Exclusive: After Kyle Busch & Denny Hamlin’s Criticism of $5 Million NASCAR Decision, Crew Chief Admits to Feeling “Lost” at Talladega

An EssentiallySports Exclusive Interview with Xfinity crew chief Jason Miller broached NASCAR’s pylon controversy. A few days ago, Denny Hamlin was furious at the pylon removal and pointed out how inconvenient the loss was for both drivers and fans.

Track positions and drivers’ names would pop up on the board, and drivers were left fumbling for an accurate status update. Kyle Busch also chimed in, saying he has to count cars to figure out his position. However, NASCAR did present valid reasons. They stated that the right parts were unavailable to update the obsolete pylons. And a $5 million new installation is an investment NASCAR is not willing to make. Yet the debate rages on in favor of those glowing towers. Now crew chief Jason Miller confesses feeling crippled in their absence.

Xfinity crew chief adds fuel to the Pylon controversy

Jason Miller made headlines last month for a brawl at the Xfinity race in Atlanta. During an Exclusive Interview with EssentiallySports and Jason Miller, reporter Josh Macuga brought up the ‘pants’ joke, and Miller tagged along hilariously. Then the rowdy crew chief was asked about his pylon views, and guess what? Miller made it clear that NASCAR was not going to get points from him.

He rallied behind Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch’s standpoints. Jason Miller also admitted to fumbling in the absence of the scoring boards; he said, “I was a little lost because I’ve been going ’99 and I’m used to that being there…I kept looking around, going’ Okay, where we at?’”

Macuga prodded Miller to divulge his own explanation of how a pylon helps people. “Well, it’s easy to see your running positions. On one side of the left-hand column, it’s got one through, say, 25 or 30. And then it’ll scroll to the remaining ones at the bottom, and it’s easier to see that from a distance away of where you’re running at the time at one position.”

But, giving a slight nod to NASCAR, he acknowledged the pecuniary concerns. “Yeah, I think a lot of them were getting dated. And it was gonna cost the race tracks a lot to update those things, and to maybe put up some new ones.” Further, diverting from Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch’s views on one aspect. The Xfinity crew chief thinks the pylon removal does not hamper the fan experience.

Miller thinks the digital age is good for fans

When Denny Hamlin put up his argument in NASCAR’s pylon debate, he stressed heavily on the fans’ plight, and highlighted what created a titillating race for the motorheads, saying, “I think what created so many exciting times during qualifying was when the number would pop up on the scoring pylon.” Many fans also voiced their displeasure, noting their lifelong habit of looking at the pylons.

However, Jason Miller doubted if it was a tough situation for NASCAR fans, as he exclaimed during his Eclusive with EssentiallySports, “Well, I don’t know if it would be or not, because of the digital age, with everybody having it on their phone, everybody having the apps…I mean, 90% I would say, maybe more, of the people’s stands are listening on their apps, their headsets, and tuning in. So I think it’s easier to follow the racing now with the modern age of apps and digital devices.”

Yet given that NASCAR uprooted an age-old tradition, everybody would take time to adjust to the pylon removal.

The post Exclusive: After Kyle Busch & Denny Hamlin’s Criticism of $5 Million NASCAR Decision, Crew Chief Admits to Feeling “Lost” at Talladega appeared first on EssentiallySports.