Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

NASCAR official defends penalties to Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr.

steve o'donnell nascar getty

Steve O’Donnell

A NASCAR executive was adamant that drivers were warned about passing the pace car as they entered pit road and that series officials penalized Martin Truex Jr. after a move that was “just blatant” Sunday at Phoenix and penalized Jimmie Johnson to be consistent.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, made the comments Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Before Sunday’s race at Phoenix, NASCAR had penalized drivers for pulling up to pit in only one other race. NASCAR cited Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears for the violation at Dover in May.

Sunday, NASCAR penalized Martin Truex Jr. for the issue and Jimmie Johnson later in the race. Johnson was baffled by the call and planned to talk to NASCAR about the one-lap penalty.

“We’ve reminded the drivers quite often that it was getting very close that you can’t pass the pace car as you pull off on to pit road,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’ve had that in every drivers meeting. Not a surprise to anyone. Jimmie has been racing with us for a long time and is aware of that rule.

“Have there been some borderline situations in the past? Sure. We’re always going to try to err if we can on the competitor’s side. We’ve been very clear on that.

“We told the competitors it was something we continue to watch. Once the call (on Truex) was made, which in our mind was just blatant, very clear in terms of how far in front of the pace car (Truex was), we made a point over the radio again. We obviously penalized (Truex) and said again that is something we’re going to enforce. Right after that (Johnson) was ahead of the pace car as well, and again that was clear on video and so we made the call and wanted to be consistent in the race.’’

Johnson didn’t see it that way after the race.

“In 15 years that has never been a concern, and I was always told that the last thing NASCAR wanted to do would be to penalize the leader, and as you pull off onto the apron, you accelerate to the commitment line,’’ Johnson said.

“If you are held by the pace car, you’re at a disadvantage as the leader and it allows everybody to catch you and catch up, so even in drivers meetings they’ve said, we know you’re going to pass the pace car; it’s okay. The majority of the tracks we go to, you naturally just gradually pull ahead of the pace car coming to pit lane. I mean, this happens all the time.’’

In the video that is played during the drivers meeting each week, competitors are told “do not pull up to pit, hold your respective track position under the yellow flag.’’

On NASCAR’s pit road penalty handout that is given to each crew chief, it reads for pulling up to pit: “When following the caution vehicle during a caution period, drivers must maintain their position in relation to other vehicles in the field or as otherwise directed by NASCAR, and will not be permitted to pass other vehicles or the caution vehicle when preparing to enter pit road.’’

During the drivers meeting last month at Martinsville, series director Richard Buck told drivers: “Also a reminder, under caution, the leader may not pass the caution car when entering pit road.’’

Also, O’Donnell addressed the order for the final restart after Matt Kenseth’s crash. Adam Stevens, crew chief for Kyle Busch, said on the team’s radio repeatedly that Busch was ahead of Joey Logano when the caution lights illuminated and should have been the leader. Instead, NASCAR ruled that Logano was the leader.

O’Donnell explained why that was so.

“We have scoring loops in place that during a race if a caution comes out, the scoring loops are what scores the competitors and how we line them up,’’ O’Donnell said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We go back to the last scoring loop that was passed. In the event that a caution comes out and ends the race, then we use any available technology because the race is over and we’ve got some time to review all of the video feeds and can take our time doing that.

“In that caution, it was not the end of the race. It was scored as the last lap passed. Every competitor is scored there. If you’re involved in the caution, you are scored where you blend back in the line. (Alex Bowman) was scored where he blended back. (Busch) was scored at the last loop they passed.’’

Follow @dustinlong