Chris Gabehart takes shot at late-race chaos in NASCAR: 'The optics are starting to turn into bumper cars'
Late race chaos has been the common theme of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. That was no different in Sunday’s Round of 16 race at Watkins Glen, which ended in overtime.
A record 12-of-28 races have been decided in overtime, and with the stakes as high as they are, driver etiquette isn’t as buttoned up as Chris Gabehart would like to see. Gabehart, crew chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team, said after Sunday’s race that the “optics are starting to turn into bumper cars.” Gabehart lamented the lack of actual racing taking place late in races.
“You see it every week, saw it yesterday in the Xfinity race,” Gabehart told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “Anytime a caution comes anymore after the last stage caution in any of these NASCAR races now. You just see a mess. And you know, I guess quantitatively, I’ve never raced with this much stakes on the line as a driver. And that’s great. It makes for great sport. It means everybody’s got to push really hard.
“There’s a lot on the line, I get it. But is sure seems like the optics are starting to turn into bumper cars and that’s not racing. I don’t know what you do about it, but golly it looks like a mess.”
NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen sees chaos take centerstage
There were multiple cautions late in the race, including on Lap 83 when Joey Logano got into the back of Brad Keselowski. That sent his former Team Penske teammate into William Byron, and the two were buried in the wall together.
Martin Truex Jr. was certainly upset with the racing which took place in the closing laps at Watkins Glen. Truex, who put together another disappointing run in a season full of them, felt like he got run over late in the race and didn’t appreciate it.
“It’s just crazy that all these races always come down to this,” Truex said. “I don’t really understand how guys can call their self the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It’s very frustrating but it is what it is these days, so I’m out of here.”