NASCAR Drivers want stricter policing of restarts

UPDATE Despite a push from some competitors that restarts need to be better policed, NASCAR does not plan to change how it officiates those. Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, addressed the topic Monday on "The Morning Drive.'' O'Donnell said officials want the responsibility for a good restart to remain on the drivers.

"We've told the drivers that we'd like to leave it in their hands,'' O'Donnell said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "The rule is clear. We've got a restart zone. We've got a bunch of technology and spotters we can use to look at and make calls. We would like to leave it and continue to leave it in the drivers' hands but that's something we'll continue to look at. We're confident in the calls we've made. The leader restarts the race. It's something we've always got to look at. It's a hot topic when you see things in one or two races in a row that becomes a theme. Hopefully, we get into Darlington and that settles down a bit and we get back to racing.'' More from NBC Sports

08/24/15 It's no secret how NASCAR feels about restarts. The double-file dashes into Turn 1 are the most exciting parts of many races, and NASCAR wants drivers to control the exact moment when the race goes back to green. But how serious NASCAR is about punishing those who don't play by the rules on restarts is unclear.

Though there were no problems Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, drivers believe there could be some questionable circumstances as the Sprint Cup Series heads towards its final 12 races. "All the drivers really want is for NASCAR to police that stuff with a stern hand," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after the race. "…

You see a guy breaking the rule and you just want to see NASCAR come down on people. You just want NASCAR to run the show like you read in the rulebook."

There seems to be uncertainty among drivers because NASCAR often says one thing about restarts while doing another. Officials threaten to penalize drivers for not following the proper procedure, but rarely call a penalty in those situations. "They say it's a judgement call, but you want them to really rule on the side of the penalty," Earnhardt said.

"Keep people honest. … If you give us a little room out there, as drivers we are going to try to take it. We don't want the sport ran so loosely. We really want it to be structured very tight."

In NASCAR, all restarts except the start of the race are supposed to be controlled by the leader. When the leader arrives in a zone painted on the wall, he or she has the discretion to go at any time. The second-place driver isn't allowed to take off first, but can beat the leader to the start line – the result of a rule change after more restart controversy in Sept. 2013. More at the USA Today