Cook Out Southern 500 issues caution after lighting issues at Darlington

Drivers and spotters were reporting sight issues in the Southern 500 as lights failed to come on in Turns 3 and 4 at Darlington Raceway. The lights above the NASCAR drivers worked great. Those that shine on the bottom of the track and light up the spots against the wall were shrouded in darkness by the time the caution came out.

While this wasn’t an issue at first, it quickly became one as the sun went down and vision issues became apparent. Spotters complained first. At first, drivers were fine racing without the lights. However, it became too much of an issue.

It doesn’t look like much, but at the speeds they are racing, they have to be able to see up against the wall. They get within centimeters of hitting it on every lap of the Southern 500, multiple times. Caution until those lights come on.

The caution is out because the lights are not on in Turns 3 & 4. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/omCiwmcRcQ

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 4, 2023

This is going to be a very tricky situation. NASCAR is trying to figure out how to resume the Southern 500 but it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Those lights make sure the wall doesn’t cast a shadow on the track and obscure vision for drivers or their spotters.

Turns 3 and 4 are tough to get through. Drivers trying to catch the leaders will have to use the high end of the track up on the wall to catch them. There is a safety issue with that and as NASCAR continues to run caution laps, they are asking drivers to give their opinion on whether they want to continue or not.

Southern 500 under red flag due to light issue

After multiple laps under caution, NASCAR called the red flag and brought the field to a stop. As they asked drivers, it was clear that they were not going to want to continue this race. With a lot on the line, you want a race like this to be handled appropriately.

The last thing that NASCAR or the drivers and fans want is to see the playoffs changed in any way because of this issue. It is a strange problem to have and not one that officials expected to have, clearly.

NASCAR says red flag for the power outage.

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) September 4, 2023

This is a long race and this is just going to make the night longer. The thing is, I think the race is just getting good. Denny Hamlin is fighting off Kyle Larson and there are drivers like Kevin Harvick and William Byron looking to capitalize off any mistake that those two leaders make.

Every year the Southern 500 gives us a fun race. This one is going to be unique no matter what now. Let’s hope we get a finish worth waiting for in the end.