Was NASCAR’s non-call of Chase Elliott justified?

Sunday’s (Oct. 10) Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL featured another episode in the ongoing feud between Kevin Harvick And Chase Elliott.

Harvick’s decision to spin Elliott and the damage caused by the crash caused Elliott’s rear panel to detach and wave to fans for several laps before breaking free and onto the track.

Should NASCAR have black flagged the No. 9 car to immediately repair the part, or was it justifiable to let things play out? This week, Vito Pugliese and Amy Henderson tackle the topic in this week’s episode of 2-Headed Monster.

The gray area of ​​black flags

When Harvick pushed Elliott into the wall at ROVAL on Sunday, it was widely believed to be retaliation for their dusting at Bristol Motor Speedway, which Harvick instigated by sending Elliott into the wall, cutting his tire in the process , with the aim of preventing the defending champion from continuing in the playoffs.

Harvick’s intention was clear, as he attempted to spin it earlier on the same lap before Turn 1.

Although the resulting damage wasn’t enough to sideline the No. 9 car, the NAPA Camaro was no longer a contender after a collision with Cole CusterHarvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate goes into the embankment, creating enough damage to require the rear bumper cover to be taped down.

A few laps later, the bumper cover started flapping and flapping in the breeze, but NASCAR let him continue, not forcing him to the pits, only asking him to fix it during a pit stop. Some believe this was inconsistent on NASCAR’s part, demonstrating favoritism toward Elliott as a playoff contender, popular driver and reigning champion — among a host of other variables.

Wow. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s dissect the elements that led to NASCAR’s explanation that the part was not required for this particular race because there was no aerodynamic benefit or safety concern urgent.

First, yes, Elliott and Harvick were both competing for a spot to advance to the playoffs, even though Harvick blew the entry to Turn 1 and cut the #4 to about 2.5.

Harvick has a history of manipulation in the postseason, from intentionally spinning Trevor Bayne to the front of the field at Talladega because he was low on fuel in 2015, to shoving him around. Brad Keselowski within reach of an angry mob in Texas in 2014, hoping to get trampled like a stunner at a biker rally. He was also the benefactor of the team’s late-run communications that resulted in a 2011 caution to Richmond that allowed it to advance to a previous iteration of the playoffs.

So why should this person be allowed to routinely benefit from actions that would – and have – resulted in the suspension of other drivers? If there’s one criticism to be leveled at NASCAR, it’s for not penalizing the No. 4 for rough driving after intentionally wrecking a competitor in an interrupted race.

Second, Elliott’s bumper didn’t necessarily represent a safety issue either. It’s a flimsy piece of fiberglass, set on a track where the speeds are what you’d typically see at a local late-model asphalt race. This isn’t something that’s going to end up in the stands or go through a windshield like a piece of tungsten, so we can suspend the hysteria of lives at stake. Nor is there an area for spectators where it could reasonably be feared that it would reach if it exploded at high speed. Even if it did, it would be a nice souvenir to come away with.

Could it cut a tire? Um, what about those jumps they installed in the rear chicane? It wasn’t exactly Kyle Larson dropping off an engine and wheel assembly in the pits at Daytona International Speedway in 2013.

Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, when reporting on NASCAR’s reasoning, used the phrase “swallowed the whistle” when referring to the decision not to throw the black flag, only to suggest that they correct it in the event warning. Although I usually wince when other sports analogies are used in regards to auto racing, in this case it’s completely accurate.

How many football games have you seen where the officials botch a penalty call, but make up for it with a call that otherwise couldn’t have been called on the next possession? This is part of the gray area that fans always cry out about wishing still existed in the sport.

“NASCAR has too many rules!” » they cried! Well, there you have it, folks…a little darkness has appeared.

Truth be told, it’s not that uncommon to not report someone for something that’s wrong. If you’ve been to a race, you know all too well how many cars run on much faster tracks with bare body parts and linkages floating, objects smoking, objects dragging, or in the most extreme cases, truck number 10 is on the ground.

The fact that it was loose was not an aerodynamic advantage and it was not an integral part of the car’s structure. It was a ball-and-strike decision and NASCAR chose not to penalize a driver who was already the victim of a salty competitor with a documented history of changing the outcome of the playoffs.

If it hadn’t been Elliott and said Kurt Busch who wasn’t in the playoffs or black flag, would that even be a discussion? –Vito Pugliese

Some things should be black (and white)

According to NASCAR rules, the black flag “informs selected drivers that they must proceed to pit road immediately and report to their pit box.” Drivers are black flagged for reasons such as a driver/team infraction or a potential problem with the car. The black flag does not mean automatic disqualification.

Throwing that flag isn’t something NASCAR does on a whim. At most circuits this will cost a team at least one lap, so it is a last resort, not to be taken lightly.

But let’s face it, in the heat of competition, teams don’t want to stop to repair their race cars for the same reason: it’s too costly in terms of track position. But there are cases where staying on track creates a safety issue, and at that point, NASCAR must make the decision for him.

Such a case occurred Sunday at the Charlotte ROVAL. After contact with Harvick, Elliott suffered significant damage to the rear of the No. 9 Chevrolet. His team carried out initial repairs, including gluing the partially torn rear bumper cover to the trunk lid. This repair was quicker than the alternative, which was to completely cut the bumper cover off, and the team was under fire over the damaged vehicle policy, with only minutes to get back on track. lane and respect the minimum speed without danger for themselves or others.

And off they went, at least to begin with. Elliott didn’t even lose a lap, benefiting from the long caution laps on the road course.

The problem was that the tape didn’t hold and the bumper cover came loose, dragging behind the car on the track. It was obvious that he would eventually fly out of the car; It was just a matter of time.

And that’s when NASCAR should have ordered the team to return to the pits. The bumper itself wasn’t the problem since cars aren’t required to have them on road courses. On some oval tracks, the team would have had to replace the entire bumper to continue, but that was not the case on Sunday. Cutting it would have satisfied the rules.

The problem was the semi-attached cover dragging on the racing surface. It’s not about competition; it goes beyond that and becomes a security issue. Any time a moving part is in danger of falling out of the car, the team should be forced to make repairs, period.

There is no way for a team to know if or when a loose part might come loose from a moving race car. Elliott’s scenario turned out to be a best-case scenario, but it was never a given. A piece of debris, especially a large piece, could damage another race car and end that driver’s chances of finishing correctly.

It’s bad enough getting stuck in someone else’s wreck, but a known issue the team could fix? This is another level of injustice. And it’s not unfair if another driver is injured in an accident caused by this spare part. Or worse yet, if he managed to enter the stands and injure a fan. Depending on the piece, that’s not out of the question. A part such as a bumper could be thrown over a fence under certain conditions, or into the infield, or, for that matter, onto pit road where crew members are not protected by guards. safety bars.

Overall, the risk of someone else being hurt in some way by a team’s negligence is quite high.

And it can and should suck. Floating or floating debris clinging to a moving race car, whether on an oval from a short track to a superspeedway or on a road course, is a safety issue and should be treated as such – with a flag automatic black if the team refuses to recognize it. Yeah, it’ll ruin their day. But their problem certainly shouldn’t have the opportunity to ruin someone else’s. — Amy Henderson