The NASCAR warning at the end of the race at Talladega was not related to the massive wreck of the last lap but to the debris



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A final warning at the Monser Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday race at Talladega Superspeedway prematurely, and unfortunately, ended a race that would otherwise have been rather good. But while the cameras were on a huge wreck on the back, the reason for the warning, a debris, was elsewhere.

This may not sound like much, but it was – and it shows some of the complexities of the last turn warning on a thick track like Talladega.

The last round The wreck was not ideal, neither for a good finish, nor for the pilots involved. Kyle Larson's car dropped inside the track, ending the race before there could be a race to victory. Caution has come too, but not for the wreckage.

It was more for a stopped car and debris on the front straight – obstacles that were not on the camera, but that would be problematic for a field that was heading towards them. NASCAR Racing Development Manager Steve O'Donnell said that even without this huge accident, the warning would still have been announced. He also explained the decision process and the events that led to the warning, via NASCAR.com:

"Our wish for fans is always, always finish under the green," said O'Donnell. "You want to let the race unfold as much as possible, and it starts almost with (Erik Jones) 20's car turning (turns) in (turns) 3 and 4. Are you launching this warning or stick to it? And if it was stuck on the apron, this warning appears, but we saw that it was able to leave. philosophy in the last rounds.

"When it comes to hitting the wall and approaching the 17, we wonder if he has the ability to send the car back and forth or not and is there something on the track? We're going 200 miles an hour, so take a quick look, it takes a few seconds. At the moment that happens, the cars are in 1 and 2 … his car does not fall, so we pay attention. This warning flag was almost the exact moment when the incident (Larson) also began to unfold on the back. […]"

NASCAR has end-of-run procedures for warnings on the last lap or so, and is important on "flat" runways like Talladega, where carnage at the end of a race is common because of the nature of the race. the race to back. The rules are as follows: If the drivers cross the start / finish line for the last lap, the next flag will finish, yellow, red or checkered. If a warning is issued before, there are overtime hours. Let's keep this discussion for another day.

Before the last lap, NASCAR had decided not to issue a warning, as O Donnell mentioned, but the wreckage appeared after the white flag, making the warning more difficult. The wreck was behind the field, protected from collisions for a distance of 2.66 km. race track, but Larson was flying, increasing the likelihood that the security teams would get there sooner. (Larson was OK after.)

The debris, on the other hand, was in the field path, forcing the call.

NASCAR.com has not quoted O'Donnell in his statements about what the officials would have done if there had been no debris on the straight line during the wreck, but the decision would probably have taken a few seconds Furthermore. She would have also decided the outcome of the race: an order line taking the checkered flag at a cautionary speed or a backpack for the 200 mph victory.

It is always possible to require that each race finish in green without having to choose between a good finish and the deployment of security teams, but of course, trying again and again on tracks like this does not always work. as well.

It's a complex decision versus another, in fact, you just have to make a decision a little faster than the other.

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