NASCAR is watching restarts closely & what one driver says about the games played

Last week at Kansas there was some discussion about restarts after the Nationwide race and when Carl Edwards asked in the drivers meeting before the Cup race about what NASCAR was watching.

Certainly there are a lot of games played on restarts. It’s pivotal because that’s the best chance to get the lead or pass several cars. So even though it looks like the cars are headed slowly for the green flag, there’s a lot going on.

For the leader, among the games they can play is to take off early or right at the restart zone or start late toward the end of the restart zone or start and then hit the brakes and then take off as the cars behind are on the brakes, helping build an advantage.

Brad Keselowski was asked about restarts since he was the one under scrutiny from NASCAR last week.

With Edwards asking about the restarts before the Kansas race, Keselowski was asked if this might change how he does them:

KESELOWSKI: “The only thing that changes the way you restart is when NASCAR comes over and gives you hell about it.  Hell, they were giving me hell about it before the race ever started.  It certainly wasn’t anything I was pleased about, no.”

He was then asked if he talked to anybody from NASCAR about restarts to get a clarification on what he could do.

KESELOWSKI: “Basically, what they told me was to not do…you have to understand how difficult it is to be up there. I went up there (in race control) and watched some races with NASCAR. I’ve done it on the spotter’s stand and they have this window for the restart zone depending on the pit road speed and size. And that window is small to the naked eye.  You can’t if someone goes in it or not in it probably within 40 to 50 feet, you can’t tell. So that creates a whole technique and strategy to the restarts. 

“And for every strategy there is as a leader, there’s a counter strategy that will beat it. You know a guy that goes early you can do this to, a guy who goes late you can do this to, a guy who brake-checks you can do this to. For every strategy there is, there is a counter. It’s a paper-rock-scissors.  That’s what the restarts are like. If a guy pulls out paper, you’re like ‘I’ve got ya, scissors.’ 

“So when NASCAR comes over the radio and takes one of those away from you that just makes it easier for the other one. And I think in this particular instance that’s what they were trying to do. And there’s no way they could see or tell and enforce it, but it’s not worth the risk. What they had actually warned me against doing was exactly what Jimmie (Johnson) did on the last restart. So it makes it difficult and I think we all wish that there was a better understanding of it, but I think that we all sympathize for NASCAR and know that the box that they’re in to try to see those things is very, very small and very, very difficult It’s certainly not an easy call to make.  It’s very much a ball-strike call.”

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