NASCAR's Newest Caution Rule Is Mind Bogglingly Ridiculous
NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series revealed a brand-new feature that has never been seen in motor racing, and based on that fact alone, it's worth asking how the NCWTS found value in an idea Formula 1, IndyCar, and every other major championship left on the cutting room floor.
Announced during NASCAR's pre-season Media Tour on Tuesday, the NCWTS will actually schedule caution periods this season using a countdown clock. For those who are familiar with motor racing, a caution period is traditionally used when a problem arises-a car has crashed and needs to be retrieved, harmful debris is on the racetrack, or some other issue has necessitated a temporary halt to the action. With the new NCWTS caution clock, those halts will happen every 20 minutes, regardless of whether it's needed.
And if a genuine caution period happens during that 20-minute countdown, NCWTS officials will tend to the stricken car or debris (or whatever), then restart the 20-minute clock once the race goes back to green. The clock starts when the race starts, starts again on restarts and, as a race-to-the-finish bonus, it will be turned off during the final 20 laps of the race.
Most NCWTS laps take well under one minute, so if we stick to time measurements, all but the last five to 10 minutes of most races will run without the caution clock.
If you're asking the logical follow-up question of "why would they manipulate racing with unnecessary cautions every 20 minutes," my answer is "I don't know," followed by a lot of cursing and screaming into a pillow.
No reasoning for the introduction of caution clock was provided by NASCAR, although we can assume it's for the sake of keeping its races nice and spicy. With teams expecting to race for no longer than 20 minutes before NASCAR dims the lights and throws on a slow jam to pack the cars together, action at NCWTS events would, in theory, never fall prey to runaway victories.
Imagine if the NBA created a similar rule where it called timeouts once a team builds a handy lead. It would disrupt the momentum of the losing team while, possibly, cooling the jets of the streaking team. It would also leave those in attendance, and watching at home, with the feeling the outcome of its games are being manipulated by The Man.
The caution clock is pure sports entertainment. At least NCWTS fans will now have a handy countdown clock to schedule bathroom breaks, make sandwiches, or grab fresh beverages.
