Chase Elliott gives telling verdict on NASCAR changes for All-Star race
Chase Elliott voiced his thoughts on the inaugural competition caution that will be used in the NASCAR All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 18.
Chase Elliott has provided his two-cents on the notable changes that are coming to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race.
This year, a competition caution may be implemented at any point during Laps 101-220 of the 250-lap race - but drivers on track will have no idea when, or if, the promoters yellow flag will be waved. The rule change is designed to stir up uncertainty in the $1 million-to-win event and make for the most entertaining race possible.
Elliott, for one, appears to be on board with the idea - but the No. 9 Chevrolet driver couldn’t help but take an unsubtle dig at NASCAR’s officiating in 2025. While making an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said: "Yeah, I mean, I'm not opposed to it.
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"I think that there's been some questionable cautions thrown in the course of the history of the sport in general. So I'd just as soon know that that's coming and that's the plan beforehand that they have one that they're gonna throw that they've announced is gonna be for entertainment purposes.”
This is hardly the first time this season that caution flags have become a topic of discussion. Earlier this year, controversial finishes in Cup Series and Xfinity Series races at Atlanta sparked a strong response from the motorsports community.
Following Christopher Bell’s victory in the Ambetter Health 400, which came as a result of a last-lap caution following a multi-car wreck, disgruntled fans slammed NASCAR for not making the same ruling one day prior. On the final lap of the Xfinity Series event, a similar crash behind the race leaders transpired, but in that instance, the field was allowed to race back to the finish line.
Then, during the Goodyear 400 earlier this month, Brad Keselowski voiced his frustration when a caution wasn’t waved after he suffered a loose wheel in the middle of the track at Darlington Raceway.
"It doesn't bother me when yellows don't get thrown for me or I get penalties that are questionable," Keselowski wrote on X. "IT MAKES ME MAD AS HELL when it's not the same for others, which has been the case too many times over the last few years."
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Regardless, Elliott insisted that he’s open to having the competition caution at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 18. "I'm cool with that. I have no issues with it,” he added. “That race to me is all about just having fun and putting on a good show. And if the show looks like it needs help, then they have something in their pocket to help it be entertaining."
While Dale Earnhardt Jr. also approved of the concept, he insisted that it could still be improved. “The ‘promoters caution’ at the AllStar [sic] race in North Wilkesboro should have been determined by a live fan controlled poll within an app one could download and use from home or at track,” he wrote on X.
