Ryan Blaney knows the feeling of winning a NASCAR All-Star race. Back in 2022, the special event was held at the Texas Motor Speedway, and it was a time when no one knew how the Next Gen car would change NASCAR racing for years to come. The Penske driver had to hit his markers as the race came down to the wire in the overtime finish, after all, it was Denny Hamlin looking to pounce and stage a late race heist. But, Blaney kept his cool, blocked the lanes and took the checkered flag 0.266 seconds ahead of the No. 11 car. It was pure, clean and raw, just like NASCAR races should be, but who knew the All-Star race would turn into an experiment in a few years.
Last year, the sanctioning body was hoping to find the cure for the short-track package and rolled out the softer red Goodyear tires at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Yeah, this soft compound had a few moments, but NASCAR discontinued their use this year. Well, there’s only so much you can do with a broken car, and yet NASCAR thought the tires were the answer. And this script is continuing this year, and without any major changes to the car or the package, NASCAR had resorted to another gimmick, ‘Promoters Caution.’ And this has got Blaney asking Marcus Smith for favor.
He told Racing America, “Yeah, probably send Marcus Smith a gift. Like a bottle of wine, this week to be on his good graces. The All-Star format, you have so much leash with that race, because it is an exhibition All-Star race. You can come up with some funky ideas and whatever you want. That’s really what it is, what wacky ideas can we do and things like that.”
The funky idea Blaney is referring to is the promoter’s caution, and it allows Marcus Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, to spark late race drama. If there is no natural caution in the race after Lap 220, Smith can hit the button and bring in the caution. This will lead to bunching up of the cars and late race restarts, which are often chaotic on short tracks. But, if there is a natural caution after Lap 200, the promoter’s caution gets cancelled out. No wonder Ryan Blaney is looking to be in the good books of Marcus Smith, as that caution could make or break his chances to win $1 million.
Not just Blaney, his teammate Joey Logano, who won the All-Star race last year, isn’t sure how influential this caution could be for Sunday’s race. “It’s an interesting way to do it. I guess the All-Star race presents the opportunity to do things outside the box. I’m not really sure how I feel about that part of it. At least we know it’s coming right and we can plan around it.”
As if this wasn’t enough, NASCAR also proposed another big change this year. ‘Run what you brung’ concept, basically a free hand given to teams in finding extra speed or performance on the racecar. No suspension, post-race or pre-race inspection drama, it was an invitation to bring out positive change to the Next Gen car. But this idea was shut down quickly by the team owners, and only Denny Hamlin revealed the true reason behind it.
NASCAR wasn’t bearing the extra cost for new inventions
Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing, was up on his feet when he heard about this idea. But after learning that the parts and pieces to build this car fall on the team, his stance changed. According to him, the cost was just too much, and even the $1 million price wasn’t enough to cover it. “Everyone want to have fun and do all these things, but who is going to pay for it?”
The problem is that the $1 million is not an attractive amount as it was 20 years ago. The cost of building a Next Gen can go up to $350,000, and 23XI Racing has three cars, and if they get wrecked or damaged, they will be the ones taking the hit, not NASCAR. “Under the rules that were kind of put in front of us, you have to use the Next Gen parts, but you can do whatever you want with them. So what we’re going to do is destroy every piece and part of the car and make it lighter or something.” He explained on the Actions Detrimental podcast.
While it was a good initiative to solve the trouble with the short-track package, NASCAR shouldn’t be leaning on the teams to bring about a positive change. Not to forget, 23XI Racing is already suing them on antitrust grounds, after differences in revenue share and split through the charter system. Was this a good idea, especially at a time when teams are in a cash crunch? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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