Who was the Luckiest Dog ?

**Mark in Oshawa** · 8th December 2006, 19:41

Lee Roy, you and I are on the same page on this one. I hate the Lucky dog. Always have, and racing back to the caution was dangerous. Now they freeze the field using the 8 timing loops they have around the track, why do we need to do anything like the Lucky Dog? All you are doing is giving a guy a shot who by his own incompetance, pit screw up or someone's stupidity has put him back there. That is racing. You want that lap back, get your speed up and get there. Or stay out when the leader is in the pits and hope a yellow shows up. Just remember in the case of Robby Gordon, he will be the guy causing the yellow to get the lucky dog!!!

**DavePI2** · 9th December 2006, 02:10

let's see, at first fontana this year Jr. was already 1 lap down, stewart was about to get lapped and gordon who had already lost one battery needed to change the second. What happens, yellow flag for debris of course. Jr. gets his lap back, Stewart doesn't get lapped, and Gordon gets to come in on yellow flag to change battery. Amazing how those debris flags just happen to come at the times convenient for the stars.

David

**Jonesi** · 9th December 2006, 02:25

Originally Posted by DavePI2

let's see, at first fontana this year Jr. was already 1 lap down, stewart was about to get lapped and gordon who had already lost one battery needed to change the second. What happens, yellow flag for debris of course. Jr. gets his lap back, Stewart doesn't get lapped, and Gordon gets to come in on yellow flag to change battery. Amazing how those debris flags just happen to come at the times convenient for the stars.
David

Every caution helps some cars, if it's Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson & Chad Chaffin nobody really notices or comments.

**Mark in Oshawa** · 9th December 2006, 05:29

Jonesei, the number of times it happens at crucial moments for some of the big names has effected the outcome of races. Kahne won a race this year where he got a lucky dog. If he had to race his way back, would he have won? No, any time you give anyone something for free, you are artificially messing with the outcome of the race potentially.

**tstran17_88** · 9th December 2006, 05:51

Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

Jonesei, the number of times it happens at crucial moments for some of the big names has effected the outcome of races. Kahne won a race this year where he got a lucky dog. If he had to race his way back, would he have won? No, any time you give anyone something for free, you are artificially messing with the outcome of the race potentially.

It's all if's and but's with your argument about this particular race though.

Kahne won the pole for this race and was dominating the race when he got punted. Would he have won without the Lucky Dog? Probably not because it was Michigan which has very few cautions...limiting his chances of racing his way back onto the lead lap. This race was also a rain shortened race to which they played the pit strategy game correct. Had Nascar decided to re-start this race instead of calling it...he most likely would have not won it with the strategy they used.

It’s not like this was a Ryan Newman win from 2003 when the only reason he won races was because of topping off the fuel tank on every caution lap after he received the Lucky Dog.

IMO...the best car did win this race, even if it was ticky-tacky.

**harvick#1** · 9th December 2006, 06:23

the only time when I think I found Nascar fixing cautions was at Pocono a few years agao with Dale Jr.

everytime he was about 4 seconds from being lapped, a mysterious Debris caution arose, they did this about 4 times in the race, and Jr. got his car better to finish in the top ten, but the Caution falgs for Debris appear to be bogus half the time. usually they happen under a commercial period to suspense the viewer when they come back on the air, but then the Broadcasters never say why they went to yellow.