On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin stated that while fans looking for excitement may not have liked the call, every driver in the field would agree it was necessary given the circumstances. He explained that keeping the race green in those conditions would have increased the risk of injury, as drivers left vulnerable on the track could have been hit by other cars still racing at full speed.
According to Hamlin, this decision aligned with what drivers had requested after Saturday night’s Xfinity Series race at the same track, where NASCAR allowed the event to continue despite a debris-covered racing surface. On Sunday morning, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, Elton Sawyer, admitted that letting the Xfinity race stay green was a mistake.
Sawyer emphasized that while NASCAR aims to finish races under green conditions, safety must come first. He assured drivers that a similar situation on Sunday would result in a caution rather than forcing them to race through hazardous conditions. When a comparable scenario arose later that day, NASCAR followed through with a caution to end the race.
Hamlin acknowledged that this decision may seem inconsistent compared to past races but argued that it’s time to start holding NASCAR accountable for making the correct calls moving forward. He stressed that a caution is meant to signal an unsafe situation and that prioritizing safety should take precedence over past inconsistencies.
“Somebody—maybe even your favorite driver—could get seriously hurt,” Hamlin warned. “A caution means unsafe conditions. That’s the definition. So let’s move forward, forget what happened in the past, and start keeping track of the right calls.”
