“I just, I mean, to me it’s kinda stupid.” These accusing words came from NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck in late April. That was when the sanctioning body announced the 2025 novelty for the All-Star Race, the ‘promoter’s caution.’ I mean, there were other novelties – like the extended laps or the manufacturer’s showdown. However, Marcus Smith’s ‘gimmick’ ended up catching the maximum attention, and Michael Waltrip ended up in the thick of it, unfortunately.

The All-Star Race proceeded fabulously at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Joey Logano was the center of attention as he led for 139 of 250 laps, but the race was no less exciting because of his determined rivals. One of them got the advantage just when NASCAR threw its customized caution, which elicited squinted eyes from the public.

NASCAR’s innovation went topsy-turvy

“I’m p—– off… me and Marcus Smith aren’t seeing eye to eye right now, okay?” Joey Logano, three-time Cup Series champion, was visibly irate after the All-Star Race concluded. That was because Speedway Motorsport Inc.’s caution came at a most disadvantageous time for him. Michael Waltrip got up on the flag stand and quite literally threw the yellow flag on lap 215. Yes, the flag fell on the track! However, the events that followed were what caught the most attention.

In a surprising move, Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano stayed away from pit road while Christopher Bell took two tires – and that was all it took for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to claim the rest of the race as his own. However, Logano was maybe the only detractor of that twist in the climax. Others in the NASCAR community were more puzzled by the outright sloppy way in which Waltrip‘s duty unfolded.

In a recent episode of ‘The Teardown’, Jeff Gluck laid down his cutting verdict: “I don’t like how they did it.” He went on to stress how not only the Cup Series drivers but also Waltrip looked like ‘clowns.’ “These people have worked their entire lives to get to the highest form of stock car racing in the United States…These are some of the most elite drivers in the world. I get that it’s an exhibition race… we want to have a little fun and spice it up… But the way that they did this was the epitome of hokeyness, of lameness.”

Michael Waltrip won the 1996 NASCAR All-Star Race while driving for Wood Brothers Racing. However, in 2025, the veteran driver probably did not cut a very appealing picture with his antics. Jeff Gluck continued, “To have Michael Waltrip go up there, and you know, do a little dance-around and hyping up the crowd, ‘Am I going to do it? Am I not?’ …You’re just like, Oh my god. Is this how we’re doing this? Really?” While it is a gimmick after all, it felt more gimmicky than usual for Jeff Gluck. For fans who have been watching the race for decades, it felt like a slap in the face to be treated like kids in a candy store waiting for a caution.

The on-track product was amazing, nevertheless. There were 18 lead changes, most in All-Star race history, among 8 leaders, and Christopher Bell made maximum use of the caution. Bell, however, did not think the promoter’s caution would have helped him much: “I was trying to size (Logano) up for the long run and try and pass him in the closing laps, and then whenever the yellow came out, you just never know how it’s going to play out… I’m thankful that it went the way it did, obviously, and Adam (Stevens) made a great call to pit and put me on offense, and it allowed me to be the aggressor.”

Meanwhile, Logano was fuming at Christopher Bell, Marcus Smith, and NASCAR as a whole for ruining his shot at defending the All-Star title. He took a swipe at Bell’s move (sliding Joey up the track) to take the lead, saying, “Kind of just ran me up into the wall, and if I could’ve got to him, he was going around after a move like that.” Logano’s threat of wrecking Bell was taken in the most professional way possible by the #20 driver, who calmly said, “Yeah, I don’t think that I did anything that Joey has not done, and I’ve seen Joey do much worse. “

Although the race win ended up being a brownie point for Christopher Bell and possibly ignited a rivalry with Joey Logano, the ‘promoter’s caution’ that caused it all is not in the NASCAR community’s good books. Jeff Gluck’s comments found a horde of supporters.

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Fans bash the ‘gimmick’

Well, handing the reins of control to the race promoter is always going to be unpopular. NASCAR had a chance to make it look right, but could not even do that. Michael Waltrip tried his best to hype up the event, but after he dropped the flag, it created an unnecessary hindrance for some of the best stock car drivers in the world.

This show enraged a fan who passed their judgment: “It sucked.” Alongside the caution, NASCAR also had a ‘manufacturer’s showdown’. With Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott’s top-five finishes, Chevrolet won this contest. However, somebody pointed out how the broadcasters rarely mentioned this while agreeing with Jeff Gluck: “You were 100% right though. Michael Waltrip had no business being in the flagstand and Fox (not surprisingly) overhyped that promoters caution big time. Meanwhile they barely mentioned the manufacturers showdown.”

With a 76-year-old history, NASCAR has a large base of diehard racing fans. These people come to the grandstands of North Carolina racetracks and follow the pulse of the sport. However, NASCAR has been trying to recruit diverse, younger fans through several initiatives, like a Netflix documentary or an international race. One diehard fan did not like that: “You’re spot on here Jeff. The FOX broadcast treats the audience like a six year old casual fan who’s never watched racing before. It’s cringe and furthers the point that NASCAR is losing/disrespecting its core fans.” Somebody else simply agreed with Gluck’s sentiments. The sport further lost its ‘cool’ image: “Yea I agree it was just super corny and awkward.”

Some people suggested alternatives to the promoter’s caution. For instance, Dale Earnhardt Jr had floated the idea of giving reins to fans for throwing the caution. One fan suggested a similar alternative, although it would be way worse. Yet since NASCAR already went down the sloppy path, why not make it sloppier? They wrote, “I say screw it, go full WWE, bring a random fan up, let him get as drunk as he can, then randomly throw a caution. It can even be sponsored by Busch Light.”

Evidently, NASCAR lost a chunk of its good image via the All-Star Race innovation. Let us see how this promoter’s story develops further. What did you think of he promoter’s caution and Michael Waltrip’s antics? Let us know in the comments!