing is arguably better and more competitive when they are spread out like they were before the caution than if there is a restart that stacks every car two wide. Nascar was set for a much more entertaining finish if they kept it green than by throwing a hasty caution. In my opinion, the only thing that is gained with a late restart is a massive wreck to use for future promotions, which is exactly what they got.

        As a result of the caution, the RCR teammates tried to group back together on the restart which led to a stackup on the bottom lane resulting in a massive wreck including two of the top three beforehand, Austin Dillon and William Byron. After another restart, Kyle Busch was already in bad track position and was involved in the last lap wreck.

        Kyle Busch was in the perfect position to win his first Daytona 500 after 17 previous tries. I am of the belief that Kyle is one of the better speedway drivers on the circuit, but he has the worst luck out of any other driver. The last time he wasn’t wrecked, he finished 2nd to now former teammate, Denny Hamlin in 2019. And now, after 18 attempts, Kyle is still looking to win the biggest race of the year for the first time.

        Many were quick to blame the overtime rules for what transpired, but I think that we need overtime. Races ending under yellow with 5 laps to go are something that every fan would hate. While races can still end under yellow with the current rules, the race is typically much more decided with less than one full lap left. Everyone is quick to criticize without an answer. There is no answer other than policing the officials to not call cautions for the sake of entertainment. That is the change that we need. There is no rules change needed, just a new policy for the officials making these quick calls.