“Send truck series back to short tracks”: Fans left divided as NASCAR kicks off caution-riddled 2024 season at Daytona

After a long winter break, the 2024 NASCAR Fresh From Florida 250 Truck Series opened its gates to the public. However, the imperiled race that saw several cautions and a complete turnaround of the race result has left the fans divided.

After a mere six-lap run, the first caution of the race on the Daytona International Speedway was raised, and the domino effect of cautions prevailed until the final lap of the race, tallying the count to a staggering 12.

Witnessing so many obstacles on the season opener race left the fanbase in splits, with some calling out for NASCAR to get back to its roots, while others lauding the aggressive atmosphere of the high-octane motorsport.

Renowned motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck didn't hold back his frustration over the "stupid race" on X (formerly Twitter). Following Gluck's disclosure, a mixed bag of verdicts from the fans started pouring in.

"What a stupid race. I'd like to forget that one happened. They got the track record for cautions, though," he wrote.

Here are the reactions of the fans who were frustrated by the NASCAR Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 race:

"Send the truck Series back to local short tracks," one fan wrote.

Regardless of the recently concluded Truck Series race drama, few fans portrayed contrary views to those against the event:

"Great racing for what it was. Loved the aggressiveness," one fan wrote.

While many fans have shown displeasure, some took it as motorsport racing's inherent feature and took pleasure in the caution-filled race.

Nick Sanchez charges back from P21 to win his first-ever NASCAR Truck Series race

The 12 cautions during the race shattered several drivers' aspirations to clinch the podium, let alone secure the P1 spot. A major loss was suffered by #17 driver Taylor Gray and #91 driver Jack Wood, who were robbed from their P2 and P3 spots, respectively.

During the final lap, #11 driver Corey Heim bumped into Wood's #91 Chevrolet, spinning it out and trapping Gray's #17 Toyota into the wreck. However, Nick Sanchez's day ended on the highest note as, by the time the eighth caution of the race was flagged, his back-of-the-pack run at P21 turned into contention at P3.

From there, the 22-year-old Arca Menards Series champion took charge and clinched the victory as he narrowly escaped the final crash of the race, which engulfed Gray and Wood. Following his first NASCAR win, Sanchez shared his feelings, saying (via ESPN):

"It's huge. We spent all of last year trying to get a win. I knew coming into this year (what) I had to, right? What better race than to do it than Daytona? Honestly, out of every race, if I was going to do it, this would have been the last one (I expected), but happy to do it. It's awesome."