NASCAR Racing: Yellow Flags!!!, budweiser products, caution flag

Question
I was just wondering if you watched the Daytona 500 this Sunday Feb. 18,2007! If you remember the end of the race where Mark Martin was in the lead at the end and K. Harvick came out of nowhere and took Martin's dreams just like that, well i was just wondering shouldn't there of been a caution flag waved right where Matt Kenseth got spun around and caused the big one right at the end. I was just wondering if they should have thrown it right there and not after Martin and Harvick crossed the line, could you please tell me all about the Green,White,Checkered?
                       Thanks a lot,
                         David

Answer
Of course I watched the Daytona 500.  Now I am not a nascar official, but I am guessing that they were so close to the finish line that Nascar decided to let them battle it out.  The rule probably is that if it does not affect the clear cut possible winners (Harvick and Martin), and if it is really close to the finish, there is no need for caution.  In addition, the green, white, checkered rule came into effect after the Talladega race in which jeff gordon had just gotten a nose past dale jr when the caution came out, and the race ended that way, it is most memorable by the crowd throwing budweiser products at jeff while he was do his burnout.  After this, Nascar decided that the fans pay too much money to see the race end like that.  So they implemented a rule where if the caution comes at a point in the race where it would end under caution (as in Gordon's case) then the race would be extended an extra two laps so that the race could finish under green flag conditions.  As far as tonight goes, there really was no reason to throw the caution that close to the finish, since all the cars that were affected by the wreck could obviously see the wreck, while having the spotters tell them where to go to avoid it.