As expected, NASCAR has modified the rules for its "overtime period," known as green-white-checkered finishes. Starting with Thursday's twin 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway, officials can now make up to three attempts at a G-W-C finish, rather than one, as was previously the rule.
"We want to do all we can to finish our races under green-flag conditions. The fans want to see that, and so do the competitors," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "We felt that putting a cap at three attempts to finish the race under green is the way to go. It gives the fans what they want and it also gives the teams a better opportunity to prepare for their end-of-race strategy."
The change will go into effect in all three national series, and follows a Budweiser Shootout last weekend that went to the green-white-checkered finish, but ended under caution nonetheless.
Jeff Gordon, however, doubted that multiple chances at a green finish would make that much difference.
"They can do 10 green-white-checkereds and we're still not going to make it to the checkered," Gordon said. "It just needs to be a one-lap, take the green and finish, after we attempt a green-white-checkered. I just think that after you do one attempt at a green-white-checkered and you have a caution, there's no reason to do another one and another one and another one."