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The NASCAR logo in Chicago

NASCAR chief admits failings over hugely controversial Cup Series call

NASCAR chief admits failings over hugely controversial Cup Series call

The NASCAR logo in Chicago

NASCAR have revealed that they'll be making changes to the way they officiate any future races at Chicago, after controversy on Sunday.

Cody Ware's car was buried nose-first in a tyre barrier for more than 30 seconds before NASCAR flew the caution, despite Ware hitting the barrier at nearly 100mph.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Kyle Busch speaks out on social media as Denny Hamlin reacts to confirmed driver exit

That delay meant that Shane van Gisbergen was able to take the white flag, which meant that the race ended when the caution eventually flew. A number of drivers and pundits have criticised the delay, and NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran explained the reason for the delay this week while admitting changes had to be made.

Moran admitted that officials weren't actually able to see the severity of Ware's impact, and would have thrown the caution immediately with the knowledge that the car wasn't going to be able to get out under its own power.

Of course, any unsighted areas of the Chicago course may not need fixing going forward, with the race's future beyond this year uncertain and a proposed San Diego street race looking to take its place on the calendar.

NASCAR chief: Things will change if we go back to Chicago

Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday, Moran said: "We didn't have the actual footage of the impact of the car getting into the tire barrier. That's something we're gonna take back and we're gonna look at it. If we go back to Chicago, we'll be looking at certain areas of that race track and definitely improving that situation."

He continued: "If they're in the racing line, it changes the thought process. If they're out of the racing line, we give them time, which obviously we did throughout the day. I still think we ended up with seven cautions for 15 laps so we do our best to give the fans as much of that time as we can to get green flag racing.

"However, if we would have had the shot of Cody's impact there, the caution would have come out immediately. But it was thrown immediately when he dropped his window net. We give them the opportunity to pull out, but if we would have had that first shot, we would have known that car wasn't pulling out.

"That's on us, we're gonna go back, we're gonna review it, and if we go back to Chicago, we'll definitely have a different plan."

READ MORE: Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin among NASCAR stars hit with penalties in Chicago

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