12/21/24
August 14, 2006
Green Light... RED LIGHT! haha go back to the beginning.: While crew chief Roy McCauley argued the call - and the ensuing penalty that left Busch as the last car on the lead lap - NASCAR officials said the caution and the light closing pit road happened 2 seconds before the driver headed past the commitment line for a stop.
posted by everett to auto racing at 08:50 AM - 19 comments
wow...talk about a "don't blink!" moment. Seriously... count out two seconds to yourself it's not that long...it takes longer than two seconds to say the first sentence up there (at least here in the south... ; ) hehehe) I guess rules are rules and 2 seconds is no different than 2 minutes if you stick hard and fast to the rules. But my opinion is that sports in general, whether it be racing or football or baseball or whatever, are much more enjoyable to watch when those officiating the events temper the rules with common sense and a grasp of reasonable expectation that give a bit of room for the HUMAN judge to make a HUMAN call in the interest of the HUMAN competitors and the HUMANS watching the event. but that's just me
posted by Daddy Crush at 10:02 AM on August 14, 2006
You know what I think just look at the screen name.
posted by kckurtbusch at 10:15 AM on August 14, 2006
on this track, (the Glen), all they need to do is have a flagman before the pits waving a little red flag to let the drivers know that the pit is closed. Having said that i smiled when it happened to busch. :) he's so...... well, Busch
posted by ptluigi at 11:03 AM on August 14, 2006
They have spotters and a crew on the lookout. Nobody else made the mistake that day. If Busch had just not stopped to pit and drove through there would have been no penalty. Pay to play. Pay attention is what I'd say. The race was great, lots of action and record number of cautions.
posted by T$PORT4lawschool at 12:14 PM on August 14, 2006
If you jump the light in NHRA your done, if you jump the light in NASCAR, your done. Enough said.
posted by Psycho at 12:19 PM on August 14, 2006
They tried the flagman once and that turned into a disaster at a race last year or the year before. The official who was right there should have contacted Nascar right then and told them what happened. Maybe he should have a flag for just that situation. I'm not sure moving the line back can work at all tracks. A place like Miami that has a seperate entrance to pit road could turn into a disaster. If there was any doubt, Kurt should have been told to go through the pits and enter when the pits were open. He wouldn't have lost as much track position. I blame the crew chief as much as anyone. This is something that might happen once a year. I don't see where Nascar has to go change everything for this.
posted by dbt302 at 12:20 PM on August 14, 2006
I am not a Busch fan but he did get a raw deal. Nascar should be a little quicker on switching the lights.
posted by standean at 12:21 PM on August 14, 2006
They were trying to pull a fast one on the rest of the field and got caught. He could have avoided the penalty by going through the pits without stopping, but he didn't even though they knew by the time he stopped the pits were closed. He deserved what he got.
posted by bkennamer at 12:29 PM on August 14, 2006
This is quite possible the dumbest rule in NASCAR. They need to put the commit line well ahead of the entrance to the pits to allow drivers time, should something like this happen, to abort their entrance into the pits Once your past the Commitment Line You have to go throught the pits or you get a penalty, You cant just turn left and avoid pit lane
posted by your-money9388 at 03:13 PM on August 14, 2006
Good point Money. I completely forgot about that part of the rule. If you turn left once you've gone past the line, you still get a penalty.
posted by dbt302 at 03:21 PM on August 14, 2006
On this one I will enter in because it is NASCAR again. Pit road open/closed, speed limits in the pits, restrictor plates, luck dog pass, burn out after winning. This will make drivers like Glen "Fireball" Roberts, Tiny Lund, Lee Petty, Ray Flock, and many others wonder what happened to their beloved race. Now NASCAR wants to add the COT (car of tomorrow) and we won't know what manufacture is doing. Bring back the good ole boys who drove without bump drafting and driving through others to get what they wanted. I would be curious as to what Bobby Issac could do with the K&K Dodge Daytona on todays tires. A disgruntled loyal NASCAR fan who will be finding anothe hobby soon I think. Thank you Mr. France.
posted by coach at 03:28 PM on August 14, 2006
Oh yes I forgot one big one: THE CHASE. What a crock this is. Not sure where this one came from but wished it would go back.
posted by coach at 03:38 PM on August 14, 2006
i might be wrong on this....but isnt the field frozen once the caution comes out....he wouldnt have lost any positions if he hadnt stopped...if he would have just driven through wouldnt he still have kept his position? as far as the rule goes...it is the rule...yeah it was unfair that he didnt have time to turn left...but his spotters and crew chief should have told him to go on.
posted by BLAKE320 at 05:27 PM on August 14, 2006
They could just do what they do in F1 and NOT CLOSE THE FUCKING PIT! I mean for all it's retarded rules and regulations, F1 at least has THAT right. I mean what is the reasoning? Since it can't be safety since having EVERY CAR pit at once is suicidal. I saw that, and he was inches from the line when it changed. That's bullshit. I'm a Tony Stewart fan (from hells heart, I stab at thee Harvick) so it directly benefitted him, but that was bullshit. Could he even see the light from there? I mean you can blame him or the team all you want, but the fact is Busch probably couldn't see the light he was that close to it (you've got the car, the helmet, and he's probably more worried about hitting his mark than watching the bloody light) and the team have no way of knowing he missed it by inches unless they had someone standing RIGHT by the line. Absolutely ridiculous, and it just reminded me of what a farce NASCAR is. (See Coach's post for another good reason to not bother.) BLAKE: I am no expert, but I believe, while you are correct about the field being frozen, the pits don't count.
posted by Drood at 06:37 PM on August 14, 2006
"Once your past the Commitment Line" You have to get a divorce?
posted by Drood at 06:39 PM on August 14, 2006
I believe he could have just driven through but chose not to for some bonehead reason. I still haven't heard his explanation niether cause they said he politely declined an interview.(weak).
posted by kckurtbusch at 10:00 PM on August 14, 2006
Im not a fan of the Busch Bro's, but I do think he got hosed. As a driver nears the line he has to be looking at his tack to make sure he's not speeding. Add to that the HANS device, the helmet and the seat there is no way he should be trying to look for a stop light. Coach I agree with you, but ya don't have to go that far back to find drivers who would not like the changes that have been made. I don't think Dale Sr. or Neil Bonnet whould like the changes. I could not believe Jeff Gordon got a ten grand fine for that little shove of Matt Kenseth. If it had been A.J. Foyt or Buddy Baker or Cale Yarborough, Kenseth would have gotton the shit kicked out of him. I will never forget the thrill of watching NASCAR pit stops at Talladega and Indy cars at the Brick Yard. Yea it was a bit nuts when thirty car came screaming down pit road at 150 mph but it sure was fun to watch.
posted by CB900 at 12:39 AM on August 15, 2006
I still can't believe that somebody quoted (okay, paraphrased) Shakespeare in a NASCAR thread. Well fucking done, indeed.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:02 AM on August 15, 2006
This is quite possible the dumbest rule in NASCAR. They need to put the commit line well ahead of the entrance to the pits to allow drivers time, should something like this happen, to abort their entrance into the pits