“As an Industry, We Can’t Have That”: Chase Elliott’s Scathing Comments on NASCAR Echoed by Hendrick Motorsports Boss Ahead of New Season

Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, and Cody Shane Ware—it seems that the Next Gen cars really left an ugly scar in the history of NASCAR. With multiple incidents involving driver concussions and injuries, the NASCAR community turned into an angry mob during the latter part of the 2022 playoffs. However, with the 2023 season right around the corner, it looks like the drivers and their teams see hope on the horizon.

After Alex Bowman‘s unfortunate crash at the Texas Motorspeedway last year, news about his concussion tremendously upset the NASCAR community. And as a result, Bowman’s teammate Chase Elliott called out the governing body for its backward-moving approach.

While expressing his disappointment with the Next Gen cars, Elliott told ESPN, “These types of incidents that result in injuries … I’m not a doctor, but I’ve watched a lot of cars back into the wall and the guy would be fine. No one’s immune to it. It could be me next week. It could be any of my peers or fellow competitors. I just hate to see us go backward, and I’m afraid that we have.”

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Elliott echoed the sentiment of several drivers that put their health and lives on the line each time they drive on the tracks with the Next Gen cars. It was wonderful to see that Hendrick Motorsports team president and general manager Jeff Andrews seconded Elliott’s statement in a recent conversation.

After Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports express concern over the Next Gen cars

In an interview published on Hendrick Motorsports’ official website, Jeff Andrews admitted that the team had a great year in 2022. Moreover, he added that the drivers and the crew are now better accustomed to the new Next-Gen cars. However, he pointed out that there was still some room for improvement.

From the team’s perspective, Andrews explained that better consistency throughout the entire season can help produce tremendous results in the 2023 season. However, from the governing body’s side, a focus on safety is what he expects to see at the top of everybody’s priority list.

He stated, “As an industry, 2023 should have a focus on safety. We learned that, unfortunately, with this car as it did sideline one of our drivers, Alex Bowman, for quite some time during the season. As an industry, we can’t have that. We need to do everything we can to get these cars as safe as we possibly can. I think that should be at the top of everybody’s list.”

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It’s clear that the issue of safety is an important concern for almost all the stakeholders in NASCAR—be it drivers, crew members, team personnel, or fans in general. With hardly a month remaining before the start of the new season, teams and fans are excited to see new modifications in the Next Gen cars that could possibly take the NASCAR racing experience to a whole new level.