Should NASCAR Change The Rule For Last-Lap Contact?

Should NASCAR make any rule changes for when the leader is involved in a caution on the last lap?

Luken Glover: No. As unnecessary and dirty of a move that Ty Gibbs made on Brandon Jones at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last weekend, that is more on what Gibbs did rather than Jones. I am not a fan of constantly adding more penalties, and NASCAR needs to be genuine, but I would not mind a time penalty similar to that of Formula 1 for absolutely unnecessary moves. That said, this is stock-car racing. Gibbs deserves all of the criticism he is receiving for the move, but he is not the first to do it, nor will he be the last. It is an exciting yet sometimes unfortunate part of racing that separates the sport from others.

Joy Tomlinson: It depends on the situation. It should have done something with Gibbs last week — either penalize him right away by sending him back to second or penalize him later in the week. Then again, that would lead to a slippery slope and inconsistent rulings; as if NASCAR doesn’t do that already. No rule changes for now, unless something happens that results in the driver getting hurt. After all, there are sometimes crashes on the last lap at superspeedways, and the only rule that’s there in the NASCAR Cup Series is no going below the yellow line to pass and no forcing others below the yellow line. Just leave things the way they are for now.

Mark Kristl: NASCAR could implement a version of a tap-out rule where the drivers involved in any last-lap incidents are scored at the tail end of the field. As a result, Gibbs would have finished as the last driver on the lead lap (24th), handing the win to Sheldon Creed. But that can bring criticism to scoring decisions as to who was involved in an incident. Ultimately, NASCAR would be best served to continue to allow the drivers to police themselves.

Mike Neff: Like what? If the leader is involved in the caution but is ahead when the flag flies, they should still win. Not sure why there would be different handling for the leader vs. any other competitor.

Andrew Stoddard: Leave it be. Many NASCAR fans have a hard enough time keeping track of all the rules and rules changes from year to year as it is. Also, it is difficult to legislate the emotions of a driver on the last lap fighting for the win.

Do you expect any retaliation toward Gibbs in the Xfinity finale?

Stoddard: Since the playoff format started in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014 and in the Xfinity…