The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway took a dramatic turn when a crash involving Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe raised questions about the safety of the Next-Gen cars. Despite the new safety features, the incident highlighted potential vulnerabilities that left fans and drivers alike concerned.

During the first stage of the race, Kyle Larson’s car suddenly snapped loose in Turn 2, sending him into the outside wall. The impact was severe, and as Larson’s car slid back down the track, it created a smokescreen that obscured the view for other drivers. Chase Briscoe, unable to see through the smoke, found himself wrecking by driving into Larson’s car. Luckily, neither of the drivers were severely injured.

Chase Briscoe’s alarming crash into Kyle Larson

The first thing the interviewer asked Chase Briscoe was, “From the highest of highs at Darlington to the lowest of lows, what happened out there?” Chase Briscoe, mentored by NASCAR legend Tony Stewart, expressed his frustration and concern after the crash. “That’s NASCAR, right? You can be on top one week and at the very bottom the next,” Briscoe said.

He explained what went down, “So, yeah, unfortunate, and our car—that was an adjustment away from being pretty good—you know, we weren’t very good at all, balance-wise. I saw the smoke and tried slowing down,” said Briscoe. “I knew he was coming down the racetrack, and, yeah, just kept trying to feed the thing left and slow it down. And it just kept; I couldn’t get left quick enough. And then he kind of started sliding back down the track at the very last minute. So I tried to turn back right to avoid him and just KO-ed him.”

While both of the drivers walked away from the incident safely, the concern about next-gen cars was noted when Briscoe said, “So yeah, big hit, one of the biggest hits I’ve had in a long time.” The impact that Briscoe felt was from driving into Larson, and if that was one of the biggest hits of Briscoe’s life, we can only imagine the force the No. 5 Chevy driver witnessed.

Although the damage was minimal, both drivers did take a hit.

Damages to both the drivers in Atlanta

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Kyle Larson was assessed in the infield care center and reported no significant injuries. Larson mentioned that everything inside the car held up well, despite the severity of the crash. It’s important to note that the car was on fire while it was ricocheting off the wall and Briscoe’s car.

Chase Briscoe also walked away from the crash but mentioned that his “private area hurt pretty bad” due to the impact. Briscoe was thankful that his head and ankles were fine, despite the brake pedal going through the floorboard.

Both drivers were able to exit the car immediately after the crash, and the medical staff did an in-depth checkup on them. It’s safe to say that the Next Gen cars performed as intended, with both the drivers being unharmed.

Do you think that this was the right step for NASCAR to take in terms of driver safety? Share your thoughts in the comments below.