Sunday, November 11, 2012

Pemberton On Non-Call: "We Didn't See Any Fluid."

Robin Pemberton
NASCAR does not often admit mistakes.  

But in the aftermath of Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton came as close to an official “mea culpa” as most observers of the sport can ever recall. Asked about the sanctioning body’s failure to throw the caution flag when Danica Patrick crashed on the final lap and coated the fourth turn with oil, Pemberton said officials misinterpreted the smoke trailing from Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet.  

"At the time, she came all the way around (Turn Four) and was out of harm's way," he said. "We didn't see any fluid or anything. She rode around on the apron and when she pulled up on the racetrack, there was smoke. But it looked like tire smoke.  

"It's easy to look back on it and wish that you did something different," said Pemberton of a final-lap crash that demolished at least a half-dozen cars, including Patrick’s disabled racer. "But at the time, it didn't appear like there was any fluid that was coming out of the car."


  1. Just like they didn't see anything at Watkins Glen?

  2. Anonymous9:04 PM

    you have got to be kidding

  3. Anonymous9:35 PM

    Maybe these guys are too old to make the right call? My god how old is Pemberton anyway?

  4. Anonymous9:35 PM

    That is total BS. When did the appeatance of "fluid" become the criteria for a yellow flag. Usually when a car slams the wall as hard as Danica did, they have that yellow flag flying before you can blink. Why not this time? Pemberton needs to find a new job. His excuses just get lamer and lamer.

    Merlin in VA

  5. Anonymous9:36 PM

    Is that what they will tell a family member of someone who gets hurt or killed as a result of letting a race finish under green? Same thing at the truck race in Bristol with Ty Dillon stopped on the apron at the start/finish line. We all know there is never a crash at the end of a race.

    Safety can never take a back seat to the action!! I have been at the track when a driver has been killed. Absolutely horrible and changed the way I watch races.

    Thanks for your time,
    D. Gross

  6. Anonymous10:50 PM

    I get that they don't want to dictate the outcome of a race, but that kind of "no call" is going to get someone hurt. They had an opportunity to throw the yellow after the white flag and non of this would have happened. I don't think there were a lot of position changes on that last lap so not much would have changed.

  7. JJfan4811:36 PM

    Nascar does care about saftey. Thats all there is to it.

  8. This, simply put was a bad non-call. What race was he (or, were they) watching?

  9. It matters who is in the lead as to whether NASCAR throws a caution. If Jimmie Johnson was leading the caution would have been thrown.

  10. Wayne9:35 AM

    Would you want those same people in charge of your well being????

  11. Anonymous10:38 AM

    Everyone is furious at the GORDON/BOWYER thing, but I feel this is really the worst part of the race - Danika was sitting on the track, on the frontstetch, in a disabled car. The field was racing to the finish, bearing right down on her. THIS IS THE HORROR OF THE RACE!

  12. I was at PIR off of turn 4. The fluid on the track was obvious. Danica was even on fire on the frontstretch before she hit the fire bottle and put it out. The outcome of the race was pretty much decided at that point, should have thrown the yellow rather than risk the chance of having a huge wreck which obviously we all know happened

  13. Anonymous1:30 PM

    Why didn't NASCAR throw the yellow after Jeff hit the wall and parts were visibly falling off his car? A caution then would likely have made it a whole different race, at least as far as Gordon/Bowyer was concerned.