NASCAR defends no-caution decision after Ware crash at Watkins Glen

NASCAR’s managing director for the Cup Series, Brad Moran, has clarified the race control decision not to issue a caution flag following Cody Ware’s late-race crash at Watkins Glen International. The incident, which occurred late in the event at The Glen, saw Ware’s No. 51 Rick Ware Racing car sustain significant damage to the Turn 7 railing. Despite the severity of the impact, the vehicle remained under power, allowing Ware to drive to pit road before retiring the car.

Moran explained that race control did not deploy a yellow flag because the car cleared the incident scene without shedding debris. “We weren’t going to throw it at that point unless debris came off the car,” Moran stated during his weekly appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He noted that while corner workers in Turns 1, the esses, the bus stop, and Turn 6 were on official radios, track workers operated on a separate frequency. A local ‘blue’ flag was in effect during the incident, and Ware drove away from the scene within seconds of the collision.

The decision has drawn scrutiny following the race, as television coverage by FOX did not show replays of the crash during the broadcast. Post-race in-car footage revealed the proximity Ware came to careening off the railing and back into oncoming traffic. The lack of immediate visual confirmation on television led to discussion among commentators and fans regarding whether the incident warranted a safety pause.

Addressing the communication protocols, Moran detailed the layered radio systems in place at the track. He confirmed that the corner workers were equipped with official radios, while local track personnel utilised a different frequency. The tower operator, who was also part of the official track staff, coordinated these efforts. The absence of immediate debris and the car’s continued mobility were the primary determinants in the race control tower’s decision-making process.

NASCAR is currently exploring technological solutions to enhance incident detection in future events. Moran indicated that the series is working with its safety team to utilise the new Engine Control Unit (ECU), which is being introduced for the first time this weekend. The organisation is evaluating the integration of the iDash incident recording system to automatically signal hard impacts to race control.

However, the timeline for these improvements remains undefined. Moran acknowledged that the new ECU has not yet been used in a race, meaning the solution is still under development. The safety team is assessing how to leverage the new hardware to provide the tower with more immediate data on the significance of collisions, potentially preventing similar debates over caution flags in the future.

“We never stop working on safety,” Moran said. “When we get an incident like this, we go back and take and look and see what can change or what can be done differently.” The series continues to review its protocols following incidents to determine if operational changes can be implemented to improve driver safety and race management.