The timing was off, calls were questionable, and the fans were not having it. Sunday’s Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course erupted in chaos as yet another controversial caution flag muddied what was already a messy road course weekend in Chicago. And while the Joey Logano-Ross Chastain showdown grabbed headlines, it was the late-race yellow after Cody Ware’s hard hit that got social media buzzing, and not in a good way.
As for NASCAR, though, they said it was a textbook wait-and-see approach. But with the white flag in hand on the race, and teetering on the edge of a green flag finish, that one late caution threw everything into question. The NASCAR community was sent into overdrive by this move, with Race Director Jusan Hamilton in the spotlight.
NASCAR’s late race yellow call causes mayhem
It’s been a while since a controversial late-race call by NASCAR. The last high-profile call came in Atlanta when the caution was called when Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Carson Hocevar were three wide on the final lap. Fans fumed at the call as they wanted to see the three stars race it to the line. Fast forward to the Chicago Street Circuit, and while the speeds were not as high as in Atlanta, the tension and wrecks made up for it.
Sunday’s drama came on Lap 75 at Turn 6, when Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware suffered a brake-rotor failure, barreled into the tire barriers, and planted the No. 51 Ford at 93 mph, before radios crackled with his plea, “Need help.” Yet almost 35 seconds later, NASCAR finally threw the caution flag, after leader Shane van Gisbergen had already taken the white flag, officially ending the race under caution with SVG completing the weekend sweep.
Jeff Gluck reported on X that “NASCAR waited 34.7 seconds to throw the caution after impact.” That delay flipped the dynamic entirely. Had NASCAR waved the yellow immediately, the Trackhouse Racing driver’s magic lap would’ve been nullified, the field would have gone for an overtime shootout, and history might have looked different.
However, it was NASCAR’s race director, Jusan Hamilton, who got the short end of the stick from the fans. John Newby posted Hamilton’s response on X, saying, “The ‘race director saw the car in the tire packs. Obviously, seeing the in-car, the hit was a big one – but when we see a car in the tire packs, there’s no way to know the severity. As we always do on road courses, we wait to see if the car can pull out and drive off, like the 5 car did in that same area last year. Always hope for a green flag finish. Once the window net came down and the driver climbed out, we needed to throw the caution.”
In principle, a yellow flag signals danger, like a crash, a breeze, fluid on the track, or a stalled car. Once race control identifies the safety issue, it should throw the flag immediately to slow the field. Race control often weighs in to assess the situation. For minor incidents, they look to see if the car can exit the danger zone.
Reached out to #NASCAR.
The “race director saw the car in the tire packs. Obviously, seeing the in-car, the hit was a big one – but when we see a car in the tire packs, there’s no way to know the severity.
“As we always do on road courses, we wait to see if the car can pull out… https://t.co/qBMsIzN9o7
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) July 6, 2025
They noted that the officials had to verify whether a driver could safely leave the crash site, as Kyle Larson did after a similar incident last year in Chicago. Only once Ware climbed out, the window net came down, and they pulled the trigger. Cody Ware told Frontstretch, “Yeah, I mean, especially given the speed of how fast we were going into the barrier. Obviously I’m not going anywhere, there’s not much I can do at that point. But obviously, at that point, I’m just focused on getting out of the car and getting to a safe spot.”
A major wreck like Cody Ware’s full-throttle impact into the barriers should, in theory, trigger an immediate yellow. Historically, NASCAR shifted away from racing back to caution to freeze positions instantly, but deciding whether to interrupt the finish for a wreck remains a judgment call. They have faced criticism for inconsistency, sometimes delaying to let the race stay green, like the 2025 Daytona 500, and sometimes calling it too quickly, like the Ambetter Health 400 the very next week!
But it wasn’t the first question to raise. Earlier, on lap 29, Erik Jones and Josh Berry tangled in turn 7, leaving Berry’s car stranded off the racing line. NASCAR went through the yellow on lap 30, after several drivers, including Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick, scooped through for a pit stop as the lane closed. “There should not have been an opportunity for cars to pit there. That was silly,” quipped JGR’s Chris Gabehart.
All of which sparked one clear takeaway. Whether it was a delayed yellow for a high-speed wreck or a preemptive flag that locked in pit strategy, fans felt NASCAR had messed up again.
Fans burst into outrage over the race director’s response
If there’s one thing NASCAR fans aren’t short on, it’s passion, and after Sunday’s yellow flag delay, that passion turned into a full-blown fury the moment Cody Ware’s car slammed into the tire barrier. Fans didn’t just wait for a caution; they expected it. When the flag didn’t come out until a full half a minute later, the internet exploded.
One user summed it up with a gut-punchy clarity, saying, “Given the chance, @NASCAR screws it up every time.” What really set people off wasn’t just a delay; it was also the logic. According to NASCAR’s statement, they waited to see if Ware could drive off, even after he had radioed for help and was buried. That logic didn’t land well online.
One fan wrote, “Hold on… am I reading this correctly? They were going to keep it green until they saw him climb out of the car???? So they were going to let the whole field go by him while he’s stuffed in a tire barrier in one of the fastest parts of the track?” The idea of prioritizing race flow over driver safety, not just for Ware but for the 30+ cars barreling toward Turn 6, made jaws drop.
The optics got worse when fans remembered how quickly NASCAR threw precautions last year for Kyle Larson. One fan, with immense passion, called out the double standards, saying, “Windshield deep. Threw the caution in 3 seconds after Larson went windshield deep last year. Bull—-, the media has a responsibility to call bull—-.”
That’s when the real accusations started flying, like NASCAR manipulating the outcome. One fan wrote, “Lmao. NASCAR is ran by idiots. There was a tire on this man’s windshield. Where’s the tire gonna go IF he backs up?!?” This is a fair point, considering the tires would only barrel down on Ware if he attempted to back up into the racetrack, which would be a dangerous maneuver in itself with the lack of spotter visibility on the track.
One special fiery comment nailed the core of the outrage, saying, “Translation, NASCAR wanted to make sure their preferred winner won the race. Never consistent.” And in this case, the fans weren’t just calling it; they were screaming it from behind their screens. Well, the fan sentiment is fueled with frustration. What did you think of NASCAR’s decision to wait before calling the caution? Let us know in the comments!
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