There's a quite interesting postscript to all this - that kind of highlights NASCAR's inability to interpret or enforce it's own rules.
In order to try to eliminate yellow flag finishes, NASCAR introduced a new procedure, whereby, if there was a caution at the end of the race, it would go into 'overtime', allowing one green lap and one under the white (last lap) - after the caution is lifted. However, if ANOTHER caution takes place in overtime, the race is called, by track position AT THE INSTANT the race goes yellow.
Well, that's exactly what happened at the 500. The field was actually stopped on the track, while debris from the wreck that caused the yellow was cleaned up. At the re-start, Mark Martin had two laps to run to take his first 500 win in 24 attempts.
It is true that Kevin Harvick got one hell of a run on him, for the chequered flag, but HAD NOT passed Martin at the time of the monumental pile-up behind them - which naturally sent the race yellow again. At this point NASCAR should have frozen the race - and had they done so, Mark Martin would have been the clear winner.
For some reason NASCAR didn't apply it's rule. I wonder why not?
