Martinsville Speedway announced earlier on Monday that it has done away with a controversial caution that has historically flown with 10 laps to go in the race and the decision was met with instant satisfaction among the Late Model Stock Car contingent on social media.
The caution and the dismay over it really took the spotlight in the two most recent Martinsville Speedway Late Model Stock Car races when thrilling battles for the win were interrupted and followed by carnage and controversy.
Recent NASCAR K&N Pro Series winner Dillon Bassett was involved in a thrilling battle for the lead in 2013 with Lee Pulliam and Matt Waltz when the caution came out which proved to be his undoing. The 10 to go caution was followed by multiple incident setting up a green-white-checkered finish. He ended up losing the race in a green-white-checkered finish when Tommy Lemons, Jr. beat him on a controversial holeshot.
“That’s the best decision they have ever made without a doubt,” Bassett said about Martinsville’s decision to eliminate the caution. “Hopefully I’ll be there, trying to work on something. I’m working my butt off trying to get a ride ready. Guess we’ll see.”
“I don’t even know if I’m going to bring my cars back because of that caution with 10 laps to go,” NASCAR’s most popular driver said in March. “Man, we just can’t afford to tear our shit up every time we come down here. I mean my drivers love it. It’s a prestigious race, but it’s killing us to come in here and run every year. Otherwise, without that caution, it is pretty awesome. It’s just a tough deal for us. We know that if we even get that far we have a high chance of tearing our car up.”
Last year’s race saw a lengthy battle between 2002 Old Dominion Speedway track champion Mike Darne and 2005 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion Peyton Sellers get interrupted. What followed was two big crashes, one involving Sellers and 2014 NWAAS National Champion Anthony Anders (who was hospitalized following the crash), and another controversial restart which allowed Lee Pulliam to get around Sellers to score his second win in Late Model Stock Car racing’s crowned jewel event.
“It’s about five years too late,” Sellers said about Martinsville’s decision. “It’s five years and $100,000 too late for a lot of other guys. Torn up a lot of cars for sure. I know we’re here for the fans but I think the fans deserve to see a race end in a competitive fashion instead of a crash fest.”
Sellers felt the caution with 10 laps to go manipulated the outcome of the race.
“The race was going to come down to me and Mike Darne and I think we’re both gentlemen enough where it would be a clean finish even if he moved me for the win,” Sellers explained. “It was going to be a show. He was on my bumper for 30-40 laps. We distanced ourselves, you know. No offense but Lee Pulliam ran sixth all day before those last two restarts. It wasn’t his race to win that day.”
Mike Darne echoed Sellers’ sentiments.
“My thoughts are, it’s one year too late,” Darne remarked. “It definitely makes it more exciting going knowing they’re not going to do that. Two years in a row, it’s ruined the race. I’m sure the race would’ve come down to me and Peyton last year. I don’t know if either one of us would have won. At least we could’ve raced for the win.”
Veteran Late Model Stock Car racer Jamey Caudill, who won the race in 2003, said he has seen the caution both positively and negatively affect the outcome of the Valley Star Credit Union 300.
“You can look at it both ways,” Caudill commented. “I think, I don’t know if it was last year or the year before when Dillon Bassett and I don’t remember who else was up there battling for the lead. It was some of the hardest, best racing that I’ve seen there going on and they threw the caution with 10 to go. It was good racing. Other times, I’ve seen it bunch things back up with 10 to go and make for really good racing. I don’t have a preference either way as long as we know what it is going in. I think it can go both ways.”
While the caution has been a mixed bag, Caudill said that the caution ultimately costs racers a lot of money.
“I have seen it cost a lot of racers a lot more money than I’ve seen it save them so, I don’t know, might not be a bad thing. We’ll see.”
Tommy Lemons, Jr. won the 2013 Valley Star Credit Union 300. He said that the caution itself does not breed the late race cautions and feels the elimination of the 10 to go caution will ultimately have no impact on the race itself.
“It is what it is,” Lemons stated. “The racers made it out to more than what it really was. Racers cause cautions. I still can foresee a caution with 10 to go in every Martinsville race even though the racetrack doesn’t cause it. The chances are, there will most likely be a caution inside 10 to go and the big wreck is still going to happen.”
