NASCAR’s top rules man is taking a different approach this weekend.
Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer, the man ultimately responsible for many of the sport’s biggest officiating decisions, is overseeing the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway remotely from NASCAR’s Competition Center in Charlotte rather than from pit road in California.
It’s another example of how NASCAR continues to modernize race control, albeit a bit of a shock.
Thanks to an extensive network of cameras, timing loops, telemetry and direct communication with officials stationed at the track, Sawyer can monitor every inch of Sonoma Raceway from the sanctioning body’s headquarters. The setup allows NASCAR’s “competition czar” to remain fully engaged in officiating while leveraging the same technology used throughout the season.
Sawyer’s fingerprints are on virtually every major competition decision in the Cup Series. Whether it’s late-race cautions, procedural rulings, penalty reviews or race management, few voices carry more weight inside the garage. While fans often see the calls, Sawyer is frequently the man helping make them.
For competitors, little changes.
Officials remain stationed throughout Sonoma, and race control continues to operate as a coordinated team. The only difference is that one of NASCAR’s most influential decision-makers will be more than 2,400 miles away instead of overlooking pit road this weekend.
As the sport embraces new technology, one thing remains certain: whether he’s standing atop the tower at the track or sitting inside NASCAR’s state-of-the-art command center in Charlotte, Elton Sawyer will still be one of the busiest men in the sport when the green flag drops Sunday.
What do you think of this change? A smart move by NASCAR or a slap in the face to fans? Let us know!
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