NASCAR insider slams controversial All-Star Race decision to allow random caution flag

This year for the NASCAR All-Star Race, there is a new “promoter’s caution” that can be used between Lap 100 and 220. In an effort to make the racing more compelling, NASCAR has decided to let Marcus Smith and Speedway Motorsports have control over the caution.

Last year, Kyle Larson dominated the NASCAR All-Star Race. It was a very impressive performance. It was also a reminder that the short track package is far from what fans would like it to be.

With the new promoter’s caution, Jeff Gluck of The Athletic has a few thoughts. And none of them are really positive.

“So, there’s going to be a promoter’s caution between lap 110 and lap 220, I guess,” Gluck told his cohost, Jordan Bianchi, on The Teardown. “The promoter in this case, obviously, is Marcus Smith. And it sounds like it’s literally going to be, I was told by NASCAR, Marcus Smith, and Speedway Motorsports, however you want to define that, deciding the caution.

“So, I guess they’ll be in the tower, I don’t know if he’ll hit the actual button. Marcus is going to be watching the race, and he’s going to be like, ‘This is boring.’ I don’t know how they’re going to do it. But he’s going to be the person deciding it, and so I don’t know if it’s like, ‘Hey, if you’re a driver and you’re leading you better not get out to too far of a lead because Marcus is going to take it away,’ or there’s a chance he doesn’t have to throw it.”

The NASCAR All-Star Race has not been great lately. Could this fix it?

Jeff Gluck calls NASCAR All-Star Race rule ‘stupid’

Jeff Gluck had more to say. And for the most part, he’s right. NASCAR is trying to fix the All-Star Race with more gimmicks. Then again, teams were offered a chance to do more. Teams were told they could run a “run what you brung” type race, allowing for otherwise illegal modifications to the Next Gen cars. The teams couldn’t agree on that, so we have this.

“I just, I mean, to me it’s kinda stupid. But at the same time, like, you know, it’s the All-Star Race, it doesn’t really mean anything, it is like a competition caution anyway, and let’s not forget, short track races suck with this car. I mean, it is. So, you have new pavement, whatever, it’s probably not going to be a great race.

“Okay, there’s going to be a sort of random caution that could be an otherwise boring race. Here’s what I don’t like about it – no matter, and Marcus better be ready for you know, the blowback from whatever fanbase it’s going to be. People are going to accuse him of manipulating or playing favorites.”

I mean, even the promoter’s caution likely won’t matter. That is, unless it causes a huge pileup on the ensuing restart. For now, it feels like a band-aid over a hole in a dam. Teams were given an option to do more. They didn’t take it. Now we have the Marcus Smith caution flag.

Will NASCAR figure out the short track package? Right now, it doesn’t feel like it.