Mysterious Debris Cautions
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Posted by Jeremy Dunn Mar 21, 2007 |
I have never been one to accuse NASCAR of manipulating the outcome of a race. I tend to believe the ones who cry 'it's a conspiracy' are the ones who are not pleased with the outcome of the particular race.
Unfortunately, NASCAR is digging a deeper hole when it comes to the conspiracy theorists. For the second time in four races, NASCAR has thrown a debris caution late in the race, which set the stage for a mad dash to the finish in both races.
At California, Jimmie Johnson appeared to be well on his way to his first victory of the year, but a debris caution bunched the field up, and Matt Kenseth was the beneficiary after he won the race off pit road. After the race ended, Johnson, who has benefited from a mysterious debris caution on several occasions, took a jab at NASCAR saying that 'they are still looking for the debris'.
And just last weekend at Atlanta, Tony Stewart appeared to be on his way to his first victory of the season; that was until the foreseeable debris caution set up another mad dash to the finish. Johnson would eventually chase down Stewart and avenge his defeat at California two weeks prior.
It is not just the late-race cautions that have worn thin with some fans. NASCAR has called for debris cautions on several occasions throughout a race that has incongruously benefited some of NASCAR's bigger stars.
If these debris cautions are indeed legit, NASCAR has the ability to prove it. Let the fans see the debris for themselves. NASCAR has to have some influence over the TV coverage, so put that camera on the so-called debris and shut these fans up. It seems to be a simple solution.
As I have stated before, I refuse to believe that NASCAR calculatedly influences the outcome of these races, but it would be nice if they would validate some of these mysterious debris cautions, if nothing else, just to prove these conspiracy theorists wrong.