Controversial black flag ends run for Vickers

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A heat-of-the-moment decision may have cost Brian Vickers his first career NASCAR Busch Series victory Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Vickers, 19 and making only his 31st career start, broke a well-known rule when -- while leading the race with 22 laps to go -- he pulled along the left side of a lapped car in front of him on a restart.

O'REILLY 300  •  Results  •  Standings  •  Nemechek wins  •  Late-race accident ruins day for many contenders

Chad Blount, who was on the tail end of the lead lap in 12th position but starting in front of Vickers in the outside line, spun his No. 19 Dodge's tires and did not take off when the green flag waved.

Vickers, who had led nearly seven times more laps Saturday -- 87 -- than the 13 he'd led previously in his career, chose the left side of Blount's car to pass.

Vickers was almost alongside Blount's driver's side door when they crossed the starting line.

"The 19 missed a shift and it was either me wreck (by) hitting him or try to avoid him," Vickers said. "That's racing. When somebody misses a shift it's a basic maneuver -- you either wreck or be wrecked and we went low to miss him.

"I never passed him before the start/finish line. It's the front bumper that counts and it was a bad call."

NASCAR vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter clarified the rule on restarts. Hunter said the rule is not only in the rulebook, but contained on an information sheet that is distributed at each race's drivers' and crew chiefs' meeting and is also read at the meetings.

"The argument that the other car spun its tires and he had to pull to the left to miss him doesn't hold," Hunter said. "There was plenty of room to go to the right. The intent of the rule is to not stack everybody up on a start or a restart (by regulating how they can pass)."

Vickers was shown the black flag on an ensuing lap and appeared to catch a break when the race's eighth caution flew, for debris on the backstretch, with 12 laps left. But his required pit stop put him back in the field for a restart with 10 laps to go.

VIDEO CLIPS Joe Nemechek wins the O'Reilly 300 Play video Brian Vickers' good day takes a turn for the worst Play video Nemechek avoids a multi-car wreck in the final laps to win Play video Todd Bodine records a top-five finish Play video Scott Riggs scores his second top-five at TMS. Play video Several drivers find trouble Play video Hamilton Jr. is upset after a lapped car spins him from the lead Play video

A 15-car pileup erupted on the frontstretch on that restart and while the field scattered, Vickers' No. 5 Chevrolet plowed into David Reutimann's No. 88 Chevy. Vickers was out on the spot and finished 25th.

Race winner Joe Nemechek was one of four other drivers that were right in the middle of the action that quoted the restart rule verbatim.

"You can only pass to the right," Nemechek said. "I've been black flagged for that (and) it's not a good experience if a guy misses a shift or doesn't take off right."

Blount, who in only his sixth career Busch Series start scored a career best fifth-place finish and Reutimann, a NASCAR Touring veteran in his fifth career Busch race, said there was no question about the rule.

"You have to stay behind them or pass to the right," Blount said. "If someone misses a shift you just gotta move to the outside and get around them."

"That's the way it is, yes sir," Reutimann said. "That's the way it's always been."

"No matter what, you've got to pass to the right," said Steadman Marlin, whose Dodge was involved in the big-pile accident. "That's the NASCAR rule, but on a deal like that the lapped cars just have to have enough respect for the people that are up front and running good to let them do the race.

"I mean, poor old Brian Vickers had it won, but that happens."

Nemechek acknowledged that Vickers' day was coming.

"Brian Vickers had an awesome race car today," Nemechek "I think he was the fastest car here today, but he wasn't there at the end. He's driving for Hendrick Motorsports and he'll be someone to deal with in the future."

That was little consolation to Vickers.

"NASCAR usually makes a good call and this time they didn't," Vickers said. "I respect those guys but (this time) I have to disagree with them. I am really proud of the GMAC crew -- they gave me the car to win and we had this race won and it got taken from us."