A lot of people watching from home, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., were perplexed by NASCAR’s decision to end this past Sunday’s race in New Hampshire with 82 laps remaining.
Yes, there had been some light rain, but NASCAR had sent Goodyear wet weather tires to New Hampshire since they knew the state would probably experience some weather.
NASCAR waited until the more severe weather abated before returning to racing, rather than completing some laps on the wet weather tires. Speaking this week on “Dale Jr. Download,” Earnhardt criticized NASCAR for failing to complete certain laps in the light precipitation. He does believe, though, that their subsequent handling of the race was expertly done.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. evaluates NASCAR’s handling of race at New Hampshire
Earnhardt stated, “They did eventually get the very heavy rain that they had anticipated.” “.. Was it preferable to wait for the rain to come for those thirty minutes if you knew it was going to pour? Alternatively, we might have been pacing on the track. Perhaps even making a few green flag laps to check if the rain missed us or anything else? I’m not certain. In the thirty minutes that we waited for the heavy rain to finally arrive, I believe we may have been able to have some cars on the track.
However, I felt NASCAR handled everything quite well after that. I do have some concerns about the reason behind letting everyone fill up their autos. That kind of piqued my interest. Due to NASCAR allowing everyone to fill up their cars on pit road, a number of people who were in difficult circumstances were saved, as Denny Hamlin mentioned in his podcast. NASCAR most likely made that decision with safety in mind. They should, in my opinion, put safety first. But if you were sitting there with a gasoline advantage, it sure as hell stunk. While others in front of you were at a disadvantage.
After the field used the wet weather tires for two hours and fifteen minutes, the green flag was finally raised. According to Earnhardt, NASCAR has to do a better job of informing its fan base about the purpose of the tire.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. sees disconnect between NASCAR, fans
“I think there’s a little bit of a disconnect between what NASCAR knows about the tire and its capabilities and what the home fan knows about them,” Earnhardt remarked on the tires. “It’s possible, but I’m not sure, that NASCAR could perform better. Since it isn’t actually the case. or what I’m trying to say.
However, it would be beneficial to know exactly why the tires are there and what they will and won’t be utilized for before the race begins.
This is in line with the fans’ desire for NASCAR to keep supporting racing in inclement weather and damp conditions. To the point where we ultimately leave everything in the hands of the teams, the fans, NASCAR, and everyone else are sort of pushing in this way. The race will begin; if it rains, it will rain, and you will be on your own.
That is our desired location. It is where NASCAR wants to be, they will acknowledge. Being forced to regulate the race in this manner is not something they enjoy doing. They wish to give the teams control over it.
And I believe that hesitation stems from the possibility of a calamity. If the teams take over and things go wrong, everyone will point the finger at NASCAR rather than the teams. “What did you accomplish for NASCAR?” They ought to have known better and anticipated that. All of us are absolute professionals at looking back. I’m not at the racetrack, so to speak, while I’m sitting there watching the race.
During this stop, drivers are being interviewed outside in the pits; I don’t see umbrellas there. We got thirty minutes of what appeared to be clear, dry weather. There is moisture on the track. However, I believed that they might have had vehicles pacing the course to enable them to drop the green flag while using the wet weather tire.
