NASCAR Remains Tight-Lipped on Massive Daytona Overhaul Months After Ryan Preece’s Spine Chilling Wreck Triggered ‘Grassgate’ Debate

The Daytona International Speedway has witnessed countless victories, memorable moments, and some tragic incidents. Ryan Preece‘s crash in the 2023 regular-season finale at Daytona could have been a worse tragedy. But thanks to NASCAR’s special attention to driver safety, he survived one of the most violent crashes in recent years. The crash that saw the No. 41 Ford Mustang flip a dozen times in the air divided the community over retaining the grass on the speedway’s backstretch.

As seen in a recent upload on the IMSA official Twitter handle, the backstretch has undergone some restructuring. What looks like removing grass from the backstretch makes one wonder about NASCAR secretly making moves. There has been no news of this upcoming change from NASCAR either. With NASCAR having considered the removal earlier in September, there is a real possibility of that also happening.

NASCAR has been pondering the removal of grass from the Daytona backstretch

The 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was one of the most gut-wrenching days of the 2023 season. In the last five laps of the race, Ryan Preece spun on the track and went into a barrel roll as the No. 41 Mustang went airborne. An ambulance rushed to the scene, and an immediate halt was signaled as Preece was shifted to the Halifax Medical Center.

NASCAR has been exemplary in the aspect of driver safety. Its undivided attention to strengthening the car came in the wake of the most tragic event in NASCAR history, Dale Earnhardt‘s death at Daytona in 2001. Following the grave incident with Preece, NASCAR Vice-president of Competition, Elton Sawyer, discussed the changes that the concerned authorities could look to make to the track.

Speaking about the possibility of eliminating grass from the backstretch in a previous conversation on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Sawyer said, “I think you look at all of that stuff. Again, we look at the facility. We’ll look at the safer barrier, and where we put the tire packs, and where there’s grass and there’s asphalt. How our vehicles get to those areas. All of those things, we look at.”

“We’ve had good collaboration with the facilities. … Just to make sure we have the safest environment for our competitors and our fans. But yes, absolutely that will be something that will be discussed.”

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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin had also expressed his views on the problems that grass posed for the drivers. The No.11 Camry driver suggested that the car had already been in the air, but the grass only worsened Preece’s crash.

Denny Hamlin has supported the removal of the backstretch grass in Daytona

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The Next-Gen cars weigh about 3,500 pounds. For a vehicle of this weight to rotate in the air more than ten times implies the seriousness of the incident. While NASCAR took a deep look at the crash and weighed their options to make changes in the roof hatch, the window, and the roll bar padding, Denny Hamlin had a review of his own.

Describing Ryan Preece’s crash in an earlier episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, the 42-year-old driver said, “I’m looking and seeing him turn and start to flip, and I’m like ‘Oh wow, he got some good air. Oh no!’ I mean as soon as his car hit the grass, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one have that many rotations in the air.” Hamlin is also confident that if not for the grass, No. 41 wouldn’t have turned in the air, thus exposing multiple parts of the car to extensive damage.

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“I know the drivers have been really on this for a long time, but getting rid of the grass. I guess I’m in that camp for sure,” Hamlin said. “Certainly, the car doesn’t bite as much as it would if it was on – it’s not going to change it from getting air. The car was going airborne way before the grass. It’s just the grass made it bite, and that’s when it caused it to twirl in the air.”  The videos from the Daytona International Speedway show that NASCAR has actively rectified the backstretch area. Ryan Preece is lucky to be safe and back on the track after such a violent crash. That also stands as a testament to NASCAR’s excellence in safety.