NEWS & NOTES

OVERLY CAUTIOUS The caution flag that waved for unidentified debris with 19 laps left in Sunday’s race prompted another round of criticism about the necessity of such laterace yellows. Dale Earnhardt Jr. questioned the caution in a live Periscope broadcast after the race. “The whole reason why we have the stages to try to create a little more drama, so I don’t know why we keep throwing the damn debris yellows and stuff,” Earnhardt said. NASCAR vice president Scott Miller addressed the issue on the series’ satellite radio channel. “If we can’t identify what it is exactly and it could pose something dangerous, then we’ll usually, or almost always, err on the side of caution and safety and put the caution out in those circumstances,” Miller said. “Sometimes it’s untimely and a little bit unfortunate, but we do have to do our job and make sure that everybody is safe.” BABY BOOM NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Ryan Reed spent an extra day at the track last weekend, just in case his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Trevor Bayne had to jet home for the birth of his son. Reed took a few laps in Bayne’s No. 6 during practice for Sunday’s event at Michigan International Speedway but wound up not needing to fill Bayne’s seat. Bayne and wife Ashton welcomed their first son, Levi, Tuesday morning, with Trevor remarking on an Instagram post that mother and son were in good health. Fellow Ford driver Joey Logano also spilled the beans following Sunday’s race about a pending addition with wife Brittany. “Wanted to announce this in victory lane,” Logano said on Twitter after finishing third Sunday. “Thrilled to say Brittany and I are expecting a Little Logano on 1/1/18.” Ty Dillon also announced last month that he and wife Haley were expecting.