NASCAR’s late-race strategy disappearing

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas

Double-file restarts and the chance for multiple attempts at green-white-checkered finishes are certainly changing the end of NASCAR races and late-race strategy.

Or is it even strategy anymore?

“It’s a crapshoot,” Kyle Busch said.

Going into today’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, four of the seven Cup races this season have already gone to NASCAR’s version of overtime with extra laps. Two of those included multiple restarts after the scheduled final lap.

“It has really made finishes less predictable,” four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said. “I don’t know if there really even is a strategy now. It’s more what the masses do.”

The problem this weekend could be getting the race started with rain in the forecast. Cup practice was canceled because of rain Saturday, a day after Tony Stewart earned his first pole in five years for what will be his 400th career start.

When Busch pulled onto pit road last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway during another late caution, the only thing that could thwart his dominating run, he got four tires. So did Johnson, with crew chief Chad Knaus figuring the odds were good that there would be more than one try for a green-white-checkered finish.

“It’s definitely a gamble, for sure. We knew who we were racing. We were racing the 48 car,” said Busch, whose two-second lead over Johnson with three laps left was wiped out by the caution.

Except six cars that took only two tires beat Johnson and Busch out of the pits, then only one restart was needed. Johnson moved up to third in that final two-lap shootout while Busch remained eighth.

“Luckily, it was only a green-white-checkered and not four to go,” said Ryan Newman, who snapped a 77-race winning streak by leading the last two laps. “I’m pretty sure that we wouldn’t have made it to the checkered if it was [more than one restart].”

Had there been another caution, there could have been up to two more green-white-checkered attempts ordered by NASCAR before this season increased the number of possible retries to three. That would have put Johnson and Busch back into contention for a victory.

If Busch and Johnson had come out of the pits still in front, the No. 18 Toyota and No. 48 Chevrolet would have restarted side-by-side with the double-file system implemented midway through last season.

Adding to those changes already in place, the spoiler effect is likely to come into play in Texas.

Even though the rear spoiler replaced the wing on the back of the cars two weeks ago, the biggest change at smaller tracks was the more traditional look.