NASCAR: GREEN WHITE CHECKERED RULE CHANGE

2/1-/10
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR is looking at tweaking its green-white-checkered rule so that drivers will have to take the white flag under green conditions, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Wednesday morning.

The rule could be implemented for the Gatorade Duel qualifying races Thursday that set the field for the Daytona 500 and would be in affect for the Daytona 500, Pemberton said.
There would be no limit to the number of laps the race could be extended or how many times it needs to be restarted, Pemberton said. Each restart would be a two-lap dash to the finish with the green flag restarting the race, then the white flag waving after one lap and the checkered after two.
Under the rule being considered, virtually every race would be decided under green, because on the last lap after the field takes the white flag, NASCAR could typically wait and throw the caution - if needed - after the leaders cross the finish line, as long as the accident is behind them.
“What we’re looking at is you have to take the white flag under green conditions,” Pemberton said. “We looked at it and at least if something were to happen after they take the white, people will understand you’re coming to the checkered flag.
“There’s a reasonable chance [to let the race finish under green]. If they wreck over there [in Turn 2] coming to the checkered, we’re good to go.”
The current rule states that if the race goes beyond the scheduled distance, NASCAR makes one attempt at a two-lap dash to the finish. If the yellow comes out, the field is frozen and as long as drivers maintain reasonable speed, the race ends after those two laps. That occurred on the first lap of green during the Budweiser Shootout.
“We’ve been talking about it and the other night just didn’t help our situation,” Pemberton said. “That was not good to see that race run a lap and a half under yellow and be done.”
In that same situation, there would be another two-lap dash (commonly known as a green-white-checkered finish) – and as many as necessary – until the drivers complete a full lap under green and take the white flag.
The theory behind doing only one green-white-checkered finish was because teams often gauge fuel mileage depending on the advertised distance of the race.