New bump drafting rule extended

Earlier this week, NASCAR announced special 'no-zones' for this weekend's event, where extra officials would look for the practice of deliberate and potentially dangerous bump-drafting to advance a position.

Helton, speaking to the field for today's Gatorade Duels at the official driver's meeting, said that although these areas will be carefully watched, any example of aggressive driving on the race track - including side to side contact - could be punished.

Helton said that NASCAR did not want to get into making decisions over aggressive driving, but have been forced into this situation by the driving standards that were displayed in last weekend's Budweiser Shootout.

"It is not as about bump drafting as it as about aggressive driving," Helton said, speaking to the drivers at the briefing. "We've had meetings in the past and we and you both agree that the drivers on the race track should control it and it should be done properly if you are going to do it at all.

"Most of us have agreed when these conversations have been over with it would better if NASCAR is not involved in this because it will be a subjective call.

"It is a grey area, and we cannot prove to anybody that we will have made the right decision. But if we have to we'll get into it. Today is your warning that we're getting into it.

"It is not about bump drafting rather than what has evolved in drafting into very aggressive driving.

"We have three areas we are going to pay particular attention to. It doesn't mean that the rest of the race track won't be watched, but the areas where we will pay close attention to is: In the tri-oval from the beginning of the grass to the end of the grass and separates pit road from the front stretch.

"Going into Turn 1 at the end of the grandstand from the front stretch going into the Turn 2 where the Superstretch Grandstand begins.

"And the end of the backstretch near the [road course] chicane, to the Turn 4 area where the Grandstand on the front stretch starts.

"It is not as much as about bump drafting as it is aggressive drafting. A lot of this has to do is the evolution that we've got a lot of drivers who have experience on the race track racing with drivers who do not have a lot of inexperience on the race track, and they might want to do what they see them do and they might not know how to do it quite right.

"So what we're doing today, starting today, is we're getting into that and this is the warning. The penalty is at a minimum a pass through penalty but it could be more than that."