H
HardScrabble
Guest
Just remembered that in 1997 following a caution flag near the end of the 400 miler at Daytona, NASCAR decided to restart the race with one lap remaining. The results were predictable and not pretty. What did the competitors think about it...
NASCAR's Bonehead Move (Commentary)
It is my option that NASCAR made a pretty stupid move in restarting Daytona. I was in the midst of packing everything up and heading to the car when I noticed the lights going out on the pace car. I was stunned that they were re-starting. You could almost predict that there would be some incident at the end and potentially one that cost the race lead a win, if someone had a better re-start than he. NASCAR has been very careful in making the playing field level for all competitors and then it seems they tore it all down by this completely unthought through move. The feel like that a car cannot reach a qualifying speed for two laps so why restart with one? We are truly fortunate that it didn't cost a driver there life. It easily could have. Just my opinion. Had to get that off my chest.
Driver Quotes About That Pepsi 400 One-Lap Green Flag
"That wasn't a shoot-out. That was a slugfest, a wreckfest. They know better than to do that,'' said Dale Earnhardt, who was bumped by Dick Trickle in the incident and finished fourth.
"That's what you're asking for if you do something like that,'' Dale Jarrett said. "People are laying back just to see what they can do. You're just inviting something like that to happen. I know they don't like (races) to end up under caution but things like that are what happens when you throw the green and the white (flags) at a restrictor-plate race.''
"Every fan wants to see a race finish under green and I'm willing to bet every fan doesn't want to see anyone get hurt,'' Kyle Petty said. ``What they had is a recipe for somebody getting hurt real bad. As far as I'm concerned, NASCAR got what they wanted, the fans didn't get anything they wanted because they saw some of their favorites get taken out on the last lap and the same guy that was leading the race before the restart still won the race. Why didn't they just end it under caution?''
Derrike Cope's car was one of several destroyed in the crash, and he was irate, calling the decision to restart the race ''stupid.'' ''They had a great race, and then they had to go and do that to the race. I don't understand their thinking. It bothers me. We're racers, and we're going to go out there and dig for the hole. You don't like it to end under the yellow, but dadgum, it was a great race all day long and a great new winner. What more can they ask for? The guy that made that call ought to be whipped.''
One big winner of that wreck was Ken Schrader, who said: ''We went from 29th to 15th the last lap.''
''It's kind of crazy,'' Joe Nemechek complained, ''to have a one-lap shoot-out when everyone is driving like nuts.''
''I knew when they said 'One to go,' that all hell was going to break loose,'' David Green said. ''And it did. But maybe it was just a little impatience by one guy that messed up a lot of people.''
''We'd been struggling all day,'' Terry Labonte said, ''but we were running fifth that last restart. And I wouldn't have been real mad if it had ended under caution.''
NASCAR's Gary Nelson disagreed with the critics: ''When the track was ready to race, and we were going to restart the race. Unlike the Daytona 500, where the track had oil on it and we were criticized for not starting it. But then the track was not ready. This time the track was ready to race, and everybody came here to see a race, and to race.'' Darned if you do, and darned if you don't? ''From our end, we can't look at it that way,'' Nelson said. ''We came here to hold a race, and the competitors came here to compete. There have been wrecks on the 10th lap, even the first lap. Who knows if it's going to happen on the last lap or not. We race when the track's ready, right up to the last mile.'' (Quotes from JournalNow articles and Orlando Sentinal)
NASCAR's Bonehead Move (Commentary)
It is my option that NASCAR made a pretty stupid move in restarting Daytona. I was in the midst of packing everything up and heading to the car when I noticed the lights going out on the pace car. I was stunned that they were re-starting. You could almost predict that there would be some incident at the end and potentially one that cost the race lead a win, if someone had a better re-start than he. NASCAR has been very careful in making the playing field level for all competitors and then it seems they tore it all down by this completely unthought through move. The feel like that a car cannot reach a qualifying speed for two laps so why restart with one? We are truly fortunate that it didn't cost a driver there life. It easily could have. Just my opinion. Had to get that off my chest.
Driver Quotes About That Pepsi 400 One-Lap Green Flag
"That wasn't a shoot-out. That was a slugfest, a wreckfest. They know better than to do that,'' said Dale Earnhardt, who was bumped by Dick Trickle in the incident and finished fourth.
"That's what you're asking for if you do something like that,'' Dale Jarrett said. "People are laying back just to see what they can do. You're just inviting something like that to happen. I know they don't like (races) to end up under caution but things like that are what happens when you throw the green and the white (flags) at a restrictor-plate race.''
"Every fan wants to see a race finish under green and I'm willing to bet every fan doesn't want to see anyone get hurt,'' Kyle Petty said. ``What they had is a recipe for somebody getting hurt real bad. As far as I'm concerned, NASCAR got what they wanted, the fans didn't get anything they wanted because they saw some of their favorites get taken out on the last lap and the same guy that was leading the race before the restart still won the race. Why didn't they just end it under caution?''
Derrike Cope's car was one of several destroyed in the crash, and he was irate, calling the decision to restart the race ''stupid.'' ''They had a great race, and then they had to go and do that to the race. I don't understand their thinking. It bothers me. We're racers, and we're going to go out there and dig for the hole. You don't like it to end under the yellow, but dadgum, it was a great race all day long and a great new winner. What more can they ask for? The guy that made that call ought to be whipped.''
One big winner of that wreck was Ken Schrader, who said: ''We went from 29th to 15th the last lap.''
''It's kind of crazy,'' Joe Nemechek complained, ''to have a one-lap shoot-out when everyone is driving like nuts.''
''I knew when they said 'One to go,' that all hell was going to break loose,'' David Green said. ''And it did. But maybe it was just a little impatience by one guy that messed up a lot of people.''
''We'd been struggling all day,'' Terry Labonte said, ''but we were running fifth that last restart. And I wouldn't have been real mad if it had ended under caution.''
NASCAR's Gary Nelson disagreed with the critics: ''When the track was ready to race, and we were going to restart the race. Unlike the Daytona 500, where the track had oil on it and we were criticized for not starting it. But then the track was not ready. This time the track was ready to race, and everybody came here to see a race, and to race.'' Darned if you do, and darned if you don't? ''From our end, we can't look at it that way,'' Nelson said. ''We came here to hold a race, and the competitors came here to compete. There have been wrecks on the 10th lap, even the first lap. Who knows if it's going to happen on the last lap or not. We race when the track's ready, right up to the last mile.'' (Quotes from JournalNow articles and Orlando Sentinal)