A heavy-pound projectile hurtling at highway speeds is a deadly threat in any context, but on NASCAR’s pit road, it’s a recurring nightmare. Since the days when Bobby Allison’s 1987 Talladega crash led to restrictor plates, flying objects have posed grave dangers in the sport. Back then, the catch fence did its job and protected the fans in the grandstands from the flying debris that could have had a detrimental outcome. But what about those working on the racetrack? Are they secured enough?

Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway added another chapter to this perilous history when John Hunter Nemechek’s detached left-front wheel careened directly into Daniel Suarez’s pit box, narrowly missing crew members Milan Rudanovic and Seth Gajdorus. The Bristol incident underscores the ongoing controversy surrounding NASCAR’s 2022 transition to the Next Gen car’s single-lug system.

Implemented initially to streamline pit stops and add excitement, the design has instead sparked a heated debate about whether safety was sacrificed for speed. As Daniel Suarez later posted on social media, “After a race like today’s, this video puts everything into perspective! So glad none of my guys got hurt by that tire, especially Seth and Milan.” The Mexican driver’s 33rd-place finish became secondary to the sobering reminder of pit road’s dangers.

The heart-stopping moment unfolded during Stage 2 when Nemechek’s No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry XSE pulled away with an improperly secured left front wheel. Security footage captured the tire rolling at several miles per hour, bouncing off Daniel Suarez’s rear bumper and then ricocheting into the air before slamming into a fuel can. Most remarkable was the unflinching professionalism of Rudanovic and Gajdorus, who continued their pit stop duties without missing a beat while death whispered past them. Nemechek received the standard penalty—starting at the tail end of the longest line. But many fans believed this punishment barely acknowledged the gravity of what could have transpired.

Just a few days ago, the NASCAR community was raving over Denny Hamlin‘s pit crew for helping him win the Darlington race. But last Sunday’s events also highlighted the grave dangers of the trend of teams pushing the limits to gain a millisecond advantage. While NASCAR has penalty provision in place in case the wheel comes off the race car during the race, the No. 42 crew is expected to deal with these consequences. But for how long will NASCAR turn a blind eye to the growing concern about pit crew’s safety?

Fans Demand Safety Solutions After Bristol’s Wheel Scare

“They need to install some kind of sensor or something on the wheels that prevents cars from release if they aren’t tight,” wrote one fan on Reddit, echoing a sentiment that has gained traction following similar incidents in Las Vegas earlier this season involving Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe. Such technology is not without precedent in motorsports; Formula 1 has implemented electronic systems that alert drivers and teams to improperly secured wheels. With NASCAR’s increased emphasis on technological innovation, including digital dashboards and real-time telemetry, many question why wheel security hasn’t received similar attention.

The close call sparked renewed calls for mechanical safety improvements among the NASCAR community. “Someone is going to get hurt badly one day from a stray tire and/or lug nut! Would a secondary locking tab on the wheel hub help prevent this?” suggested another fan. This concern has statistical backing—since the Next Gen car’s introduction, NASCAR has recorded several loose wheel incidents compared to the five-lug era from the past, according to racing analytics firm Motorsports Analytics. The single point of failure in the current design means that one mistake can have catastrophic consequences, whereas the previous five-lug design provided redundancy if one or even two lugs weren’t completely secured.

The disparity in penalties has also drawn criticism. “This is only an EoL penalty too, it’s not 2 laps like if it happened on track,” noted a frustrated fan. “IDK why there are different penalties when it’s just as dangerous on pit road, if not more dangerous since there are a lot more people for the tire to hit.” The inconsistency highlights what many see as NASCAR’s prioritization of entertainment over safety. In this case, Nemechek was forced to start at the tail-end of the longest line as his penalty for the loose wheel. He eventually finished the race in 21st place. If we are to go by the rule book, NASCAR will be suspending two crew members from the #42 team when they announce the penalties for the Bristol race weekend.

Many fans point to other racing series as models for improvement. “Something needs to change fundamentally in how they do pit stops. No other racing series with a single lug has problems week to week like this,” observed one commenter, while another directly questioned the single-lug design: “Never understood why they made the tires unsafer with a single point of failure lug instead of 5.” The statistics support these concerns—Formula 1 and IndyCar, both operating with single-lug systems, reported only a lower number of loose wheel incidents combined in their 2024 seasons compared to NASCAR in the same period. This disparity points to potential design flaws specific to the NASCAR implementation rather than inherent problems with single-lug technology itself.

After winning Bristol with 411 of 500 laps, Kyle Larson enjoyed his victory, but fans, together with safety experts, continued to discuss the scary situation on pit road. The lug nut getting loose on the race car hasn’t been a one-off incident. Drivers like Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowksi, and Christopher Bell had to deal with lug nut or loose wheel issues. Not to forget, we saw Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe being reprimanded by NASCAR after the Las Vegas incident. So, the governing body needs to take a serious look at this problem before it leads to detrimental outcomes.