Kyle Busch asks ‘what are we doing here’ after Chase Elliott weighs in on new NASCAR rule
Kyle Busch blasted NASCAR for introducing a new 'promoter caution' at the All-Star Race after Chase Elliott shared that he was on board with the rule change.
Kyle Busch did not mince words while addressing the latest change to the NASCAR All-Star Race after Chase Elliott weighed in with his thoughts on a new caution rule rule.
This year, the promoter of the Cup Series event - Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith - can raise a yellow flag at any moment between Laps 101-220 of the 250-lap race, leaving drivers in the dark about when it might occur. The gimmick comes at a time when NASCAR officiating has come under fire, with drivers and fans alike complaining about the use of last-minute cautions.
This promoter caution - one of several changes proposed for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro - is intended to inject unpredictability into the $1 million-to-win event and ramp up the excitement, but not everyone is on board with it. While making an appearance on the ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast, Busch blasted the twist while likening NASCAR to a circus.
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"What are we doing?" the 2017 All-Star Race winner asked. "If we're Bailey and Barnum (the circus), then let's just freaking call it Bailey and Barnum. I mean, they went out of business."
Podcast host Freddie Kraft expressed a similar sentiment, joking that NASCAR should’ve gone “all out” with the idea by having a random fan in the stands throw the caution. “The thing for me is, if we’re gonna go this way, let’s go all out,” he said.
“Don’t give it to Marcus, don’t let NASCAR, just pick a drunk fan in the grand stands, put him in the flag stand with a yellow flag and tell him, ‘Any time after Lap 100 you get to throw that yellow flag whenever the f--- you want.’”
Playing off the hypothetical plan, Busch chimed in: “No, the guy’s gotta drink a beer every 10 laps, and when he falls over the yellow comes out.”
Busch’s comments are a stark contrast to the positive reception that the caution received from Elliott. During an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the No. 9 Chevrolet driver expressed cautious support, stating: "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.
"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."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - while endorsing the idea - suggested it could be further enhanced. “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.
