NASCAR has clarified its policy on damaged vehicles following last weekend’s historic crash at Talladega. In five laps of the race, 28 cars collided. Several cars were stranded in the field at Turn 3, and in accordance with NASCAR’s car damage policy, Cup Series playoff contenders Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe remained in their cars for the remainder of the race to avoid destruction. Elliott and Briscoe were both towed to the track and allowed to re-enter the lap to meet the minimum speed limit. However, Briscoe was not happy with the chaotic situation. “I’ve never seen such a dirty deal in my life,” he said after the race, in last place in the playoff standings and 32 points behind the final race in the second round.
NASCAR has previously stated that returning to the pit lane under DVP means the race is over unless there are four flat tires. However, this was not the case for Elliott and Briscoe, causing massive confusion in the pitlane. NASCAR previously specified that returning to the pit lane from a DVP meant the race was over unless there were four tires. However, this was not the case for Elliott and Briscoe, causing massive confusion in the pitlane. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, clarified the parent organization’s position during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “With these programs and policies, we will take a closer look in the offseason to make sure they are effective and still provide the desired benefits,” Sawyer said.
“But we have to be able to fix some of the things that don’t work well with the policies that we like, and from the day these policies were introduced, our goal was not to have good cars or good trucks out there. races. “This policy does not change the way we have done things for the past three years. In the past, cars were towed to pit lane to fix problems. “Once you get there, you have a very small list of things you can change. The left finger is one of them. The car I towed last weekend could have made this adjustment. Get back on the road and keep your speed to a minimum.”
Two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano was one of the drivers involved in the initial spark of the crash. Brad Keselowski was later charged with a foul on Austin Cindric, who cleared the field. However, Keselowski claimed that Logano hit him and that this played a large role in the accident. “Joey pushed me. I couldn’t help myself,” Keselowski said. Logano refused to blame the former Cup Series champion and admitted he was confused about DVP himself. “It’s ridiculous.” Logano said. “I’m getting out of the car. I see several cars standing still for 10 minutes after the red flag comes on. I hope everything can change just a little bit. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
