NASCAR action at Talladega earlier this year. Image: Supplied
Speedcafe can reveal the topic was discussed at a Commission meeting last week after the opening race at the recent Ipswich Super440 finished under yellows.
Officials were unable to clear a stranded car – the Team 18 Camaro of David Reynolds – in time for the restart procedure to take place ahead of the final lap.
Guest analyst Scott Pye flagged on the TV broadcast immediately after the race the prospect of adopting the NASCAR overtime policy, where two laps are added to the race total.
The issue caught the eye of recently reinstalled Supercars CEO James Warburton, who subsequently consulted team owners and put it on the Commission agenda.
“I’ve been very clear that we need to be as progressive as we possibly can. The Finals is a great example of that,” Warburton told Speedcafe.
“For us, it all comes back to that notion that [if we had] an extra 10 seconds, we would have restarted the race at QR rather than finish under Safety Car.”
The issue is understood to have effectively been put on the back burner for now given more pressing matters, including immediate changes to the Safety Car rules.
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The overtime conversation is expected to be revisited following the 2025 season, with Supercars to undertake more research into the topic.
“It’s probably too soon,” Warburton admitted of introducing overtime. “But it’s on the agenda.”
Although attention-grabbing in the aftermath of Ipswich, Safety Car finishes are relatively rare in the Supercars Championship.
There are complications around the time certain nature of races due to broadcast restrictions, while fuel capacity would also have to be considered if such a policy is implemented.
Warburton said there are several options for how to ensure green flag finishes outside of adding laps.
“Whether the cars roll into pit lane and stop and the race restarts, or they stop on the back straight or follow the Safety Car until they restart [are options],” he said.
“Finishing as you would expect [under green] is something that would take the sport forward.
“I understand the safety issues we face, and we can never put officials in danger, but that entertainment focus is something I feel has been missing for a while. It’s time to put it back.”
POLL: Should Supercars adopt NASCAR-style overtime finishes?
Regardless of whether an overtime system is eventually introduced, Warburton said Supercars needs to be open to change.
“For me, the thing that’s going to bring the sport forward in the biggest way is more excitement, more fans and more eyeballs,” he said.
“When you look at what other sports are doing around the world, we need to of course be obsessed with motorsport, but we actually need to grow the fan base.
“We need to bring back lapsed customers and really dial up who we are and what we’re about.”