If you were one of those people who ask some drama (me!) before the checkers flew in the Sunday race of all NASCAR stars, well … you got it!
I’m just not sure what any of us were expecting what.
“Where NASCAR really went with one, we almost got lost with (turn) 2,” said Danny Hamlin, who finished second (twice) after Ryan Blaney. “When I head it into traffic and the window net goes down, I don’t know … then they got a lawsuit.”
Well then, Danny. Please don’t hold back!
“I’m just asking you to know what rules we play by them,” he continued. “He had to win the race. He was 100 yards from winning the race. But a lot of cars didn’t win the race because of the green and white cells, the restart errors or the things that happen at the end. Things happen.”
Of course. Those things happen … but Danny, come on!
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Good. Let’s dive in!
We’ll start here … who do you have: Danny or NASCAR?
Did the people in the tower have to throw away perhaps the dumbest yellow flag in the history of the sport seconds before Ryan Blaney crossed the line to win a million dollars?
No. Probably not. And hey, they even agree!
“I wish we didn’t do that,” said Scott Miller, senior vice president of NASCAR. “But we did, and we recognize that we probably gave up that precaution prematurely.”
GOOD. Good first step!
Should Ryan Blaney get a black flag?
However, the real question – at least the one Danny asked when he used a blowtorch for the whole sport – was why Blaney was not convicted of dropping his window net.
Across the garage and in the cab of Fox (hey, Clint!) It was thought that returning this sucker from the car was damn almost impossible.
So if Blaney, who, according to Wikipedia, weighs about 150 pounds, didn’t do a miracle from his cab, he probably finished the race in an uncertain race car.
And that’s a foul, Danny said!
“When it turned green, it immediately warmed the tires on the back, and you could see both hands on the steering wheel,” Miller replied. “The net was raised … we couldn’t know if he hooked it 100% or not. At the time, we couldn’t be sure he hadn’t hooked it.”
Surely, though, NASCAR could just let Blaine go down the road to make sure, right? I mean, it’s an all-star race! We’re not exactly at the Phoenix Championships here.
“It would go out of character and go out of everything else we’ve ever done,” Miller said.
How dangerous was the NASCAR windows net solution?
Fuck.
This, um, is not the biggest reasoning in the world. I think we had to work a little on that answer.
Anyway, what’s done is done. So what’s the verdict here?
I guess no one could go all night, NASCAR was going to be happy because of the late warning, they immediately regretted it when they did and decided to roll the dice that Blaney would win and the net would stay for the last two laps instead of put it on a black flag and deal with a serious lapel.
After all, they may be dealing with an enraged Danny Hamlin. What they don’t want is angry fans.
As for the whole trial … well, it was probably a bit dramatic, but honestly, have you seen this crash before during the race? Imagine if Chase Eliot didn’t have a window net when he crashed into a wall.
Fortunately for everyone, this will forever remain just hypothetical.
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Okay, let’s pay tribute to young Ryan Blaney on the way out.
For starters … he brought the Wrangler back to Victory Lane. I don’t know if you know this, but someone named Ernhardt once made it famous.
Blaine had the best car all night (minus the best cars that everyone smashed in front of him, of course) and pretty much ran to win and a million bucks.
But take away the yellow nonsense at the end and we’re sure we need to stay in Texas for future All-Star competitions?
Dale Jr. … thoughts?
“Stage 1 was about as much fun as a rice cake,” Junior wrote during the race.
GOOD. Kyle Larsson, you got up!
“I can’t pass at all,” the race’s defense winner said after he cut a tire at the start of the show.
Danny, you’re not shy today. Want to comment?
“It’s just frustrating because we just don’t have consistency in our judging.”
Ah, forget it. Danny is still angry because he didn’t call!
From where I sit … yes, it probably (definitely) goes its own way. It’s time to start this race like any other sport.
And not for anyone to listen to, but I would probably start in North Wilkesborough next year. I’m just saying.
