HAMPTON, Ga. — Leading the race, with rain and lightning in close proximity, desperately needing fuel but knowing that if you pit, you may very well relinquish a lead that you won’t get back because the race is likely to be called before you can get back to the front.
It’s the position no crew chief wants to find themselves in. Effectively, you’re on an island, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
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The angst that comes with having to make a decision like this is something Matt McCall, crew chief for Brad Keselowski, experienced Sunday night.
Keselowski was leading the Atlanta NASCAR Cup Series race a few laps before the approaching Stage 2 break, all while inclement weather was moving in and with Keselowski due for a pit stop. Up and down pit road, crew chiefs understood that before long NASCAR would be stopping the race. And if the race was halted, it would likely not be restarted, as the halfway point had been reached, thereby making it official.
“There’s always doubt,” McCall told The Athletic. “But that’s what you’re paid to do, and you try to make the best decision possible with the information you have.”
For several moments, as the field circled under caution, McCall and Keselowski debated on what to do. They had an opportunity to win, and if they cashed in, Keselowski would both snap his 80-race winless streak and virtually lock himself into the playoffs. They could’ve justified staying out with the hope the rain came soon enough that Keselowski wouldn’t run out of fuel.
But it was a risk. Because while it was going to rain, and there was lightning visible in the distance, at the moment the race was still going on. Pitting ensured that Keselowski wouldn’t run his fuel tank completely dry and would give himself a chance to rally back for the win.
From the perspectives of Keselowski and McCall, the decision was a no-brainer. The rain was just enough out — approximately 10 minutes by McCall’s calculations — that they couldn’t chance it.
“We needed either the yellow to hit or the rain to come 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later, and it came right when we didn’t need it, so that’s life,” Keselowski told The Athletic.
Keselowski pitted during the stage break, dropping from the lead to 17th. And just as McCall had calculated, the rain held off, allowing NASCAR to keep the race going. Had they not stopped, Keselowski would’ve been sunk as McCall determined afterward that Keselowski would’ve been three laps short on fuel. As it was, he was able to fight his way back to the sixth position, which was where he was running when the rain did stop the race.
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The race never resumed. William Byron was declared the winner.
“In the end, it’s on me to make that decision but at the same time it’s tough to think we would have been pretty close,” McCall said. “But now, knowing how many laps we ran and that we couldn’t run that long, it makes you sleep a little bit better.”
Sometimes in these situations, it’s not unusual for a driver and crew chief to second-guess themselves. Point the finger at the other. In this instance, however, there was none of that between Keselowski and McCall.
After parking his car on pit road during the stoppage, Keselowski walked down to his pit stall where he conferred with McCall about the decision. Quickly, they both surmised the correct call had been made because the alternative wasn’t feasible — especially considering that, because he had led so many laps, Keselowski had burned more fuel. They then discussed whether the race would resume at all. And again, they were both in agreement: No.
“(McCall) can see what I can’t, and I got to drive the car,” Keselowski said. “I don’t think he made a bad call, just the way it goes.”
It wasn’t too long before NASCAR made it official, calling the race as the rain intensified. Keselowski and McCall climbed down from the pit box, their night over earlier than they thought with a finish that didn’t entirely reflect how close they came to winning.
Sunday marked the second consecutive Atlanta race where Keselowski and McCall had positioned themselves to win, yet left the track with a result that felt like a stomach punch. In the spring, Keselowski finished a close second to Joey Logano.
The upshot is that because Keselowski finished sixth and earned 10 points for a stage win, he’s now a healthy 100 points above the provisional cut line to make the playoffs with seven regular-season races remaining.
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“We had a great shot to win today and didn’t get a chance to show it, which is a bummer,” Keselowski said.
(Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
