Fiery wrecks have defined NASCAR for ages. Yet over 76 years of the sport’s existence, safety protocols have picked up. In the 21st century, people rarely see drivers losing their lives because of accidents or even sustaining grave injuries. Yet as we saw in last Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, bone-chilling wrecks are still, very much, an integral part of the sport. And Martin Truex Jr was one of the shocked witnesses.

The most scary crash that unfolded at Daytona has to be Josh Berry’s. It prompted concerned reactions from several in the Cup garage. NASCAR’s experiment after Corey LaJoie’s flip at Michigan clearly did not work, and Truex bashed the higher-ups.

Martin Truex Jr. frustrated about NASCAR’s setback

Two weeks ago, Corey LaJoie’s overtaking maneuver against Noah Gragson turned sour. During the final stage at Michigan International Speedway, the No. 7 Chevy took a ride through mid-space. LaJoie landed upside down, although his car flipped over on the grass. Marking the first blow-over incident at a non-superspeedway since 2010, NASCAR set to work – they introduced air-deflecting shark fins to reduce the margin of lift-off.

Yet as we saw in Daytona, that maneuver clearly did not work, irking Martin Truex Jr. With barely two laps to go, Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford nudged on the left side of Josh Berry‘s No. 4. It left them both spinning – but while Cindric could maintain his balance, Berry could not. He caught air and got tossed on his roof – the No. 4 careened into the interior barrier with a chilling slam.

That prompted Cindric’s spotter, Doug Campbell, to exclaim: “Jesus!” Even Derek Kneeland, Kyle Busch’s spotter, said: “Number 4 Ford just nailed the wall upside down.”

Yet Martin Truex Jr delivered the most frustrated reaction over the radio. “Let’s just take 40 cars, throw them in a dumpster, light them on fire, and let everybody watch it.” NASCAR has received raps for the Next Gen car since its debut in 2022. The automobile left Kurt Busch with a debilitating concussion and also injured other drivers.

Even after two years, the same car registers such shocking crashes. Yet thankfully, Josh Berry escaped the debacle unharmed, as spotter Eddie D’Hondt confirmed: “He said he’s okay.” Even Carson Hocevar was concerned, as his spotter reassured him: “He gave a thumbs-up, he’s all good.”

Despite Martin Truex Jr lashing out at NASCAR, Josh Berry and his wife thanked the officials.

No complaint from the victim

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Even as NASCAR’s safety measures received Martin Truex Jr’s tirade, they also received warm acknowledgments. As Denny Hamlin had claimed, airborne crashes cause less damage than wall crashes. The lone exception to that statement would be Ryan Newman’s terrifying crash at the 2020 Daytona 500. Yet both Corey LaJoie and Josh Berry’s crashes produced no significant injury. So after clambering out of his car, Berry claimed: “It probably wasn’t as bad as it looked.” 

Then he also added, “The car was so strong.”

Besides him, his wife Ginny Berry also thanked NASCAR for the safe car that shielded Berry from anything serious. “Last night was a wild one. Couldn’t be prouder of @joshberry88 and the entire 4 team. First stage win and was leading coming to the white flag, before the big one happened. Thanks to everyone that has reached out and checked on all of us @potterphoto. I’ve watched this many times since last night. I’m thankful for all of the safety measures & that Josh is okay after this.”

Evidently, the garage is divided over how safe NASCAR’s cars really are. Yet as Martin Truex Jr indicated, NASCAR needs to come up with a better solution rather than shark fins to prevent airborne crashes.