Since NASCAR has become actively involved in altering the rules, the amount of criticism has increased. The backlash from fans was particularly strong last year, especially when Ryan Blaney and Josh Berry had their cars towed to the garage for minor damage, such as flat tires, leading to their elimination from the race. The Damaged Vehicle Policy was all over the place, putting NASCAR officials in the firing line over questionable decisions.

The good thing is that NASCAR listened to all the complaints of the fans and the racing community. Thus bringing about necessary changes to the DVP rule. Well, Kevin Harvick was among the critics, calling out NASCAR’s DVP policy as a “sh–show,” after the Talladega crash. But, with the new rule changes in place, the veteran driver feels that NASCAR has certainly done a good job in avoiding controversy and backlash.

Kevin Harvick’s suggestion to NASCAR to avoid criticism

The 2024 Cup Series faced scrutiny due to accusations of double standards. This was exemplified by incidents such as Josh Berry’s disqualification at Kansas Speedway for a seemingly minor collision. This contrasted sharply with the YellaWood 500 at Talladega, where Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe, involved in a 28-car wreck, were not eliminated despite being unable to return to pit road. Why were the playoff cars allowed to head to pit road, while others were directed straight to the garage? Well, no one knew, and this incident forced NASCAR’s hand to bring more clarity on how DVP would be exercised in 2025.

“I think after the fiasco that they had last year with all the DVP policies and‌ questionable tow back to the garage for flat tires and different things like that, I think, anytime that you can take the bureaucracy out of the situation,…it really allows NASCAR to not be involved in what’s going on,” Kevin Harvick said while speaking to Bob Pockrass. 

Unlike like last year, the race cars that are damaged will be allowed to continue in the race with the new DVP policy. The seven-minute clock will be in place for the repairs done on the pit road. If the teams aren’t able to get the repairs done within the time, the cars will be taken to the garage where they can continue to work on it. Well, even the cars with flat tires will be towed back to the pit area. So, NASCAR is handing the control over the teams on whether or not they can get their cars back on track. This is where Kevin Harvick feels they have done a good job and stay away from making calls that might affect drivers and teams.

“ Anytime that NASCAR can take themselves out of it, I think it’s better because of the fact that they’re in a no win situation. The fans are gonna criticize them. The teams are gonna criticize them whether it was a good decision or a bad decision. So anytime that they can remove themselves from that type of situation, I think it’s better for not only them, but for the for the whole sport.” Harvick added.

Operating the Next Gen car is inherently stressful for team members and drivers. Allowing teams and drivers to make decisions regarding vehicle safety will better ensure their well-being. Furthermore, this approach could help NASCAR avoid accusations of favoritism. As he expressed further… 

“Let the teams decide if the car can go back out on the racetrack. Let the stopwatch decide if it’s fast enough, from a minimum speed standpoint. But with the way that the tires go flat and the way that things happen with this particular car, I think taking them out of the decision of whether it can go back on track and having a limit or where to tow it, I think it’s a great decision.”

It’s a rare occasion when a rule change by NASCAR is appreciated well by the NASCAR community. Not just Harvick, industry veterans and journalist also tipped their hats to NASCAR for finally bringing in a logical rule change. 

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Veterans’ views on the new DVP rule

Apart from Kevin Harvick, even insiders like Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck took positive note of the changes, as they discussed in the Teardown Podcast, “This feels much more straightforward… I’ve kind of exchanged a lot of messages with crew chiefs the last few days…um, teams kinda like that they didn’t have to bring crash cards as much”.

Ryan Blaney, almost had his playoffs run derailed with a controversial call at Watkins Glen last year. In the very first crash of the race, the No. 12 Ford couldn’t fire with a broken steering column. He was escorted straight to the garage and was ruled out of the race. So seeing the sanctioning body turn a corner for good was indeed a welcoming change for him. “Yes, I like that a lot. I am a big supporter of that. I don’t know why it got to where it was with the DVP because it just created controversy. A good example is the Glen last year in the playoffs. I got tore up, but I didn’t even get tore up on lap one. I just broke a little, like the steering column.”

Given the backlash and criticism NASCAR received over DVP last year, they’ve certainly opted to reduce their involvement with the new policy in place. Apart from the seven-minute timer, the decision to bring the car back to track or retire now rests in the hands of crew chiefs and teams.