Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed dissatisfaction with NASCAR’s decision to penalize Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski for crossing the mix line during the Brickyard 400 race last weekend.
Dale Jr., the recent inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, criticized NASCAR during the most recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download. He strongly disagreed with the decision to penalize the two past champions for a variety of reasons.
Earnhardt Jr. started, “I think Brad and Chase Elliott received these penalties. There were a couple of things that, if I wanted to criticize NASCAR, there were a couple of penalties.”
Upon leaving pit road, you will now be on the run-off lane. This small asphalt strip divides the racetrack from this area. But it’s connected to the racing surface exactly halfway between Turns 1 and 2.
In order to get a favorable angle of attack on this run-off, this exit lane, through Turn 2, many drivers swing out and cross a few white lines. This allows them to accelerate down the back straightaway.
Thus, this is a rather typical maneuver. quite typical. It’s never been discussed, yet some drivers are more aggressive than others when it comes to how far they swing out.
“I am aware that before to the race, NASCAR provided them with some information and an explanation of what they want the drivers and teams to do in this area. It basically states,
“You can swing out, you can come off line and get out there a little bit close to the race track,” which is pretty much what we all understood. It did not indicate a boundary or anything that was off-limits.
I’ve witnessed a lot of autos move in that direction. It seems that Earnhardt Jr. was upset that NASCAR was suddenly clamping down on cars that were making this move, even though at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it has never been a major issue.
“This is something that I had a little bit of a problem with. It’s never really been something that was heavily officiated before,” Earnhardt Jr. stated. “This sort of swinging around wide, to better your angle of attack for Turn 2 on that lane, the access lane, has been a common, common thing, that drivers have done for a long time. I don’t believe that it’s ever been something that was strictly governed.
It felt loosey-goosey to pop a couple drivers in the middle of the race, when we know that others are probably doing the same thing. It’s not very appealing. Knowing that you’re being black-flagged is annoying.
You cannot talk your way out of this situation. Although NASCAR hardly ever acknowledges fault or an error, you’ve seen or know that this isn’t unique to you.
You are aware that this has been a regular practice in this area. So, we haven’t raced the over in a few years. Perhaps a small amount of turnover in the booth.
Divergent views regarding the proper course of events on the track. Some divergent viewpoints. That presents a challenge. I believe that’s what’s frustrating.
“This isn’t always the case. It’s over and done; it is what it is. Brad, after all, had a decent chance to win this race even with his awful fuel strategy. The No. 9 managed to get back on track. This was just a bad call, in my opinion, because it wasn’t really adequately defined prior.
Unfortunately, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski all had valid reasons to be unhappy. Fortunately, neither of the wheelmen suffered any serious injuries, but being punished definitely soured their afternoon.
