By GERALD HODGES The Racing Reporter
CNHI
6-30-10 — Denny Hamlin stood by his previous statement that NASCAR officials
sometimes use caution flags for debris just to liven up a race or close up
the competition.
Hamlin was leading last week at Michigan when NASCAR threw a caution for
debris with 15 laps remaining.
Hamlin went on to win the race, but said afterward that NASCAR threw the
caution flag because ³this is show business.²
³There is always debris around the track,² Hamlin said Friday at
Infineon Raceway. ³You can call anything debris. You could say that anything
is debris and that it is a legitimate safety hazard, but I just think it¹s
the timing. ŒOK, there it is, let¹s pick it up and regroup.¹
³For the sake of show, that¹s OK, but for the sake of competition, it¹s
not always the right thing. But, if we weren¹t talking about that last week,
if NASCAR had let it go, people were going to be talking about a boring
race, and that¹s something we don¹t want, either.²
Hamlin said he expected a caution flag when he had a big lead last week.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston refuted Hamlin¹s claims, saying NASCAR
throws a caution flag for debris when there is a safety hazard.
³When we identify something, or there is something on the track that
can¹t be identified, we are going to err on the side of safety and throw the
caution,² Poston said. ³Cautions exist for the safety of the competitors and
our fans and we take that very seriously.
³At some point, I suspect drivers would have a different point of view
if they were to hit that piece of debris, particularly leading the race and
it ruined their day, or worse. Our job is to maintain as best as we can the
safety on the track.²
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