COMMENTARY: NASCAR's "Yellow Line Rule" Is Imperfect, But What's The Option?

NASCAR finds itself on the hot seat today, in the aftermath of a race at Talladega Superspeedway that featured 13 caution flags – three of them red – and required Triple Overtime to complete. 

Wild even by Talladega standards, yesterday’s race saw a number of penalties assessed for either racing below the double-yellow line at the bottom of the speedway, or forcing another driver to do so. 

The most controversial penalty was assessed to driver Matt DiBenedetto, who swerved down the track while leading in the final turn, in an attempt to block challenger William Byron. Contact was made, with NASCAR ruling that Byron was forced below the double-yellow line. Eventual winner Denny Hamlin also drove below the line in an apparent attempt to avoid Byron. 

NASCAR issued an immediate penalty to DiBenedetto, moving him from second place to 21^st (tail end of the lead lap) for violation the provision of the NASCAR rule book that states, “Race above the double-yellow line. If – in NASCAR’s judgement -- you go below the double-yellow line to improve your position, you will be black flagged. If – in NASCAR’s judgement – you force someone below the double yellow line in an effort to stop them from passing you, you may be black flagged.” 

A crestfallen DiBenedetto admitted driving aggressively on the final lap saying, “I was blocking everyone’s lane. That was pure desperation, but that’s how I drive every race.” 

Hamlin supported the decision, saying, “Finally NASCAR put their foot down. You can’t use the yellow line as a defense. You have to play within the boundaries that they set.” 

Chase Elliott was also penalized for going below the line on the final lap. His Hendrick Motorsports team filed a formal protest, and Elliott was reinstated after a NASCAR video review indicated that Chris Buescher had forced him out of bounds. 

Elliott ended up fifth, with Buescher demoted from sixth to 22nd. 

NASCAR’s post-race penalties drew the ire of many observers, with calls for the so-called “Yellow Line Rule” to be modified or abolished outright. 

There is no doubt that the “Yellow Line” rule is subjective. Subjectivity and judgement calls are a regular (and sometimes unpopular) part of sports officiating. Unfortunately, there are very few black-and-white calls in sports, or in NASCAR. No two incidents are exactly alike, making “one size fits all rules” difficult to write and even more difficult to apply. 

Disliking the current rule is one thing, coming up with a better alternative is something else altogether.

 In situations like those that presented themselves yesterday at Talladega, opinions are sometimes formed based on who we like and who we root for. Chase Elliott and Matt DiBenedetto are two of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, and lots of people were understandably rooting for them to win yesterday. That desire – while the basis of fandom – sometimes clouds our perception of what actually happens on the racetrack, and how it should be dealt with. 

NASCAR obviously cannot rule on popularity. They need to interpret their rules as evenly and unemotionally as possible, attempting to go “by the book” in every instance, even when the situation is not as black-and-white as we might like. 

Calls for the abolition of the “Yellow Line Rule” are worthy of discussion, but before agreeing to do away with any rule, we need to decide what to do instead. 

Legalizing an Oklahoma Land Rush of drivers racing six-wide onto the apron at 195 mph does not seem like a prudent option. While some drivers insist that they can be trusted to do the right thing on the final lap of a critical playoff race -- conducting themselves in a manner that  endangers neither themselves nor others -- their ability to follow through on that pledge remains in doubt. 

A few years ago, NASCAR announced that it would no longer enforce the proper installation of lugs nuts, leaving it up to the teams to ensure the safety of their drivers. Almost immediately, drivers begged the sanctioning body to get back into the lug nut business, admitting that the lure of omitting a lug nut or two in an effort to be first off pit road on a late-race pitstop was too much for them to resist. 

If we can’t trust drivers and teams to tighten five lug nuts on the last pit stop, what makes you think we can trust them to exercise discretion and race safely on the final lap? 

Sometimes, we need a higher authority to make sure things are done safely and correctly. And until someone can come up with a new edict that eliminates the subjectivity of NASCAR’s “Yellow Line Rule,” the present system will almost certainly remain in place. 

Let the discussion begin.