AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR officials offered a firm reminder Sunday morning, instructing drivers to keep Sunday’s competition clean in the next-to-last race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, made the remarks in the drivers’ and crew chiefs’ meeting Sunday morning, hours before the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) at Phoenix International Raceway.
O’Donnell acknowledged the high stakes associated with the 312-mile event, which will trim the field of title-eligible drivers from eight to four heading into next Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“We’ve got two races to go. Everybody knows there’s a lot on the line tonight,” O’Donnell said. “Be professional. Let the race play out as it always would. If it’s not your day, let those competing for a win go for it.”
Track president Bryan Sperber honored Jeff Gordon in the meeting, thanking the four-time premier series champion with a race-day renaming of the 1-mile facility to Jeff Gordon Raceway.
Gordon punctuated the 12-minute meeting with a question about restarts, asking whether the second-place car could beat the leading car (or “control car”) to the start-finish line if restart is otherwise ruled legal. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director Richard Buck replied in the affirmative.