It does not take a genius to know that motor racing is dangerous. There have been a number of crashes, especially in the NASCAR scene. While it is fortunate that very few such incidents are fatal, it does sometimes raise the question about driver safety. A recent video clip from a late model race certainly lends credence to the debate, and NASCAR fans reacted.
It’s just a little short track. I don’t need all that safety crap. It’s too expensive. https://t.co/g4GAs0OQcC
— The Scene Vault Podcast (@TheSceneVault) September 17, 2022
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During this incident, there was a three-wide moment between some of the competitors. Unfortunately, it went wrong and one of the cars was sent into a wild barrel-roll.
The driver flipped four times before coming to a rest on all four wheels, luckily. The other cars involved in the accident were lucky to get away with spinning.
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How did the NASCAR community react to the accident?
Of course, the crash had many people wincing in sympathy and thankful that the driver was unhurt. Others even confessed that the sight of a late model car barrel-rolling like that is not a good look.
Few people analyzed the accident and could not fathom why one of the cars turned so hard to the left. They tried to guess whether he thought that the wall was coming too close or whether he misjudged the gap.
Ouch pic.twitter.com/w5gvxMGeOx
— Work Area (@The_Work_Area) September 17, 2022
Not good when a dirt late model barrel rolls hopong driver is alrite bet sore after that
— shawndanner (@shawndanner6) September 17, 2022
Goodness. pic.twitter.com/aSkgfObbcL
— Scottie Mc (@ScottieMc33) September 17, 2022
Others were simply stunned at the severity of the crash. This is largely because there have been multiple hard crashes in the Late Model Series. Most of those crashes involved a car flipping or barrel-rolling. On a lot of occasions, drivers were lucky to walk away unscathed. However, the question is, where is the line drawn, where it actually starts threatening lives?
I've watched this like 10 times and can't figure out how the white and black 17 turned so hard to the left for
— 🏁🏁🏁 or Wreckers (@SnakeBite3030) September 17, 2022
I’ve tried slowing it way down and can’t see anything definitive. Can only think of two things, cut a left front, or the wall comes in a bit and he thought he had more room. I’ve not been to that track before so I’m purely speculating.
— Johnathan Oliver (@O1IV3R) September 17, 2022
— The Trophy Hunters Podcast | Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacingPod) September 17, 2022
holy shit… https://t.co/bVucR6gs0p
— Becca Pierce (@BeccaPierce24) September 17, 2022
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And the air bags didn’t go off…dang!
— r/TheSprintCarSub (@worldofinlaws) September 17, 2022
This isn’t endemic to the Late Model Series either, as the NASCAR Cup drivers are asking this very question. Chief among them is Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick. He has undergone a lot this year, and that includes his car catching fire, which is pretty scary.
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Even Noah Gragson has begun questioning things, as he has also taken plenty of punishment from hard wrecks. None more so that Kurt Busch, who continues to recover from his qualifying crash at Pocono.
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