USA Today via Reuters
Jul 10, 2022; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) wreck during the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jul 10, 2022; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) wreck during the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Lately, 23XI Racing driver, Kurt Busch, has been suffering from concussion-like symptoms. According to recent reports, he won’t be racing for the 3rd consecutive time as his condition is still not perfect. Amid all of this, fellow driver Kevin Harvick spoke out against NASCAR’s next-gen cars.
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Aside from the 2014 cup series champion, many drivers have been outspoken about NASCAR’s new generation of machinery. Harvick, however, specifically said, “I think when you look at the things that happened with the accidents. I think these are the exact concerns that the drivers had from the very first day we saw the car.”
He argues that NASCAR has not made the required changes to reduce the impact encountered by drivers during a crash. He also adds that the G force on impacts feels way different from what it look in terms of numbers. Harvick mentions, “It goes straight through the driver’s body.”
Harvick’s concerns are echoed by almost every other driver who has been involved in crashes this season. Hearing about Harvick’s statement, NASCAR fans also lunged out on NASCAR via social media and talked about driver safety.
Fans react to Kevin Harvick’s Criticism of NASCAR amidst Kurt Busch’s concussion
Fans on Twitter were quick to voice their opinion on what needs to be done. They sided with the driver’s perspective and lashed out at NASCAR for not listening to their heeds.
USA Today via Reuters
Feb 16, 2022; Daytona, FL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (45) during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
While some fans called out NASCAR, some related Kurt Busch’s concussions to that of former driver and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. While a few others even brought forth speculations regarding a conspiracy that the crash dummy tests were a gimmick.
Thing is, if unchanged, this could be a problem we don't see the consequences of for years. Just like Dale Jr, it took many years for his really bad crashes to come to light and this could happen again. In 8-10 years, we could see guys with multiple concussions retiring early.
— Kevin McAdams (@Kevin_McAdams) August 5, 2022
they’re going to drag ass until someone gets severely injured or worse then go on a 10 year binge about “safety” they didn’t seem to care about until it was too late
— Hunter Wofford (@Hunter_Wofford) August 5, 2022
More drivers and people in the media need to speak up and be critical of this so that nascar gets their head out of their ass
— human being (@human_being47) August 5, 2022
I think a lot of that like the crash dummy stuff was false to begin with.
For NASCAR to believe what the drivers are saying vs what impact data is saying maybe need a way to monitor the impact the driver feels.— John Haas (@JohnHaa34819882) August 5, 2022
I often wonder if they lied about the dummie test last year. This is very concerning
— Michael Vlassis (@MPVlassis) August 5, 2022
Drivers werent allowed to voice their opinions earlier this year but he is right…its been a problem and nascar dont care
— TMFL (@TmflR) August 5, 2022
I hate how eerily similar this is to the Gen 4 safety concerns before Daytona 2001.
— Carson (@CarsonMB1611) August 6, 2022
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Regardless of what is correct or what is wrong, NASCAR needs to work on the design safety changes along with the feedback from drivers.
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Even though it is agreed that no change can take place overnight and it’s a long process to gather data and apply them into practice. The best thing NASCAR can do is start now and have the improvements implemented before the start of the next season.
