NASCAR fixes track design mistake from Truck Series finale - ESPN

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Just hours after defending NASCAR's officiating this season, the series was embarrassed by an error on the Phoenix Raceway surface that painted the restart zone in the wrong place for the Truck Series championship.

The restart zone was at least 50 feet in the wrong place for Friday night's crash-filled race, won by Christian Eckes in four overtimes. Ben Rhodes won his second Truck Series championship.

NASCAR overnight repainted the restart zone in its 2022 location in time for Saturday activity, which included qualifying for the Cup Series finale and the Xfinity Series championship race. No definitive reason was given for the paint having been in the wrong spot.

NASCAR did say that it notified the Truck Series teams that the restart zone was in the wrong spot and that it opted not to move it before the race.

The race was lambasted by top Cup Series drivers for its messy completion, which included Carson Hocevar wrecking Corey Heim and costing Heim the championship. The race went 29 laps past the scheduled distance, with the four overtimes caused by constant crashes in the field.

«This is what happens when there's no rules, no officiating,» veteran Denny Hamlin posted on social media. «You get a product like this. 'The show' has taken over US Motorsports and why it's hard to take seriously.»

In NASCAR's annual state of the sport address earlier Friday, chief operating officer Steve O'Donnell took «a little bit of issue» when questioned about officiating errors throughout the season.

One of the most glaring gaffes was in the opening playoff race of the third round, when NASCAR disqualified Ryan Blaney for failing postrace inspection in a move that would have crushed his championship chances. One day