“Cautions breed cautions” (auto racing adage)
“Cautions breed cautions” is a popular saying in auto racing. The saying was explained in a message board post on July 8, 2000:
“There is a saying in auto racing that ‘cautions breed cautions’. A ‘caution’ is a yellow-flag condition that occurs when there is an accident. Once the accident is cleaned up, the cars are lined back up and the race resumes. More often than not, another accident will soon follow, during that period when the cars are all bunched up. On the other hand, once the cars have had a chance to spread out, with the faster ones moving out front, accidents usually only occur due to mechanical failures.”
It’s not known who first came up with the adage.
Google Groups: mn.general
Tracy McKibben
7/8/00
Speeding may be illegal, but the reality is that the bulk of the traffic on the freeway is traveling above the speed limit, and someone who is impeding the flow of that traffic is creating a hazard that wouldn’t exist if the speeders were allowed to spread themselves out. Watch an auto race sometime. There is a saying in auto racing that “cautions breed cautions”. A “caution” is a yellow-flag condition that occurs when there is an accident. Once the accident is cleaned up, the cars are lined back up and the race resumes. More often than not, another accident will soon follow, during that period when the cars are all bunched up. On the other hand, once the cars have had a chance to spread out, with the faster ones moving out front, accidents usually only occur due to mechanical failures.
Google Groups: rec.autos.sport.info
NASCAR-BGN: Ford Racing Richmond II race notes
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9/8/01
GREG BIFFLE-60-Grainger Ford Taurus (Finished 35th)
(...)
WERE THERE SOME GUYS BEING TOO AGGRESSIVE? “It was tough and cautions breed cautions. That’s just the way it goes sometimes. It’s one of those short-track racing deals.”
USA Today
03/06/2002 - Updated 12:34 AM ET
NASCAR toying with idea of ‘overtime’ finish
By Chris Jenkins, USA TODAY
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And as drivers often say, “cautions breed cautions.” When cars are bunched up for a restart, there’s always a chance for more crashes—especially when it’s a two-lap sprint.
USA Today
Posted 2/16/2004 6:00 PM Updated 2/20/2004 1:20 PM
UP TO SPEED
with Elliott Sadler
Qualifying win, solid 7th at Daytona makes for good start
(...)
Sometimes cautions get everybody jumbled back up together and they say cautions breed cautions, so we have a car still in one piece that we will take to Talladega.
Google Books
The Un-Official NASCAR Fan Guide
By Edward Marc Rose
Ed Rose Publishing
2006
Pg. 23:
Keep your eyes open because trouble sometimes occurs during a restart, I know some NASCAR analysts say; “Cautions breed cautions”.
Life and the Decathlon
Friday, April 13, 2007
Cautions breed cautions
At least that’s how they say it in NASCAR!!! I was in the weight room on Wednesday lifting and felt like my clean technique was a little off. That being said, i turned my head to the left to check my positioning in the mirror and began the lift with my head still turned. Don’t ever do that!!!!
Fox News
CUP: The Young And The Wreckless
Published April 23, 2012
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It’s pretty standard thinking that cautions breed cautions, in large part because the field is restacked, cars are closer together (at least for a few laps) and bumpups are more of a possibility.
Twitter
The Catch Fence ™
@TheCatchFence
Cautions breed cautions? Well yeah, those caution flags are breeding like rabbits tonight. Got a whole dang litter of baby caution flags
7:53 PM - 26 May 13
Sporting News
Wrecks, caution flags on the rise as drivers adjust to new Sprint Cup car
Published Thursday, Jun 6, 2013 at 10:24 am EDT
(...)
Is the increase in the number and size of crashes due to the new car? After all, there have been five races this year with the same or fewer cautions than a year ago. As the saying goes, cautions breed cautions so maybe the difference isn’t as pronounced.