Kevin Harvick has expressed that he sees no controversy in the “out of bounds” penalty that Bubba Wallace received after the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In a SPEED program, Harvick shared his opinion with commentator Will Buxton.
Harvick stated that the rule in question is easy to apply. “When you see a driver go from being behind some cars to being alongside them, it is hard to argue that he does not have an advantage when advancing his position,” he claimed. He argued that Wallace got distracted and lost concentration at the crucial moment of the race.
The controversy arose in the last lap of the race, where Wallace attempted to pass between leaders Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar, crossing the yellow line in the process. This action resulted in a penalty that dropped him from second to 29th place, affecting his positioning in the title fight.
The specific rule from NASCAR’s rulebook, Section 8.3.2, states that if a vehicle crosses under the double lines to improve its position, it may be disqualified. Harvick agreed with NASCAR’s decision, although he is unsure whether the rule is appropriately applied at tracks like Atlanta, which is distinct from the traditional layouts of Daytona and Talladega.
“I really don’t know if we need this yellow line rule at Atlanta,” he added. Tracks present different conditions, and their configurations can complicate the application of these rules. Nonetheless, Harvick reiterated that, in this case, the decision was clear and easy to make.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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