Earlier this season, NASCAR faced criticism for being inconsistent in how it handled last-lap crashes. During the first two race weekends at Daytona and Atlanta, decisions about when to throw the caution flag varied across the Cup and Xfinity Series, frustrating fans. In response, NASCAR’s Senior VP of Competition, Elton Sawyer, introduced a new approach to last-lap cautions..
He explained that NASCAR wants to strike a balance between entertainment, fairness, and safety, especially in situations like Atlanta where crashes happen mid-pack, creating a safety concern if no caution is called.
Despite the new plan, inconsistency around caution flags continues. Brad Keselowski is the latest driver to criticize NASCAR for how it handles caution decisions.
Keselowski expressed his frustration on X (formerly Twitter), saying that while he can accept questionable penalties against himself, he becomes extremely angry when other drivers aren’t held to the same standard — something he feels has happened too often in recent years.
His comments were sparked by a situation at Darlington Raceway last weekend, where a caution wasn’t thrown immediately after he had a loose wheel in the middle of the track. Instead, the yellow flag came out several laps later, after he had already reached pit road.
So far, the 2025 season has been tough for Keselowski, who is both a driver and co-owner at RFK Racing. He finished 33rd at Darlington and hasn’t yet earned a win or top-10 finish this year.
