Jeff Gluck: Kasey Kahne says debris caution was bogus, but so what?
By Jeff Gluck - Associate Editor
Monday, October 12, 2009
The caution flag waves during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California.
Mark Sluder
NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
FONTANA, Calif. – Kasey Kahne slammed NASCAR on Sunday for what he said was a caution for phantom debris during the Pepsi 500.
Kahne was upset about being caught in a wreck that occurred thanks to a double-file restart following a late caution. The driver said NASCAR was trying to make up for a boring race by creating some drama with a yellow flag.
I don't know if that's true or not. I heard officials talking about a piece of debris under the caution light on the backstretch right before they displayed the yellow flag, but we may never really know whether they spotted something legitimate or Kahne's assertion that NASCAR wanted to bunch up the field was accurate.
But I do know this: It doesn't matter.
Personally, I don't have a problem with "phantom" cautions. If NASCAR is looking for an excuse to bring all the cars back together and create some excitement with a double-file restart, I'm totally OK with that.
Why? Because double-file restarts have done what the new car could not: dramatically improve the quality of racing, even at a place like Auto Club Speedway, which has traditionally put on some lackluster events.
If that debris caution wasn't called yesterday, the race very well may have finished with Jimmie Johnson winning by 12 seconds. Is that what you really wanted? That's not good for the fans or the sport.
Johnson still won, so it's not as if NASCAR stole a win from someone by throwing the caution. Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other drivers were obviously mad because they had poor finishes after wrecks caused by the bunched-up field, but fans would rather see action and drama than single-file, follow-the-leader racing.
In some cases, a debris caution is a less blatant way to call a timeout. Other sports have timeouts to reset the action. What's wrong with using the debris caution to inject some action into an otherwise boring race?
The alternative (aside from just letting a driver stink up the show) would be to have a competition caution at an arbitrary lap – perhaps 10 laps to go. This would cause a shootout-like finish at every race and would make for must-see viewing because fans would be certain to see a good ending.
But there would probably be a chorus of opposition to that for being too contrived, much more than is raised for a "phantom" caution – even when a driver like Kahne calls NASCAR out for it.
Fans need these cautions to get more double-file restarts, which is when 90 percent of the excitement these days occurs.
Whether there's real debris that could damage a car or the "debris" turns out to be a piece of rubber or a water bottle, debris cautions late in the race produce entertaining finishes.
Let's say Kahne was right and NASCAR really did throw a caution on Sunday just for the benefit of the fans and good racing.
So what?
Miss Sprint Cup | On Twitter Now
Popular News
-
Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards avoids suspension, placed on probation for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski at Atlanta
Comments (317) -
Brad Keselowski says he won't back down, will continue to race aggressively despite controversial crash with Carl Edwards
Comments (284) -
Angry Carl Edwards causes frightening crash when he retaliates against Brad Keselowski at Atlanta
Comments (184) -
MONDAY MORNING CREW CHIEF: NASCAR faces a big question – what to do with Carl Edwards?
Comments (153) -
After Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski incident, paybacks on the track are more acceptable, NASCAR drivers say
Comments (151)
Recent Headlines
-
1960 champion Rex White honored by competitor Ned Jarrett and others
Comments (2) -
Lead-lap finishes help thrust Paul Menard into top-10 in points
Comments (19) -
Fans invited to join racing legends in honoring NASCAR champion Rex White
Comments (5) -
Scott Riggs happy with young RAB Racing’s start
Comments (7) -
Richard Childress Racing atmosphere: Revival brings relief and excitement while challenges remain
Comments (11)
Poll PositionView All
How should NASCAR penalize Carl Edwards?
Promotions
-
Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.
-
Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.
Comments
87 responses to "Jeff Gluck: Kasey Kahne says debris caution was bogus, but so what?". Post a Comment.
jenny9nelsen said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:21 PMThe race was boring til the end but of corse Kasey had to be in the last 2 wrecks. Kasey was frustrated that a top 5 or 10 finish ended up 34 and a DNF. He dose not say things like that. He hangs out with Tony to much lol. I am dissappointed that Kasey was cought up in the last 2 wrecks. Speed did show debris on the track all the time that there was a caution for debris.
SD_User_007387 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:34 PMSPORTS ENTERTAINMENT = WWE and now NASCAR.
jondoble said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:38 PMTimeouts are not a way to reset the action in any other sport. When a team calls a timeout in the fourth quarter, they don't reset the score to put them within a touchdown. They don't get caught up with the team in front of them. The timeout is to give them extra time to come up with a plan to stop the other team.
Wrecking is not good racing. Good racing, to me and hard-core racing fans, is two drivers running side-by-side giving each other no more room than they need to race without wrecking each other. Like Kenseth and Burton at Dover a few years back or Briscoe and Carpenter at Kentucky in the IRL. That's good racing.
Throwing the field side-by-side is going to result in drivers making stupid moves and wrecks. If you're just going to do that at the end of each race, why run the first 99% of the race? Why not just put everyone together, wave the green flag, and race 5 laps and declare a winner.
Everyone pretty much says the racing used to be better in the past. Well, what's the difference between that NASCAR and this NASCAR? That NASCAR had a handful of drivers who were capable of winning, this NASCAR has more. So the racing should be better right?
NASCAR didn't call cautions back in the day for something inconsequential on the track, or even nothing on the track. I remember races where a driver would get loose off a turn, pull a 360 and keep going without a caution. Now a driver does the same thing and they throw the yellow. NASCAR is trying to cover up their larger issues by throwing a caution to bunch up the field because the fair weather fans prefer to watch wrecking rather than racing.
cggapp said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:59 PMAll the double file restarts does for the sport is create wrecks. In this economy, it makes no sense to wreck 8 or 10 cars in the last few laps. Personally I would rather see side by side racing without so many wrecks. These races are more like the big one at Talladega. Gets pretty expensive and probably pretty sickening to the drivers who were having a good race only to have somone overdrive their car and wreck them. Nascar is just trying to create something that is not their anymore which is excitement.
SD_User_007387 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:02 PM(1) How are fake cautions that cause wrecks good racing? (2) How are fake cautions that cause wrecks good for the safety of the drivers? (3) How are fake cautions that cause wrecks good at saving teams money?
CCCANNON said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:08 PMThe SCENE is starting to have a credibility
problem.
castlekitty said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:09 PMI guess my biggest issue is we throw fake cautions to bunch up the field but when we have legitimate issues on the track like cars sitting cross ways of the track or having hit the wall and trying to get down in the pits or they have spun wildly into the front stretch grass and are sitting there we don't throw a caution. I feel like both situations put drivers at risk. I want to see a good race. The drivers and the teams should be able to do that without intercession from Nascar. If they can't maybe it's time to look at why. For instance if they can't run together and all the cars are obviously not equal then we didn't create a level playing field and something needs to change. If we are going IROC race in the Crap On Tires. Then lets race not follow the leader and then bunch it up for a green white checker with a phantom caution every week. My driver and all the other drivers are way too valuable to risk their safety on such blatant dishonesty.
anonymous said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:10 PMI personally would rather watch Jimmie win by 12 seconds than have NASCAR throw an unnecessary caution. A 20 min red flagged race is much more boring than what was going on before the debris caution. If NASCAR wants to bring some excitement in the form of big crashes then they should go pay for those teams to fix their wrecked cars. Yes I want excitement, but natural excitement. Not excitement manufactured by NASCAR through and unnecessary caution. Just let the drivers drive the race and what happens happens. Maybe my appreciation fro racing is different than the average fan but I don't watch to see an accident and I don't watch to see double file restarts...I watch to see the best drivers out there race a race. Stopping and starting, regardless of it being single file or double file restarts is not at all what a race is about and it is not why I watch.
Also, Kasey usually keeps his mouth shut when it comes to NASCAR's calls even when it doesn't favor him so for him to call NASCAR out on this makes me feel that NASCAR really was in the wrong. Also, maybe the media should let the fans know NASCAR told Kasey's crew they weren't allowed to try and fix their car once it went back to yellow. It is one thing for NASCAR to tell a team they can't take a car back on the track because they haven't fixed it well enough but to not even let them try and fix it is just not right. There could have been several more cautions giving the 9 crew plenty of time to put a car back out there for a lab and a car no worse than Denny's was when it was back out there after his crash. One lap would have made a huge difference in Kasey's finishing position. They didn't stop the 88 from working on their car after the red flag.
mary4jr88 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:15 PMDale Jr. said NASCAR would throw a caution, and they did a lap or two later, for a stupid water bottle. He didn't get caught in the first one, but did get wrecked in the restart after the KK/Biffle incident. The #39 knocked a valve-stem out of the #88's left side tire, and Junior blew a tire right in front of Sadler. The "Fake" caution cost Dale Jr. and his fans a top 5-10 finish, and RPM 4 cars.
mom said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:53 PMDanged right it matters. Can't there be one legitimate thing in Nascar?
48addict said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 2:56 PMThe only comment I have is that when there is debris, all 3 networks have done an admirable job of finding it and showing it, even when it was just a water bottle. Kasey would have had the same hissy fit if he had a flat tire caused by a piece of debris. I don't think Nascar throws cautions to bunch up the field but since I don't work for Nascar, I can't say for sure. I do know they don't want to anger fans so I doubt they are throwing phantom yellows.
kylestewart said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:00 PMhere's an idea to make the races less boring. get away from this boring track and the others just like it. that race plane sucked.
kimba9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:04 PMFunny how when they called the caution, they announcers made the statement that "this is good for Tony Stewart cuz he is a lap down". Could that be their reason for the caution?? Let Smoke catch up?? Don't get me wrong, I got no problem with Tony, he is a decent person and a good driver, but that was quite fishy when that was just stated right before the caution that he was a lap down?
troyhackney said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:22 PMFirst of all, Jeff Gluck, why doesn’t NASCAR make the COT more competitive so that cautions don't have to be "created"? I guess that NASCAR is now a show, at least that's what I get from your lame opinion. Finishes should be earned. And excitement generated from double file restarts is not so exciting when it takes your favorite driver out. I remember not long ago when Brad Keselowski got a warning so he would not take out Chase contender. Who gets to throw the book at NASCAR know that they have taken out Chase contenders? The huge leads and boring racing is a result of the COT, so that is the change that needs to be worked with, NOT more cautions. As for your lame opinions: so what?
yojoromo said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:25 PMI loved the caution caused by a water bottle that was probably thrown by a driver running a bit behind. What a shame.
kingmrf said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:29 PMWow,Jeff,get with the real world.True race fans want to see the top 43 make the race,not send 4 cars home that had faster times than the locked in top 35.Race fans want to see a real season champion,not a 10 race champion and real fans have seen double file restarts at their local tracks since the beginning of racing.To benefir the fans,maybe they should start throwing cautions every 10 laps to make it exciting,because right now watching a train go through our town is more exciting.
Also explain why when they have a competition yellow,positions can change.A competition yellow should have the cars line up the same way they come in.It's a joke what they are calling racing right now.Why do we need a timeout?It is auto racing,maybe we should have a 1/2 way stop so all the drivers can go to the bathroom and get a sandwich.
You better ditch your NASCAR gig and become a writer for miniature golf.It's more suited to your talents
bkbroiler said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:39 PMRaceing is about raceing. Not restarts. If a driver wins by 12 seconds then he is that much better than the competition, that is raceing. To control a race by makeing restarts for false reasons is totally wrong. It is no longer raceing it now is that cheap, crappy www stuff. What driver are they going to smackedown next? What a cheap thrill.
cathyrrooks said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:41 PM# 8 I agree with you 100%...when did they make it a rule that when you take you car behind the wall on a red flag then you are out of the race? I heard Kenny tell Kasey that on the scanner yesterday and that they could not come back on the track....What is up with that??
kkfreak9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:49 PMto me, i think the caution was pointless, especially if it's just a water bottle. I would honestly prefer jimmie winning by a lot ( even though i dont care for him) than Nascar throwing a pointless caution, and thats sad if the driver knows it was a phantom caution. water bottles shouldnt cause cautions.they wont effect anything... i just want NASCAR [ or WWE] to be fair and call out "for real" cautions
kkfreak9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:50 PMi guess the writer wants NASCAR to cheat for entertainment... thats crap..
SheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:57 PMI'm a die hard NASCAR fan. From the very first race I ever saw. Racing is beautiful. It's exciting. And it doesn't need all these gimmicks to make the racing more exciting. If it isn't exciting at Auto Club Speedway, go somewhere else where it is exciting. Rockingham comes to mind. Racing side by side and three wide Is exciting. Not fake cautions to bunch the field up. Crashes are not exciting. There's nothing more boring than following the pace car. NASCAR should be racing. Even if Jimmy wins by 12 seconds. At least he was racing. I like the double file restarts because it's a whole new race each time. But NASCAR needs to stop the debris cautions unless there is real debris. Garbage and water bottles are not debris. And I resent my beloved NASCAR turning into WWE just for the football fans who don't watch anyway. Racing was much better before Brian took over. And Nextel/Sprint. Where they raced 36 races without the bs.
CJ1923 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:58 PMYou say "So What" if they throw an imagined caution?? Proves you are a moron right along with NASCAR. NASCAR sticks their noses in way to far as it is, and is RUINING the racing. Is it fair for the drivers to throw a caution just to bunch up a field?? H*LL NO IT"S NOT!!! So what if Johnson had a 12 second lead. Isn't that what racing is???? Because of NASCAR'S STUPIDITY, they caused a wreck that shouldn't have ever happened in the first place. It cost teams a lot of money in damage to the cars. I think if NASCAR wants to be so STUPID, then maybe they should start paying for the damage THEY create. NASCAR has went soooo far downhill every since that idiot Brian France has taken over, that it's getting really hard to watch any more. The "ONLY" thing they have done right in the last 9 years is the safety stuff and the new safer car. Attendence isn't down because of the economy, it's down because NASCAR is pulling more and more stupid tricks. They're NOT making the races better for the fans, just the opposite.
jimandrhea171 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:00 PMJeff Gluck could not be more wrong. This is what is bringing NASCAR to the brink. I'm sorry to see anyone from the Scene promote this line of thinking. Continued manipulation will only drive away the few remaining "real" fans.
leftturn said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:22 PMThrow a caution for a chance at 2-4 laps of 'racing'? When the lead car gets clear and is in clean air how long do you wait to bring them back together again? There is an inherent problem with the car design aerodynamically, why not start there? Safety wise it is the best design yet, surely the tech boys can come up with something.
wmvjr1960 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:24 PMInteresting, I just commented on this on the post above about Tony. He was needing gas and would have been at least 3/4 of a lap down at a minimum. Then got 5th. Nascar has lost all credibility. They are a power mad, money machine that will do ANYTHING for the $$$ including CHEAT their own fans out of a fair race. Nobody can tell me those cameras couldn't find who tossed the bottle...oops ! out the window... Fine them 100k for altering the outcome of a race and conduct unbecoming of the sport... oh wait. It's Nascar. No shame, these people.
DickHURTZ said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:28 PM#7 COT - Crap - On - Tires - that was good.
NASCAR has to go back to the old days. Leave all the safety features in that they created with the COT but let the auto manufactures create the body, motor, suspension, and race on Sunday and sell on Monday. The decals are the only way you can tell one COT car from another. I heard Nascar may come out with Phase II called the COW - Crap - On - Wheels to make racing more boring.
Werner said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:47 PMonly in NASCAR do you get cautions for water bottles and hot dog wrappers...the you get those cautions for tapping the wall...caution for a spin that has no effect on the race...5 laps of caution to get a water bottle...how about putting car numbers on the water bottles and give out a 2 lap penalty for whoever's bottle it was...remember when they would toss out foam padding...
rmb13081 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:50 PMStating it doesn't matter is an idiotic comment. Racing should be about racing and who has the best car and not be determined by the governing body attempting to bunch the cars up to make a pathetically boring race more exciting. The wrecks that followed the restarts cost those teams a ton of money - at a time when sponsors are scarce and everyone is trying to limit their costs.
rairheart said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:56 PMTHE TV DID SHOW THE WATER BOTTLE SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACING LINE. DO ANY ONE OF YOU SO CALLED FANS KNOW WHAT A WATER BOTTLE CAN DO TO A WINDSHIELD AFTER BEING HIT AT 200 MILES AN HOUR? IT'S A PITY READING WHAT YOU SO CALLED RACE FANS WRITE!!!!
kkfreak9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:11 PMa water bottle probably wont do anything... and i am a true race fan, thank you very much and all the comments are from REAL race fans... we have OPINIONS
JrNation_re-tards said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:17 PMsomebody watched NASCAR.COM'S fan finish I see and the initals are werner...lol, if you have any sense of humor you wouldn't take that personally...Jeff Gluck is a d-bag for even writing this bs article...
bthompson133 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:21 PMi agree 16. a good job of wrecking the field jr and sadler
DickHURTZ said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:38 PMScene dailys starting to smell as bad as nascar. they only post the ones they agree with. censorship any one?
goober22 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:40 PMWow, Jeff Gluck does not deserve to be a sports writer if that is what he believes! "It's okay to throw PHANTOM CAUTIONS"?!" What?! Maybe he needs to look up the definition of "race" and "sport". A RACE is where you build the best car you can, with the best equipment you can, and try to outRACE the other guys! YOU DON"T MANIPULATE THE RULES to make it "exciting! If you get beat, you come back with better stuff next week! What he wants is a soap opera like the WWE has become. "AS THE CRANKSHAFT TURNS" would suit him. He doesn't want a "sport", he wants "entertainment"! What a sorry excuse for a writer and story and what a sorry state racing has become under the Nascar banner. I'll stick with open wheel, road rally, turismo and Rolex series I guess.
zharris5 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:49 PMI couldn't disagree with you more. It does matter. It's just another dent in NASCAR's credibility, which is on the low end right now anyway. NASCAR should produce the debris for EVERY caution. Alert the media and the fans so they can see it. NASCAR makes it hard enough to be a fan now. This only adds to it.
Kadach said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:59 PMKK better be careful or his drug test may come back positive too!!!!
deyanak said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:30 PMits no longer a race of competitors, it is a show, they all talk about it...PUT on the please the fans...will the last one out, please turn off the lights.....
Andi said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:33 PMIt DOES Matter. And if there is debris on the track, then the broadcast NEEDS to show it. But the fact is that they don't always show it, so it makes you wonder if in fact there is something actually out there on the track. But throwing a caution JUST to bunch up the field, is not right. And Nascar has been known to do so when the leader gets too far away. So Kasey isn't all that far off. The only thing is that debris caution that he was talking about, there was actual debris on the track.
SheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:33 PMYou're right, #35. It would be just like them. They're taking the words "governing body" a little to far.
nicky_10 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:57 PMI don't think it's right for Nascar to interfere with the race like that. Yes I know that Jimmie still won but I honestly would have rather seen him win by 12 seconds than see the race end the way it did. You say that it didn't cost anyone the win but did you ever consider the points it ended up costing Kasey? It wrecked his race and I know that I would have rather seen the race end with the drivers all spread out in single file than with Kasey in the garage area!
troyhackney said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 7:06 PMWow rairheart #28, a plastic water bottle would destroy a race car. Let's take Nascar's, Jeff Gluck, and your view on this: throw a caution over a water bottle (that, by the way, was not shown on television like you said) for safety reasons, so that we can get all the cars together and have a demolition derby. Yea, that's a lot safer. This was a bogus caution plan and simple. rairheart, I bet scenedaily would be happy to give you a job since you have the same idiot opinions that they have.
jh010 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 7:24 PMBuild a state of the art facility and they will come...NOT. The area can not support a major NASCAR event even during the chase when the Angels are fighting for a pennant, College and pro football teams are around. So let's make the show exciting by bunching them up. What a joke. They should have put the new safety features in the old car so they could put on shows like the NNS on Sat w/out having to throw goofy debris cautions....resulting in wrecked cars and and screwing up the chase for 3 more contenders. Let the JJ parade continue...zzzzzzz
jh010 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 7:29 PMthey can't fill the stands during the chase b/c of baseball and football seasons. so lets throw goofy debris cautions which results in a bunch of wrecked cars and screws up the chase for 3 more drivers. give me a break...they should have put the COT safey enhancements in the old car so we could have enjoyed a CUP race like the NNS race on Sat...let the JJ parade continue....zzzzz
jh010 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 7:31 PMoops...i guess i should i waited to see it actually post...d'oh
bigjeason9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 7:40 PMLook at the way Nascar TV ratings are falling. When this contract is up with the networks we can all go back to watching races at our local tracks on Sat. nights. The races there and the Nationwide races are better than the cup races since the COT came along. The Nationwide Series will be as boring as the cup series next year with the introduction of there COT.
gwen_susie388 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 8:04 PMThey did finally show a water bottle being picked up. But when did they show it? I believe it was after KK made his comment about the bogus caution. If I am right, the cars were already red flagged and one of the announcers said, " I know the drivers think their was no debris." Then in just a few seconds they showed a water bottle being picked up off the track and he said, "there it is... a water bottle." I believe they pulled a piece of film from another track and another caution and showed that. They sure had plenty of time to do it!
kkfreak9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:09 PMif the race is so boring, put a different racetrack in Calif's place, so you dont have to throw phantoms to make it competitive
kkfreak9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:12 PMif its ok to throw phantom's than NASCAR can be TV partners with the WWE ... they need to stop the phantoms, or more than kasey will be calling them out... GO KASEY!!
kmcallister911 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:24 PMHow many Chase guys had their seasons basically shut down by the wrecks after that first caution? Don't let Brad Keselowski race the Chase guys hard, oh no, that is not proper, but bunch up the field on a fake caution so we fans can have "excitement". Yeah, well my driver getting taken out of the race is not what I consider "excitement". I can't stand Jimmy Johnson, but if he wins by 12 seconds then that is what happens. I've been watching Nascar for three years and I'm already getting disgusted.
9melissagail said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:49 PM#48...really only 3 years and you are disgusted?!?! Try 15 or more years and watch the demise of NASCAR! I loved that Kasey finally sounded off after the 2nd wreck. Whether or not there was a real debris caution, NASCAR is NOT doing the fans any favors by trying to make the racing more "exciting" by throwing the yellow just 4 double file restart...let's get back to the "real" cars but with better safety features. The COT sucks as do the cookie cutter tracks!
Kangaroo_Meat said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:57 PMGluck you are a clown!!!
post-here-if-you-love-jr said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:05 PMWhat - the - Gluck? I cannot believe my eyes!! Yes I thought it was a very boring race, but that WRECK did not make me enjoy it any more. How asinine!! Mr. Gluck surely you did not mean this. Please tell me it ain't so... My favorite phantom caution came when a certain driver said over his radio the cautions had been thrown left and right with no cause. There just has to be another one. I don't think I can make it to the end. (on the tires) Lo and behold, the next lap there was a caution. No explanation given, no debris, just a caution. .. So is what your saying, Mr. Gluck, each team should have so many cautions allotted to them at the beginning of the race? Or maybe a 2 minute drill caution, where everyone can come in to the pits and make game plans for the last few laps? .. I have heard of people who like to go to races just to see the wrecks, now I have heard it all, not only to see the wrecks, but to see them manuafactured?! Mr. Gluck, you disappoint me.
birdofprey said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:13 PMMr.Jeff Gluck why don't you try what you approve of Nascar doing? When you write a story just make things up.
rmdunn3 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:15 PMMr. Gluck, were you on something when you wrote this? You are behind a screen and keyboard, not behind the wheel of a Cup car running for a higher spot in the Chase. I think you would have written something different if you were. Kasey did not say anything that we fans haven't been saying for years. He may get called to the Nascar hauler and get chewed out, but lets face it, he has the right to say what he believes (Freedom of Speech)....that does still exist doesn't it? Tony does it all the time, and he is usually right. Kasey has been silent for WAY too long. He better not get in trouble over it, or Nascar will lose a bevy of fans for sure. Gluck, I think you need to re-think your last statement.......because.... IT DOES MATTER.
JrNation_re-tards said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:18 PMThat phantom caution was thrown for Tony Stewart to get back in the race...They have to protect their baby called the Chase...Tony ends up getting a top 5...way to go NASCAR...Vince Mcmahon has nothing on yall...
debkitz9 said:
Oct 12, 2009 at 11:47 PMyeah jeff so what if you are racing for a championship, trying to get every point you can because through no fault of your own ,, you lost an engine in the first chase race. So what that you spent three hours and plenty of hard work to take a 28th place car and move it up to 7th place only to have another chase driver put his car in the wall and take you out and drive away, So what that a whole years worth of effort has just been taken away from you ,I cannot understand in the least why you would be upset and frustrated and for once finally let loose with a little very justified anger. Kasey has taken a turbulent year and together with his team and Kenny Francis turned it into a legitimate run for a championship. If he wants to take out some of his disapointment let him. GO KASEY get em at Lowes!!
racinghcr said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 12:10 AMGluck is just another media idiot who is afraid for his job NOT to back everything the nascar "Big Bosses in the BOX" do to manipulate their "Rules Controlled SHOWS". To agree with dishonest manipulation of the events by Nascar "Officials" or "Bosses in the Box" is really a terrible example too all honest fans who may still believe Nascar Racing is the REAL THING--not to mention the FACT that these same "Bosses in the Box" always DENY any race manipulation whatsoever!!?? "Good Racing" Gluck is NOT causing massive wrecks by calling false "Debris Cautions"--Johnson had the most horsepower and was going to win without Fake Cautions that wiped out many cars including all of Petty Racing's team! Hell,using your corrupt logic Nascar's Bosses should throw a bogus"Debris Caution" every 8-10 laps,and we could see a Demolition Type event every restart where the goal is to be the last car running--your twisted idea of "good Racing"!! I'm glad Kasey Kahne was truthful enough to tell everyone (not afraid like Gluck),the TRUTH about Nascar's "Bosses in the RACE CONTROL BOX"calling bogus "debris Cautions" that control the outcome of races weekly. Kasey will probably be criticized by media wimps like Gluck, and called into the office to answer to the Nascar "Bosses" why he deviated from the Nascar "Party Line"---But at least he told the TRUTH for all to hear,and comphrend. Most fans have already tuned out Nascar "Shows" as FAKE,and about as honest or credible as WCW or Roller Derby! Few people take idiots like Gluck seriously,and wonder how little credibility and believability exists today with the media! Nascar has LOST IT!!
Andi said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 12:20 AM#44....actually the ratings for the Fontana race was actually higher this year then it was last year. At least that's what has been reported.
collettelenard said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 12:30 AMAhhhh NASCAR Racing !!! I'm for the bogus yellows that fly..but NASCAR please just change the name to timeout.
jbbigrod said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 12:36 AMUh, number 53, this is NASCAR not America; NO free speech. - - - Lighten up folks, Gluck DID do his job. He got all of you riled up and look how many posts already. LOL. - - - IF he had written a really nice article on Matt Kenseth, or Reed Sorenson, HOW MANY posts would there have been? 1, 2, 5???
post-here-if-you-love-jr said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 1:14 AMGood point JBBIGROD, and he did it without mentioning ____ or ____. Good job Jeff. lol
TrueBlueGreenJrFan said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 7:16 AMThe racing is boring because of the COT, it was much better when we had real cars on the track, so instead of giving us back real cars, which by the way NASCAR once stood for, they give us phantom cautions, this is not racing!!! This is BS and we all know it, racing fans aren't stupid! Give us back the old car, but with the updated safety devices, keep the double file restarts because I would rather see the front runners racing each other versus lap down cars, and give us back a real points championship, if they have to have a championship run, fine, run the 36 races, then after the last race take the top 10 or 12 and let them qualify and run a 100 or 150 lap shootout for the cup, kind of like the All Star race, which is always exciting. Nascar needs to stop trying to manipulate the racing and let these boy's go RACING!!
mcseeker said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 8:14 AMI do believe the caution was legit yesterday...HOWEVER... the writers attitude is typical of his normal stance and totally unacceptable... THIS IS WHAT is WRONG with NASCAR... this is why the ratings are down... and this is why are series struggles to find legitimate claim to being an elite racing series world wide... because the front office of NASCAR is full of ignorance as to what made this sport great in the first place... and they are sucking the life right out of it by making it all about the "entertainment" aspect instead of running it like a SPORT.... stop trying to manipulate the racing and let the drivers have REAL personality .... fix the COT... admit you screwed up the chase when you went from 10 to 12 drivers....stop letting the networks have their way...(READ: GET RID OF DIGGER).... but most of all... stop with the mystery cautions, bogus speeding penatlties with no data to back them up.... stop trying to manipulate the drivers and the fans.... we are NOT THAT STUPID... NASCAR thinks this is still the 60's.... you cant fool everyone now that millions are watching on TV.... GET REAL!!!! BE REAL!!!!
cheryllauer said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 8:34 AMI love stock car racing, but NA$CAR is really becoming a joke this season! It's to the point, I can predict every week when the fake "debris" caution is coming out. A couple weeks ago, it was once they'd passed halfway so they could call it an official race because rain was predicted. Then it's any time Earnhardt or Stewart gets lapped. And then once green flag pitstops are done and the leader has too big of a lead. It would be funny, if it wasn't so obivious how NA$CAR thinks. Gotta save the cash cows or the fans will tune out or create fake excitmenet with their dumbass (quoting Martin) doublefile restarts.
bthompson133 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 8:52 AMthere was an EMPTY water bottle on the track that got flattened by the second car to hit it(it was shown on tv). that said ,i believe it did not warrant a caution! nascar says they err on the side of safety, but when one of thier non fav guys pounds the wall there is no caution! let a car of hendricks,gibbs or rcr SCARE the wall and the flag flies before the dust touches another car. over the years i'veseen cars torn up fighting to get control to get off the track with no caution only to have jr,jj,kk,jg,ect. touch the wall 30 laps latter and get a caution even though thier cars was still controllable. FAIR ,NOT IN NASCAR!!!!!!!!!
Graceann said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:44 AMBogus caution or not, I am surprised Kahne opened his mouth! At the same time I say "It's about time!!! Kahne needs to speak up a little more often.
littletashmoo said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 10:04 AMJeff Gluck has a history of coming up with Lame brained ideas about auto racing. Who wants a fixed race out come.
wencc1006 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 11:44 AMFirst off, I think the driver's should have identifiers on their water bottles just as they
do on the tires, then when someone wants a caution as Tony did on Sunday, they may be less likely to throw them out the window. Let's face it, if they're(NASCAR) going to call a caution for a water bottle...they may as well call one for the hotdog papers and the plastic wrap that gets stuck in the grills!! I mean really, let's let them race for god's sake!!
davesum41563 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 11:56 AMKasey never complains about anything,I see drivers throwing water bottles out of the window all the time,whatever Nascar.
jessydoyle49 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 12:50 PMNASCAR will just keep fiddling as it burns down.,,The stands are getting more empty and the TV rating are droping like a rock.,,What is NASCAR's answer:,,,DOUBLE UP ON WHAT SCREWED IT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE! ! ! ! !,, Maybe we could just throw the flag at half way and reverse the cars and run the last half BACKWARDS!!! Then we can start giving out big ol BELTS for trophys.,,Any one this dumb DESERVES to go busted. Maybe the next guy that starts a racing organization will remember what REAL RACING is supposed to be like.
feeney02 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 2:02 PMJeff Gluck, you have just made the most idiotic statements in NASCAR history! Every caution changes the outcome of the race. You can't say for sure that Johnson would have won anyway. You're not physic, are you. And that debris caution DID change the results for several other drivers, some for the better, and some for the worse. It pains me that I've been out of wokr for ten months, yet an idiot like you gets a paycheck for saying stupid things!!!
mybrandneweyes said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 4:00 PMI agree with Feeney02 and Kasey Kahne. Cautions are dangerous and time consuming. It's not doing anything for NASCAR, it's not making it more exciting. Please, keep the idiotic statements to yourself. Kasey doesn't usually complain about things. Thats what Kyle Busch is for. (Sorry KB fans.)
kkfreak9 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 5:15 PMim only 14 . a fan of nascar for 3 years, and this really is disappointing. Kasey is a good guy and if Nascar is doin something theyr enot supposed to then that is not good.... loss of fans "slowly".. im still a fan just hope NASCAR can get it together
Robbygordonfan1 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 6:26 PMI'm a F1 fan as well and the safety car as it's called in F1 barely comes out if at all and this years F1 season has had way better racing then Nascar. Too many unnecessary cautions. I remember one race at California that was actually exciting, I don't remember the year but with 20 laps left the race was coming down to a fuel millage race between Jimmy Johnson and Matt Kenseth. The fake caution ruined the finish and altered the out come of the race in a very WWE way.
grovertoys said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 7:39 PMWhere did that water bottle come from, the stands or from a competing car? Was it in an area where a fan could throw it onto the track, if it was from the stands, then spay or neuter and bar them for life. If from a race car, in the future require all such "debris" in a car be identifiable, then culprits should be blackflagged and denied track access for at least three races. Let's stop the mystery of why a caution is thrown when it is clearly for the purpose of allowing a favorite to get tires, gas, or bunch up the field, same with those speeding penalties that are so opportune for, and against, certain teams.
JessLovesKasey said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 8:44 PMRacing has become a joke. Just about every race they thrown a debris caution at the end to bunch everyone up to make it more exciting. Well its more exciting when they race each other to win not by NASCAR interference. Kasey had every right to call NASCAR out on the caution. It ruined his day. They want to make it more interesting but in reality it makes racing worse. Its not the real racing that we all want to see. Either way Kasey was right and now he had to have a bad day because of it.
bb6451 said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:38 PMHow come one car brushes the wall and the race stays green. Put certain cars down a lap (Jimmie, Tony) and a car brushes the wall and the caution comes out. The only consistency is inconsistency.
NASCAR_FAN said:
Oct 13, 2009 at 10:44 PMKasey was right. Way to many bogus debris cautions. NASCAR shows us one piece of debris out of about 50 debris cautions, and they think we are suppose to believe it the other 50 times. Why is it that most debris cautions happen during a commercial?????? Hint: They can't show something that isn't there!
jbbigrod said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 12:31 AMLOVE your comments, number 70. LOL.
Shuttle1909 said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 1:34 AMA history professor in the northeast purposely slammed the Kennedys (Kennedys are near God up there) to get a boring class riled up - it worked! Students I didn't even know were in the class spoke up! Me thinks Jeff Gluck just did the same thing - 79 (now 80) comments so far... I can't imagine anyone who writes for a living about NASCAR could come up with such a lame idea.
NASCAR's problem is consistency (or lack thereof). Let's throw a caution for debris that could easily be avoided or have NO affect on safety; or throw it for a car spinning out at the back of the field, which keeps going, and maybe only hits the grass. But keep the field green to complete a race when a car is stalled ACROSS the front stretch (on a short track) and not throw the caution till other cars are in turns 3 & 4. In that instance, drivers were told by spotters of a blockage so the drivers expected a caution. Half the field slowed down while the other half still raced because there was no flag. Yeah, that's real safe!
Good job Jeff! I didn't read ALL the comments, but at least you know where fans stand on the issue.
JrsTheMan88 said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 8:45 AMI just feel real bad for Kasey. I agree with everything he said! Don't worry Kasey fans! Your man should do great at Charlotte!
JrsTheMan88 said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 9:12 AMHey Nascar! If you really want us fans to watch more races and help fill the Grandstands. 1. Let drivers "take out" their emotions on each other when they wreck each other. 2. Get rid of "phantom" cautions. 3.Change the COT. I just don't believe that you really care about us fans, do you? You just simply want us fans to keep buying merchandise so you can just fill your pockets with our hard earned money! The solution to have Nascar meet the fans demands is simply stop buying Nascar merchandise and paying 50-100 bucks a ticket to go see a race that has a high chance of complete boredom! What do you say fellow race fans?
jbbigrod said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 3:19 PMWell, I have read all the comments, and as usual some are good and some are not, but that is okay. As far as spending, I haven't bought any NASCAR logo gear in over two years. I don't go to the races, but have watched on TV since the 60's every chance I get. However that too is going to change. After this year I won't be watching the trucks anymore without any Fords in there. Nothing to watch for. The whole object in racing is you have a favorite driver and YOUR favorite brand of car. Without that there IS NO competition. . . . At least not for me. - - - I could care less what a bunch of Toyotas do against some CHevies. . . . On the trucks I mostly watched for Colin Braun the past couple years. And was hoping like heck Mark would go in there and get the championship a few years ago, but he abandoned the Ford ship. I still like Mark, believe it or not, but don't like what he is driving and who he is running for. But I didn't even like Earnhardt Sr., but felt good for him when he won his Daytona 500. - - - I still always get thrilled when I see Richard Petty and/or David Pearson. Sorry to see David Pearson didn't get into the first run of famers today, but his time WILL come. Percentage wise he won more races than Petty did even; for the amount that they ran.
Kes3221 said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 4:36 PMI like the idea from truebluegreenjrfan. lets have a one race championship shootout. Like the superbowl. Can you imagine the excitement. The only thing we would have to worry about is the amount of commercials...Every time we'd come back from one there'd be a yellow flag...especially near the end. But I do like the idea of a shootout, maybe one on a intermediate track and one on a short track. As it stands most teams that are not involved in th chase could care less. They are running for sponsorship reasons. They could save money and prepare for next season.
psdf250 said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 4:41 PMIt's about time that a driver speaks up. Saw it at Pocono when JJ was 3 laps down with a bad spark plug. The 6 barely touched the wall and kept going. Then one of the longest cautions I've ever seen came out along with more weird calls until JJ got back on the lead lap and then I think there was one more. So JJ goes from 3 laps to a 13th place finish on the lead lap. I also remember that race that #74 mentioned. JJ couldn't catch Kennseth who had an ill handeling car so here comes a caution and JJ with newer tires was finally able to get around him for the win. Call me a hater or what you want but whomever NASCAR wants there, thats just what they'll pull off. I don't care if it's the 48, 24, even my favorite the 88 NASCAR will do what they want.
RVD420 said:
Oct 14, 2009 at 8:28 PMI am not a fan of "phantom" cautions.
In Nascar is going to make use of the caution flag to bunch up the field and make an exciting finish the should have the testicular fortitude to call a "Competition Caution" instead of a debris caution. Be honest with the fans. We pay our hard earned money to goto a race or two a year.
post-here-if-you-love-jr said:
Oct 16, 2009 at 8:46 AMBetter be looking for those phantom cautions a lot this weekend. JJ should be raking them up. BLECH!!!!!!!!!