NASCAR could be at crossroads on ‘GWC’ rule for plate races – USA TODAY
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USA TODAY Sports’ Brant James on what everybody is talking about, what to watch for, and who will win in the CampingWorld.com 500.
USA TODAY Sports
TALLADEGA, Ala. – Jeff Gordon looked around the crowded Talladega Superspeedway media center and gave a hint of a smile.
A reporter had just asked about NASCAR’s decision to limit the number of overtime periods – known as green-white-checkereds – for Sunday’s Talladega race. Instead of a possible three, there will now be only one – if needed.
But Gordon told reporters he’d be in favor of none.
“If anybody in this room ever rode inside that car on a green-white-checkered, there’s no doubt in my mind every single one of you would say, ‘Yeah, they really shouldn’t do that,’ ” Gordon said. “It’s insane. It is absolutely insane. It is a white-knuckle experience. You’re just holding your breath.”
This is NASCAR’s dilemma: It wants to give fans a green-flag finish instead of ending the race under a caution flag after 500 miles. But at what cost?
“There’s certainly a balance between entertainment and excitement – giving the fans what they came here for – and putting drivers at risk,” Gordon said.
NASCAR believes a move to one GWC attempt for Talladega is a step toward that balance. Austin Dillon’s crash into the Daytona International Speedway catchfence during a GWC in July was enough to leave even veteran drivers and observers shaken.
VIDEO: Austin Dillon’s terrifying crash at Daytona
GWC finishes mean the field is bunched up for two laps, and bringing cars back together in a pack dramatically increases the chance for a large crash. And at restrictor-plate tracks where cars approach 200 mph, those can be terrifying.
But with everything at stake Sunday – Talladega determines the eight drivers who will advance to Round 3 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup – will the increased potential to end under caution be accepted by fans?
There’s no clear consensus among those who have traveled to Talladega when it comes to the rule change.
Michael Walter, a fan from Albany, La., spent Friday morning walking through the garage seeking autographs with his son. He said NASCAR should “leave it alone.”
“We go the whole season with three green-white-checkereds,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “And they usually crash on the last lap here anyway (before a GWC), so it doesn’t matter. But as far as danger for drivers, I think it’ll be worse for a single (GWC) because everybody knows it’s one shot and that’s it.”
But Carlton Wilke, a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan from Spartanburg, S.C., said he agrees with the rule change for Talladega “because of the carnage.”
“What’s happened the last five years with cars going in the fence, that’s not what anyone wants to happen and not the news NASCAR needs,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “I’d rather have them safe, especially after the Austin Dillon deal.”
Wilke paused, then grinned.
“Of course, if Dale Jr. is sitting second and has a run and the caution comes out, I’m sure I’ll feel differently,” he said.
Earnhardt Jr. said one GWC is plenty. Three attempts are excessive for any race – not just Talladega and Daytona, he said.
“We want to finish under green,” he said. “We should hopefully finish under green without the opportunity of a green-white-checkered. But if there is a problem where we have to run extra laps, there will be one attempt. That should satisfy not only the fans and drivers, but everybody involved.”
The history of multiple GWC attempts is a short one – as is the overtime rule itself when it comes to the Sprint Cup Series.
At a Talladega race in April 2004, fans showered the track with beverage cans as Gordon crossed the finish line to win under caution ahead of Earnhardt Jr. – a race that ultimately led to the implementation of the GWC rule in July of that year.
NASCAR kept the rule as a single GWC attempt for nearly six years until the start of the 2010 season. After Kevin Harvick won the exhibition Shootout race under caution after a GWC wreck, NASCAR announced it would try up to three of them for all races.
Now the sanctioning body is rolling back the number of overtime attempts – at least for Talladega.
“We take very seriously the responsibility of balancing exciting finishes and safety. We’re confident that this is a positive direction for both,” NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said in making the announcement Tuesday.
Officials haven’t determined whether the reduced GWC rule will carry over to other restrictor-plate races like the season-opening Daytona 500.
But Brad Keselowski, citing ESPN research which found only one of the past 15 restrictor-plate races has gone beyond a single GWC attempt, said the rule change will likely have little effect Sunday.
“Odds are it’s not gonna make a big difference at all,” he said. “…I doubt there will be any meaningful impact.”
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