As expected, NASCAR has changed its procedure on green-white-checkered finishes for Sunday’s Chase elimination race a Talladega Superspeedway.
For Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500, NASCAR will allow for just one attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.
If the caution flag waves on the first lap of the first attempt, the race is over, rather than NASCAR lining up the cars for another attempt, as has been customary at all tracks for more than a decade.
The procedural change, made in the name of safety, was instituted in an effort to prevent the familiar and sometimes violent multi-car crashes that result from multiple attempts at a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega and Daytona.
“Following extensive dialogue with the industry, we have decided to make a procedural change at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. “In the event the race goes beyond the advertised distance due to a caution, we will use a single attempt at a green-white-checker finish. We take very seriously the responsibility of balancing exciting finishes and safety. We’re confident that this is a positive direction for both.”
Sunday’s race is the third and final one of the Chase Contender Round from which the championship field will be whittled from 12 drivers to eight.
