NASCAR competition officials made changesTalladega green-white-checkered

NASCAR competition officials made changes Tuesday to race procedures for this weekend's events at Talladega Superspeedway, reducing the number of attempts at a green-white-checkered overtime finish. Starting this weekend, drivers will be limited to one attempt instead of the customary three tries at a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega. "Following extensive dialogue with the industry, we have decided to make a procedural change at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. "In the event the race goes beyond the advertised distance due to a caution, we will use a single attempt at a green-white-checker finish. We take very seriously the responsibility of balancing exciting finishes and safety. We're confident that this is a positive direction for both." NASCAR instituted the "green-white-checkered" rule in 2004 for NASCAR's premier series, with a limit of three tries to complete the race under a two-lap, green-flag shootout to the finish. Since 2012, four of the last seven Talladega races have gone into overtime, raising the odds for race-punctuating multicar crashes.(NASCAR)(10-20-2015)