For the second time in three races, there was a disagreement between a NASCAR Cup Series team and race control over what requires a car to be towed to pit road for repairs or to the infield and ending the race.
This time it was Josh Berry and crew chief Rodney Childers, involved in the first lap crash on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
The damage appeared to be minimal and it was the four flat tires that prevented Berry from simply driving to pit road. Childers told Berry to stay in the car and NASCAR told him to get out. So NASCAR then simply towed the car with the driver in it to the infield.
“That was an experience like none other,” Berry said. Obviously, we got clipped and spun, and we had four flat tires. I assumed they were going to tow the car to the pits, which is what I was asking for, and then they dropped my window net and told me to get out. Rodney told me to stay in because all we needed was tires. They were telling me to get out.
“Then they towed me into the campground, so I was just out there chilling with the fans. At that point, they said they had to get a rollback, and they finally made me get out. Rodney was trying to talk to somebody and couldn’t get anybody on the phone. I don’t know what I am missing. I have seen plenty of cars get towed to the pits and get tires put on, so I don’t know if I am missing something or if there was something different than normal, but that was an experience for sure.”
NASCAR has a damaged vehicle policy and a flat tire policy and it was determined that this was the former and not the latter but the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 team disagreed. The car was involved in a crash, and it was not merely a spin, so by the letter of the rule, NASCAR’s determination was correct.
Whether it’s a good rule, will continue to be debated.
“They said the tire was off the wheel, which it is flat so of course it is off the wheel,” Berry said. “They just refused to tow the car. They tried hooking it up on both ends which I knew wasn’t going to work. I don’t know why they didn’t just hook it up with the rear and tow it to the pit box and let us get tires on it. That is disappointing.”
The last time this happened, two weeks ago at Watkins Glen, it was Ryan Blaney and Jonathan Hassler, and they ultimately conceded they misunderstood the rule.