NASCAR officials faced criticism for delaying the caution flag after a severe crash in Chicago that ended the race. Cody Ware’s car hit a tire barrier at 90mph, but NASCAR waited to throw the yellow flag until after race leader Shane van Gisbergen had taken the white flag, concluding the race. Despite Ware escaping unharmed, questions arose about NASCAR’s officiating decisions. The delay was attributed to not initially seeing the severity of the crash, as noted by NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran.
Moran stated that NASCAR’s usual procedure is to give drivers time to pull away from accidents before waving the caution flag. However, if the severity of the incident had been clear, they would have reacted immediately. Moran emphasized the importance of enhancing safety measures on road/street courses to prevent such lapses in the future. NASCAR plans to review and improve their protocols for handling similar incidents in future races.
