From the Marbles - NASCAR

From the Marbles

Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:51 am EDT

Kasey Kahne wants no part of the phantom debris cautions

By Jay Busbee

Looking to make a few extra bucks? Here's a plan for your next NASCAR race party. Start a "phantom caution" pool with your buddies. Everybody throws in $10, and everybody picks a lap in the last 20 percent of the race where you think the "phantom caution" will come. Closest to the lap without going over wins the pot. (If the camera shows actual debris, you only get half the pot.)

The great thing is, somebody's guaranteed to win! There's always a phantom caution!

The phantom cautions are a farce that everyone accepts because it's a quick-and-dirty fix that makes for better racing. It's the easiest way to cut down on the competitive imbalance and/or the poor track design that allows one car to get ten seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

But the cautions are, obviously, designed to bunch up the field -- and when you bunch up the field, troubles can happen. See, for instance, Sunday afternoon at California, when Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle collided, sending Kahne and Biffle spinning into the infield. Then, just a few laps later, Elliott Sadler collided with Dale Earnhardt Jr., setting off a huge wreck that took out Kahne once and for all. Here, check it for yourself, and be sure to hang around for Kasey's post-wreck comments:

 Afterward, Kahne was justifiably furious:

"We worked hard all day, got ourselves in a good position. I think it was going to be a good points day, and NASCAR threw a debris caution for no debris, which caused Kurt Busch to hit the wall, which caused me to go to the grass and Greg Biffle. And from there, that caused the whole next wreck on the front stretch. It's disappointing that we had a bad race because of a caution to put a show on for the fans. That's a good part of the sport, we have to keep the fans excited, but sometimes it ruins people's days, and today it was our day."

He'll get a fine for that, surely, but he should pay the fine by throwing it out the window during Saturday night's race. At least then there'd be visible debris on the track.

Look, it's obvious that something needs to be done to keep the racing competitive. But the phantom cautions are a Band-Aid when NASCAR's on-track racing needs major surgery ... or maybe a bulldozer.

_____

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142 Comments

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  1. Jim T.
    1. Posted by Jim T. Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:06 pm EDT

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    I thought those cautions were for Tony Stewart not Kasey
  2. Gators #1 Nuff Said
    2. Posted by Gators #1 Nuff Said Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:08 pm EDT

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    LMAO KAsey you will be re-educated, NASCAR is always right. NASCAR is always right, NASCAr IS ALWAYS RIGHT. Now repeat after Jimmy NASCAR IS ALWAYS RIGHT.
  3. Gators #1 Nuff Said
    3. Posted by Gators #1 Nuff Said Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:09 pm EDT

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    LOOKY LOOKY Biff and KK bothe headed for victory lane, lmao only way they could get there I suppose.
  4. tx_jjk
    4. Posted by tx_jjk Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:29 pm EDT

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    That interview was the best part of the race!! What was really funny was when Brad Daugherty said they saw water bottles on the track and KK didn't have the advantage of seeing that. Seriously??? That was too good.
  5. packerd_00
    5. Posted by packerd_00 Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:33 pm EDT

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    Did anyone put the interview on youtube,,I love when the drivers get candid.
  6. jonn46219
    6. Posted by jonn46219 Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:46 pm EDT

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    Has the press conference been scheduled yet? The one where KK says that he made a mistake? The one where he says that NASCAR does their best to maintain the safety of participants and fans? The one where he talks about the terrible tragedies that can occur when a car runs over a water bottle, like the time at Martinsville (2003, I think) when Elliot Sadler ran over that water bottle and it got stuck underneath his car and melted. Apparently the smell of melted plastic was so bad that Elliot had a headache for twenty minutes after that race.
  7. Manny Z the Wolf Warrior
    7. Posted by Manny Z the Wolf Warrior Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:58 pm EDT

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    As if NASCAR needed any more bad PR. But Kasey's right, NASCAR's slowly starting to go down that same route that F1 did. Next thing we know, people are gonna start causing Big Ones on purpose...
  8. MarkN
    8. Posted by MarkN Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:08 pm EDT

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    Hey Packerd Happy Thanksgiving day
  9. MarkN
    9. Posted by MarkN Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:15 pm EDT

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    I really don't mind the phantom debris cautions is no different than a catcher walking out to the mound.People [profane] about boring races tHancock about the cautions. You can't please everyone.
  10. penske2car
    10. Posted by penske2car Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:16 pm EDT

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    The Indycar series ran their race over the weekend, it was caution free, and the sanctioning body did not feel the need to manipulate the outcome with a debris caution.
  11. Jay B
    11. Posted by Jay B Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:22 pm EDT

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    I am a KK fan. Though there was "something" on the track I have to agree with him. You know there are drivers out there"field Fillers" that NASCAR wants because they can throw something on the track for that idiotic Caution for debris with 15 laps to go. How often do we get to see the "debris" that causes these cations? Not as much as we don't get to see it. I remember a few years back when the debris cautions started to be a regular part of the race. Back when NBC covered NASCAR. A caution came out for the phantom debris. When the TV cameras looked for the debris on the track there was none. There weren't any NASCAR officails on the track to pick up the debris. Have you ever noticed how when these cautions come the cameras don't show us the debris and other times they do? My guess is the times we don't get to see the "debris" is when there is none. If nascar wants better racing, get ride of the Glorified IROC series they have now. Let teams build cars like they did before.
  12. AmandaR
    12. Posted by AmandaR Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:26 pm EDT

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    and I actually wondered why I stopped watching the sprint cup series. I guess now I know why.
  13. Jay B
    13. Posted by Jay B Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:31 pm EDT

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    "No different than a catching walking out to the mound?" Are you kidding me? Not even close to the same thing there. That's not the MLB signaling to the catcher to walk to the mound to do what exactly? The umpire will only let him stay there for less than 30 seconds. This only delays the game, nothing more.
    A debris caution bunches up ALL the cars. A blow tire because these cars are so close together that when the splitter hits a tire it blows.....taking out too many cars. Yeah, just like walking up to the pitchers mound.
  14. Perry
    14. Posted by Perry Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:35 pm EDT

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    NASCAR has went down the tubes, what do you think would have happed if dale sr or darrell waltrip or cale, king richard had called up to the pit box and told them to tell bobby or donnie to slow down so they could get by and and NASCAR told dale not to wreck anybody that had just tried to wreck him. Well that was racing boys and Dale never complained when the INTEMANATORgot booed for racing, He'd just say" Iam glad they all bought a ticket and are here paying ATTN" I really miss the old days of good racin before they stared running the race from the NASCAR TRAILER.
  15. Jay B
    15. Posted by Jay B Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:39 pm EDT

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    When will NASCAR learn that no matter what new rules they think of, new car style to make all cars on a level playing field that is won't work? The top teams will always dominate. The top drivers will always win. The big difference now is we don't hear teams crying because one car make has an areo advantage over another. Now we get this team is cheating, or that team is testing on tracks not sanctioned by nascar, or this team is allowed to get away with more.
    Throw the COT in the trash! Oh yeah, I forgot...they are safer!! A completely hollow statment since this is only the 2nd full season with them. How can anyone say they are safer than the old car when it was around for decades? 2 years compared to 40 years, lets wait 40 years before we say its a safer car.
  16. tiredawg64
    16. Posted by tiredawg64 Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:39 pm EDT

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    LOL Maybe NASCAR is doing the same things that a certain "France" relative was doing!!! Screw the cautions, unless it is metal or car parts let the boys race!!!
  17. Willy Doer
    17. Posted by Willy Doer Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:42 pm EDT

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    I don't ness agree with NASCARS manipulation of the race, but as a fan i love to see em' bunched up at the end.
    Bottom line is ...caution or no caution, that wreck can happen at anytime.to anybody. Heck, it could happen on lap one at the start. The drivers need to understand that NASCAR has been throwing this "debris" caution for a loooong time( way before Kasey Kahne was born)...nothin' they can do about that, but as the ones being in control of their cars they can do their best to avoid running each other over on the restarts. Bottom Line is Sh_t happens....
  18. MarkN
    18. Posted by MarkN Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:42 pm EDT

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    Jay B what is a blow tire something you have been snorting?
    I guess you would rather watch a train race.Bunch up let everyone get a shot.
  19. KimRN
    19. Posted by KimRN Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:44 pm EDT

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    Kasey had the cohones to say it out loud! Good for him - and you won't see him apologizing, either. Kasey is talking this season and he is not a happy man...
  20. KimRN
    20. Posted by KimRN Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:44 pm EDT

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    Kasey had the cohones to say it out loud! Good for him - and you won't see him apologizing, either. Kasey is talking this season and he is not a happy man...
  21. KimRN
    21. Posted by KimRN Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:46 pm EDT

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    Sorry about the double post - gremlins in the machine...
  22. Jay B
    22. Posted by Jay B Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:54 pm EDT

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    I would love to see NASCAR allow an owner to field 2 cars. No more of these 4 and 5 car teams. This is a big reason NASCAR don't have the rivales like Elliott/Earnhardt, Richard Petty vs. Bobby Allison, and
    Richard Petty vs. David Pearson.
  23. Nathan B
    23. Posted by Nathan B Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:57 pm EDT

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    NASCAR needs to seriously decide if it wants to be closer to Professional Wrestling or an actual American sport like the Big Four.
    It treads a very fine line these days. I think the Chase put it closer to being like a real sport by simulating a playoff, but the fact that these cautions continue to routinely happen, among many other factors (who gets penalized and when, who gets warned - when and how, the behind-the-scenes crap that Helton runs) pushes NASCAR dangerously close to the world of "Professional" Wrestling. There is entertainment for entertainment (WCW, e.g.) and there is sport as entertainment (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL).
    A couple of drivers have called out NASCAR in a heated moment when they aren't censoring per the orders of the NASCAR brass (Tony Stewart earlier this year, Montoya when he admitted he was just points racing to get into the Chase - and then got warned for it, Kasey Kahne most recently). Everyone in the garage knows the truth and it leaks out a little at a time - fans will know the truth eventually. If the race is such a bore-fest, move the race to a more exciting track, BUILD a more exciting track, or build a better "stock" car. Those TV ratings keep sinking and it sure isn't cause Gillian Zucker is putting fannies in the stands ... 'cause that she isn't.
  24. Jay B
    24. Posted by Jay B Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:02 pm EDT

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    Thats the spirit MarkN.....bunch them up. Let everyone get a shot to win. Let's make it "fair" play. Let reward a driver who's not going to win a race without leveling the playing field as nascar has done.

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