GARAGE TALK: Restart Controversy & Test Info

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT

A restart in a NASCAR race in 2012 at Martinsville Speedway.
(Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Restarts Still Spark Controversy
NASCAR drivers are still speaking up about the flaws that they believe are in restarts in a race. This incident started up in this pasy weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver meeting at Bristol. Three days before that, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the same track, Ryan Blaney was penalized for jumping a restart, even though Blaney won that race.

We wanted to really put it in the driver's hands where the leader starts the race," Steve O'Donnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, told NASCAR.com Monday. "The second-place car in this case, if we don't believe they've jumped the restart, can beat the leader to the start/finish line.

"Obviously, some questions have come up. We've reviewed each of the calls we've made and feel confident based on the technology we've used to make those calls that they were the right calls. But anytime there's dialogue with the industry, we'll continue to monitor that. If we don't have to change it, we'd like to keep it consistent throughout the year, but we always review each and every call for each race."

Drivers Finish Up Testing at Homestead, Still More Tests This Season

NASCAR finished a testing session at Homestead-Miami Speedway yesterday that lasted the day before yesterday to yesterday.

Three tests remain this season. Kansas (September 14-16, 2015), Phoenix (October 12-14, 2015, and Auto Club (October 27-29, 2015) are three that remain.