NASCAR reaffirmed its commitment to throwing caution flags on the final lap of races when necessary to ensure driver safety. This stance was put into action during the recent Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The decision came after criticism of the Saturday night Xfinity Series race, where NASCAR allowed racing to continue despite a crash off Turn 2. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, acknowledged this was "a little aggressive" and should have resulted in a caution.

The policy was implemented during Sunday's Cup Series race when a mid-pack crash occurred on the backstretch. NASCAR immediately threw the caution flag, freezing the three-wide battle for the lead in Turns 3 and 4.

Sawyer explained on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: "We need to err more on throwing it than not. If we don't throw the caution, you're incentivizing the competitors to drive through that."

Driver reaction has been largely supportive:

• Christopher Bell endorsed it as "the right call"
• Kyle Larson agreed with the decision despite finishing third
• Denny Hamlin praised NASCAR's commitment to safety over entertainment

"There's not a driver in the field that would want that race to stay green given the scenarios that were going on," Hamlin stated. "Safety should always be No. 1 and entertainment should be No. 2."

The garage has shown no backlash to the decision, with many drivers actually requesting stricter caution flag enforcement following Saturday's incident. This new approach signals NASCAR's renewed emphasis on consistent safety protocols during race conclusions.

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