BROOKLYN, Mich. - NASCAR instituted rules Friday prohibiting drivers from exiting their cars under caution, a practice that traditionally has produced memorable outbursts of crowd-pleasing emotion.
The question Friday at Michigan International Speedway was whether such a rule was needed in the wake of the horrifying incident that spawned it - Kevin Ward Jr.'s death Saturday night after being struck by a sprint car driven by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.
'Regardless of rule changes or anything like that, I think that everything that went on last weekend I believe is a turning point internally for all the drivers,' Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards said after practice for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400. 'I think people will be a little more careful.'
There will be more incentive to remain stationary with the formalization of guidelines that already were provided in every prerace meeting. Though drivers always have been told to remain in their cars in the event of a crash, the new rule specifies they should proceed directly to the ambulance without approaching the racing surface or another vehicle.
It's become commonplace for drivers who feel aggrieved after a crash to confront the car that caused it while it passes by under a caution flag.
But such actions faced great scrutiny since the video went viral of Ward scrambling from his car to run down the dirt banking at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park and confront Stewart under a caution. Ward died of blunt force trauma after being hit.
NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the incident prompted the change, which doesn't outline a punishment for an offender who disobeys by leaving the car. Pemberton said penalties would be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
But the video might be a stronger deterrent than the new stipulation.
'I'm sure every one of us has at least one time in our careers where we have done something on the race track or when we get out of the car, we look back and think we should have thought twice about it,' Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Kyle Larson said. 'I think a lot of people now are going to learn after seeing that video or hearing about what happened. If we are upset with somebody, we are going to think about it before we get out of the car.'
There have been questions about whether such a rule would inhibit the entertainment component as many tracks use highlights of angry drivers to promote races (Stewart's two-handed helmet throw at Matt Kenseth under a caution at Bristol Motor Speedway two years ago is a memorable example).
Tony Stewart, left, confronts Matt Kenseth after the two collided during a Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2012.(Photo: Earl Neikirk, AP)
But there was a willingness among drivers to accept any perceived tradeoff.
'It's pretty simple: I'm proud that they want safety to be on the forefront,' said veteran Jeff Burton, who is replacing Stewart in the No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend as the driver-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing continues to grieve. 'That's what this rule is all about. I think safety overrides entertainment.'
Joe Gibbs Racing's Matt Kenseth approved of putting the rule in writing.
'It's probably good to spell it out,' he said. 'It's kind of something that we probably also know. After you get wrecked, and you know you can't continue, you always get out right away and go look at the car, even if you're not mad about anything. Honestly, we haven't thought about it for a long time. You just don't even think about those other cars going by and the slowest they're going by at a place like Pocono is 70 (mph). Anybody who has ever changed their tire along an interstate knows that's still pretty fast and things can happen.'
Jeff Gordon also liked the rule even if it wouldn't change his approach, but he also wondered if it would have an impact on driver behavior..
'I understand because this situation forces everybody to look at things a little bit more under a microscope and maybe make an adjustment here or there,' he said. 'I'll try to keep my emotions in check and use common sense. It doesn't matter if it's on the track or off the track.
'But it doesn't mean things aren't going to escalate or aren't going to happen. Things get heated all the time. We'll see what happens. I don't think what they announced is going to change anything as far as what goes on in the garage area.'
Recalling a 2002 incident as a rookie in which he made an obscene gesture at Robby Gordon after a wreck at Bristol, six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson also questioned the effectiveness.
'I know it's a hot topic,' he said. 'I think that NASCAR has made the right move in redefining or better explaining; even making consequences for, letting emotions getting the best of you as a race car driver. Will that stop a driver that's really upset? I don't know. It's hard to say.'
Entities 0 Name: Matt Kenseth Count: 3 1 Name: NASCAR Count: 3 2 Name: Stewart Count: 3 3 Name: Tony Stewart Count: 2 4 Name: Bristol Motor Speedway Count: 2 5 Name: Robby Gordon Count: 1 6 Name: Kevin Ward Jr. Count: 1 7 Name: BROOKLYN Count: 1 8 Name: Joe Gibbs Count: 1 9 Name: Pocono Count: 1 10 Name: Michigan Count: 1 11 Name: Michigan International Speedway Count: 1 12 Name: Ganassi Racing Count: 1 13 Name: Robin Pemberton Count: 1 14 Name: Earl Neikirk Count: 1 15 Name: Ward Count: 1 16 Name: Carl Edwards Count: 1 17 Name: Roush Fenway Racing Count: 1 18 Name: Bristol Count: 1 19 Name: Jeff Burton Count: 1 20 Name: Canandaigua Count: 1 21 Name: Jeff Gordon Count: 1 22 Name: Jimmie Johnson Count: 1 23 Name: Pemberton Count: 1 24 Name: Mich. Count: 1 25 Name: Kyle Larson Count: 1 26 Name: N.Y. Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1vShb91 Title: NASCAR curbs drivers walking on track after Tony Stewart incident Description: NASCAR on Friday implemented a new rule sharply curbing drivers' ability to walk on a race track in the aftermath of the fatal incident involving Tony Stewart. Although the incident in which Stewart's car struck and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. was not during a NASCAR-sanctioned race, NASCAR took the step in response to the fatal event.