"They were holding it" - Insider explores NASCAR’s no caution controversy leading to Kyle Larson’s Brickyard 400 win

NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck recently spoke about Kyle Larson's win under caution at the racing capital of the world. Gluck claimed NASCAR was waiting for the frontrunners to cross the start/finish line before flying the caution flag.

The 2024 Brickyard 400 race was the 30th anniversary of the event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The inaugural Cup race in 1994 witnessed the now-Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon taking the checkered flag. Fast forward 30 years, Hendrick's star Larson claimed his first win at one of NASCAR's crown jewel events.

However, many in the NASCAR community deemed Larson's win as controversial. With the field already in the overtime restart, #41 Ryan Preece spun on the backstretch. However, NASCAR didn't throw a yellow caution flag until after Larson crossed the white flag.

In a recent episode of The Teardown podcast, NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discussed NASCAR not throwing the caution flag for #41 Preece. Gluck discussed NASCAR's justification for its decision and said:

"So according to NASCAR, this was a situation where Preece spun, they had a camera on him, hits the wall and at least partly showed on TV it looks like he's moving, looks like he's trying to move, looks like he's making an attempt to move."

"They (NASCAR) said that by the time that they realized that the car was truly disabled and he was not going to be able to get going again, the leaders had already taken the white flag," Gluck added.

Gluck also elaborated on his view of the situation from the front stretch out of the window at the Indianapolis track. He said:

"It felt like they (NASCAR) were holding it to get the white flag...All we know is what we were told of what they were thinking," Gluck said

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"It was unfortunate, but the right call" - NASCAR Senior VP on Kyle Larson's finish at Brickyard 400

NASCAR Senior VP of Competitions Elton Sawyer discussed the final restart at the Brickyard 400 and the finish under caution. NASCAR returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval tracks after three years.

#5 Kyle Larson returned to the track to redeem himself after his debut run in the Indy 500 race earlier this season. Larson went on to claim his 27th Cup and first Indy win. However, this victory followed a controversial move from NASCAR.

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, kisses the yard of bricks after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

In a post-race interview, Sawyer talked about not showing the caution flag after the #41 car spun out on the backstretch before the white flag. He said:

"We did everything we possibly could. We kept an eye on the #41. He got turned around. He was really given a solid effort and once he came to a stop and we could tell that he had a flat left for a tire. He wasn't going to move. We'd already taken the white."

"So it was unfortunate, but it was the right call...It's a case-by-case basis and we'd have to...There's a lot of hypotheticals there," Sawyer added.

As NASCAR breaks for two weeks for the Paris Olympics, #5 Larson sits atop the overall points standings in the Cup Series with 749 points. He is now 10 points above his teammate Chase Elliott. Larson has accumulated four wins, nine top-5s, and 11 top-10 finishes in 21 starts this season.