NASCAR's race control has been struggling to decide when a wreck warrants a race-ending yellow in the first two races of the 2025 season. But to understand why it's been so difficult to answer them, we need to jump back before this year's Daytona 500 even got underway.
NASCAR's sanctioning body's stance on last-lap cautions has normally been to throw it if there’s any major incident, no matter what. That stance would see a change, though, as it came under fire at the end of the second Duel qualifying race. Austin Cindric and Erik Jones were side-by-side in what was about to be a photo finish as some cars crashed mid-pack. The field was mere seconds from the finish line and due to the timing of the caution, Cindric was declared the winner despite Jones nosing ahead of him at the finish line. It was an awkward few minutes as Jones, believing himself to be the victor, pumped his fist and parked on the frontstretch while Cindric returned to the pits.
