re: 2024 NASCAR Season Thread - 2024-25 Offseason

Lets look at a completely different angle.

Austin raced Joey clean for several laps. He also had the best car he’s had in years. And he drove a brilliant race which had so many plot-lines with the Alt tire strategies.

Flashback. How many races have had late race cautions. And drivers have complained how it lost them a race. Many many times.

Way out there and just for fun conspiracy lol:

It almost seems scripted and I mentioned this earlier in thread but its like Nascar has a secret light and contract with back-markers and part of this is you get paid under the table to be part of this program - and if ever called upon you get big bonus money.

So Nascar has had no wrecks entire race and they hit this small secret light button that flashes in Wrecky Stenhouses and the other drivers car. Thats the bat signal to cause a wreck before the last lap to force overtime.

Ok, back to reality: Austin drives a perfect race and has to work hard getting by Joey and then as hard to pass Hamlin. He is on his way to the win his best race in years. Caution comes out and he is red mad inside.

Then restart he loses lead and is still red mad about the late caution is going to cost him a well earned win. So he tells himself that these backmarkers wrecking will not take his win away and I’m going to get checkers or wreckers, so he wipes out Joey and Hamlim. In his mind its justified because he earned it all race long.

Its possible thats his thinking and it had nothing to do personally with Joey or Hamlin. He was not going to be denied his win.

I don’t like wrecking for wins so regardless the reason he was wrong. But I can understand why he did it. He was not going back to pit road after finishing 2nd and face his team by blowing the restart.

Another point, Nascar needs to have big fines to the team who causes a wreck in the last 5 laps. Like NHRA has oil down fines they need to fine teams for it. Those late race yellows change so many finishing positions.