After watching the long Southern 500, I noticed something that caught my eye. It wasn't the throwback paint schemes, announcers, or TV graphics but the finish. While there was great racing through the race, the finish was a let down. So, let me explain.
With roughly about 15 laps to go, Brad Keselowski was holding off Edwards and Harvick on worn out tires on a green flag run. But, Jeb Burton spins out only the have the caution thrown out after he gets going, even when he was off the track where no other cars were and was off course. So in comes the leaders and Edwards wins race off pit road and race. On the last restart, there wasn't much of a nail biting finish like all the fans expected out of the rules package. The real kicker is NASCAR wanted to throw out the caution to create a show for fans, considering this is the first Darlington race on Labor Day weekend since 2003.
I suspect this was an attempt to create a show like many other NASCAR races over the last 5-7. For instance, " debris" caution coming late into a race or a relatively minor spin that wouldn't throw out a caution. An example from this year was the Brickyard 400, where a "debris" caution was thrown out to please fans and advertisers to put on a show for fans. This year's Southern 500 will be another episode on how NASCAR showcases itself of being rigged.
