Fans and competitors have scrutinized the double yellow-line rule in NASCAR since it was first introduced in 2001. Implemented as a safety measure, no one is scoffing at the notion that it hasn’t served its purpose. The controversy that comes into play, though, is when a driver gets penalized for a move that’s considered evasive by those watching from race control or at home.
The rule states drivers must race above the double yellow lines painted along the apron of the entire track at superspeedways. If NASCAR judges that someone advances their position or forces another competitor below those markings, they may be black-flagged.
After the YellaWood 500 from Talladega Superspeedway last October, many scorned the sanctioning body for awarding Denny Hamlin the win after he evidently advanced his position beneath the double yellow-line coming off Turn 4. In the moments preceding this heading into the final corner, William Byron was slammed to the apron by Matt DiBenedetto but collected himself well before exiting the turn.
Given the length and time between the incident Hamlin tried to avoid, many felt it was a premature move, and DiBenedetto should have been crowned the victor. What one might not consider is the fact that speeds are near 200 mph, and there is very little time to react racing in such close quarters in that assumed excess space.
Heading to Talladega for the first time since all this controversy, the question becomes, is it time for something to be done about the double yellow-line rule?
“It’s gotta stay,” Ross Chastain told The Circuit Journal. “You can’t have that transition on the apron. You couldn’t have that back in the day. That’s why they put it in place. Cars get down on the apron, they’re going to crash either way, but there’s gotta be a rule.
“It is what it is. We all know the rules, so why are we complaining about it? Let’s just go race.”
To provide a virtual explanation of why abolishing the ruling wouldn’t work, Chastain referenced what took place in the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Wednesday night. He notes many competitors were dipping below the double yellow lines in the middle of the pack and even felt that James Davison, the driver who led the entire time, didn’t end up winning because the regulation wasn’t implemented.
The safety aspect has never been in question. In fact, this sport’s most recent time saw disaster from this ruling was when Brad Keselowski held his ground against Carl Edwards in 2009, and the No. 99 was sent airborne into the catch fence. The real issue is the subjective call by NASCAR in these situations when information isn’t disclosed, or is done so in a vague or contradictory manner.
This rule has affected how many teams tackle tracks like Talladega, which included superspeedway aficionado Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who had to alter his driving style in recent years for being burned by NASCAR’s guideline.
“I really struggle with the double yellow-line rule,” Stenhouse admitted to The Circuit Journal. “In all of my cases, I feel like if I would have stood my ground and not gone below the double yellow-line, whoever was blocking me was going to crash, so to avoid [crashing], I went below the double yellow lines and still advanced my position.
“Anytime that happens, I just automatically, now, have to give it back, because we’ve been bitten by it too many times. [NASCAR] says it’s a judgment call. I’m not sure there’s a certain way they judge it.”
With driver safety in everyone’s best interest, this ruling will likely never go away. But could it be time to make some modifications? Maybe NASCAR could explore opening up the option for passing on straightaways or solely in white-flat or overtime conditions?
“I don’t really know what else there is to do, as far as rules go — it’s either there, or it’s opened up, one of the two,” Stenhouse said. “The way we all drive right now, if you opened it up, I think you’d have people entering on the apron getting into the corner, and I don’t know if that would be good or not.
“It’s in place, and you can use it to your advantage.”
What should be a point of emphasis to avoid backlash from fans and competitors is clarification surrounding the double yellow-line rule once a penalty is made (or rescinded). This is about transparency surrounding the rulebook, which is why NASCAR should make it a point to explain judgment calls each time they are made.
