carolinakid
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The Daytona 500 got off to a slower start than usual last Monday, with drivers going notably slower than the expected race pace during the early stages. Drivers were clocked racing at 175 mph rather than the average of 190-200+ mph, and NASCAR is investigating.
William Byron won the Daytona 500 to kick off the 2024 Cup Series season, but many drivers were conserving fuel to increase their chances of winning a stage.
It's a new tactic for NASCAR drivers but was most obvious during the very first stage. Typically, a full-speed lap around Daytona International Speedway in a pack would take 46 seconds, but the slower pace saw cars take over 50 seconds to complete a lap.
There was also a big crash on lap six, as Austin Dillon, Kaz Grala, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Carson Hocevar, and Jimmie Johnson all were caught in the accident that started when RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski bumped into Harrison Burton. It's been speculated that the crash may have happened due to some cars going slower, something NASCAR is taking into consideration. Some crashes looked as though they could've been avoided.
"I think that's something that just over time, 76 years of NASCAR racing, our race teams are just so good, and our teams are so good, and our drivers are so good, and the strategy and the preparation that goes into these events, they don't leave any stones unturned," NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Wednesday.
"The Daytona 500, or superspeedway racing in general, has kind of come down to that, and basically what you're trying to do is spend the least amount of time on pit road that you can. So, you're getting through those stoppages, whether it be Stage 1 or 2, you're getting the opportunity to gain some track position.
"It is something that we're looking into. Ultimately, we want to drop the green flag on the race, and they're racing as hard as they can until we drop the checkered flag. There's some strategy in between there. We'll definitely take a much deeper dive at this particular situation and the strategy that goes into it."
The tactic caught driver Denny Hamlin off guard, as although he was aware of the new trend, he couldn't believe how early it was utilized. Cars started slowing down on lap two of 400, something he claimed was unexpected.
"Everyone is trying to do it and then I realized, holy (expletive), these guys are doing it on Lap 2," Hamlin said. "I think I was on the top line and I'm trying to push the (expletive) out of whoever was in front of me, and I'm like, 'What the hell? Why aren't these guys going? Push the guy in front of you now.'
"When I'm trying to push someone mid-race, early race, whatever, that is me whispering in the competitor's ear in front of me, 'Go hit the guy in front of you now. Go push him.' I'm trying to keep that line moving."
William Byron won the Daytona 500 to kick off the 2024 Cup Series season, but many drivers were conserving fuel to increase their chances of winning a stage.
It's a new tactic for NASCAR drivers but was most obvious during the very first stage. Typically, a full-speed lap around Daytona International Speedway in a pack would take 46 seconds, but the slower pace saw cars take over 50 seconds to complete a lap.
There was also a big crash on lap six, as Austin Dillon, Kaz Grala, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Carson Hocevar, and Jimmie Johnson all were caught in the accident that started when RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski bumped into Harrison Burton. It's been speculated that the crash may have happened due to some cars going slower, something NASCAR is taking into consideration. Some crashes looked as though they could've been avoided.
"I think that's something that just over time, 76 years of NASCAR racing, our race teams are just so good, and our teams are so good, and our drivers are so good, and the strategy and the preparation that goes into these events, they don't leave any stones unturned," NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Wednesday.
"The Daytona 500, or superspeedway racing in general, has kind of come down to that, and basically what you're trying to do is spend the least amount of time on pit road that you can. So, you're getting through those stoppages, whether it be Stage 1 or 2, you're getting the opportunity to gain some track position.
"It is something that we're looking into. Ultimately, we want to drop the green flag on the race, and they're racing as hard as they can until we drop the checkered flag. There's some strategy in between there. We'll definitely take a much deeper dive at this particular situation and the strategy that goes into it."
The tactic caught driver Denny Hamlin off guard, as although he was aware of the new trend, he couldn't believe how early it was utilized. Cars started slowing down on lap two of 400, something he claimed was unexpected.
"Everyone is trying to do it and then I realized, holy (expletive), these guys are doing it on Lap 2," Hamlin said. "I think I was on the top line and I'm trying to push the (expletive) out of whoever was in front of me, and I'm like, 'What the hell? Why aren't these guys going? Push the guy in front of you now.'
"When I'm trying to push someone mid-race, early race, whatever, that is me whispering in the competitor's ear in front of me, 'Go hit the guy in front of you now. Go push him.' I'm trying to keep that line moving."
