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BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Managing Director Richard Buck made a point to reiterate restart rules in Saturday’s pre-race drivers’ meeting at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading to a spirited discussion among drivers and car owners alike.
 
The comments came just hours ahead of the annual Irwin Tools Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM), and three days after Ryan Blaney was black-flagged for jumping a restart during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at the .533-mile track.
 
“Starts and restarts: We need everybody’s help tonight to tighten up the starts and restarts,” Buck told the group. “That means nose-to-tail, door-to-door. It’s a small restart zone, we all know that, so we need everybody’s help. The leader is the control car and it’s his responsibility or her responsibility to bring the field down at the caution car speed and restart at the restart zone.”
 
The reminders sparked a question from team owner Chip Ganassi about whether brake-checking and other forms of gamesmanship would be ruled a penalty. Buck replied that the leader (or “control car,” in race officials’ parlance) would have the ultimate responsibility for restarting the race in the designated zone.
 
That led to three follow-up questions from Carl Edwards, who referenced Austin Dillon pulling away from him on a restart during last weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Buck said that while he applauded Edwards’ enthusiasm, race officials have the ultimate say.
 
“We also have multiple resources and multiple people that watch that, OK?” Buck said in response to Edwards’ question whether race officials could determine if the leader had pressed the accelerator. “As Chip’s question alluded to, there’s a lot of gamesmanship going on, but we need you guys to do to be nose-to-tail, door-to-door, be in line when you come to the start. The control car’s responsibility is to restart in the restart zone or we will restart it. If there’s a judgment call that has to be made, we will make that.”
 
Denny Hamlin, Edwards’ teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing then asked whether NASCAR officials could revert to the previous rule for double-file restarts, when second-place cars were not allowed to beat the control car to the start-finish line.
 
“That’s a longer discussion that we can have,” Buck said. “OK, we appreciate the input, but it is the way it is today.”
 
Clint Bowyer added the final voice from the assembled crowd, questioning why — in his opinion — restart penalties were only called in the Camping World Truck Series.
 
Buck’s response: “Trust me, we’ll reinforce the rule and I hope you are not it.”

RELATED: Bowyer free to pursue 2016 opportunities
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BRISTOL, Tenn. – Clint Bowyer said his racing future “is uncertain right now” as he prepares to finish out the season with Michael Waltrip Racing before an expected move to a new employer in 2016.

Earlier this week, MWR officials announced Bowyer, 36, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization had “mutually agreed” to end their relationship at the conclusion of the ’15 season.

The two-team outfit, which fields the No. 55 Toyota for driver David Ragan in addition to the No. 15 of Bowyer, will not field a full-time Sprint Cup effort next year.

“It’s a tough time for everybody involved,” Bowyer said Friday morning at Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Saturday night’s Irwin Tools Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “It’s unfortunate.

“The truth is we’re eight months into a three-year commitment to one another. I had a great four years at this company; great culture, great personnel at MWR. I really did enjoy the years that I spent there.

“That being said Rob (Kauffman, MWR co-owner) … invested a lot into this sport. It’s a business decision to move forward on his end. That’s where our futures … unfortunately just don’t align anymore.”

WATCH: Bowyer, Kauffman expound on MWR split

The timing of the announcement was crucial, Bowyer said, to allow employees at MWR to understand and digest the situation and focus on the remainder of the ’15 season.

“These employees … are real people, with real lives with real families and a lot at stake,” he said. “They are racers, just like I am. But the racer in you doesn’t change the reality side of life. And the reality is you need to provide for your family.

“I thought it was extremely important … to get in front of that and I owed it to these employees to get this done as soon as possible, even knowing where we’re at on the bubble and everything in the Chase. I think being honest and straightforward and doing that for these people in the long run will set them up to make the most out of a difficult situation.”

Bowyer is an eight-time winner in the Sprint Cup Series, with three of those wins coming with MWR, which he joined in 2012. He finished a career-best second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup battle in his first year with the organization.

 

WATCH: Rob Kauffman about MWR, Bowyer decisions

Heading into Saturday night’s race at BMS, Bowyer is 15th in points with one top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

Eleven of the 16 available Chase slots have been secured (as long as those drivers remain in the top 30 in points), leaving Bowyer and a handful of others battling for one of the five remaining positions.

As for what the 2016 season and beyond may hold, Bowyer appears to be keeping all options open at this point.

“Absolutely,” he said. “… What I’m going to have in the future … will be another announcement and I’ll tell you as soon as possible. It’s as simple as that.

“I’m confident in the sport, I love this sport and the sport has been good to me and my family — (I’ve) had a lot of great partners and a lot of great organizations that I’ve worked for, and I see no reason why somebody that works hard and wants it like I do … can’t have a job for as long as they want.”

PHOTOS: MWR through the years