Apart from the thrilling racing action and the heated battle to make the playoffs cut, the flipping race car has been making the headlines. It all started with Corey LaJoie’s freak crash at Michigan International Speedway. Thus, NASCAR was forced to make changes to the Next-Gen car.

The governing body instructed the teams to install an air deflector on the right rear side of their race cars. Its design resembled the fin of a shark, and its function was to prevent the car from going airborne after sliding down the racetrack. But, next thing you know, Josh Berry found himself in an identical situation to LaJoie in Daytona last weekend.

Flipping of the race cars is nothing new in NASCAR. However, the nature in which these cars are flipping upside down could be threatening for the race fans, according to Todd Gordon.

Next-Gen car’s safety measures questioned by Todd Gordon

Race car drivers are very well aware of the dangers that they are stepping into that come with the sport. Therefore, crashing and flipping inside of a race car is seen as part of their job and something these scenes could turn ugly. However, the freak nature of these modern-day race cars is something that puts the spectators and fans in danger.

Back in 2015, Austin Dillon was involved in a rather similar wreck. His race car was tossed high up in the air and landed on the catch fence. Fortunately, the fence did its job and kept the race car from crashing into the stands. And the driver also miraculously was able to survive the horrifying accident.

But, given the rise of such flips recently, Gordon believes the 2015 script could be repeated, putting the fans in grave danger. “We don’t need the cars getting up into the fences and start to jeopardize the safety of our fanbase. So in that respect, we have to have a platform that wants to stay on the ground. I don’t have a problem with the car rolling. But I don’t think cars that lift off on their own because I worry about that happening in a place that puts our fans in jeopardy,” Gordon said via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

He mentioned that he found nothing too concerning about the way Michael McDowell crashed. “McDowell, who has slid across the nose and made contact with the 22. If that 22 ends up pushing him over, that’s the contact putting him there; it’s no different of contact putting on a wall. I think we’d be alright with it, and to the same point, it’s going to dissipate energy as it comes down.”

On the other hand, the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bubba Wallace weren’t surprised to see the cars flipping in the air.

NASCAR can’t have it both ways

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Speed can lead to major wrecks and accidents, especially in an auto racing series like NASCAR, where contact is part and parcel of the sport. Over the years, race cars have been subjected to big wrecks and crashes, and NASCAR can only do so much to avoid those crashes. After the two consecutive incidents of race cars flipping, questions were raised regarding the safety features and design of the Next Gen car.

But, according to Dale Jr. and Bubba Wallace, these crashes weren’t because of the race car but the by-product of drivers pushing the limit on the track. “It’s been an issue for over 45 years. If you wanna go fast you gonna have to realize the repercussions when it goes wrong.” Jr posted after the Berry’s wreck.

Meanwhile, Wallace, agreeing to Jr’s comments, added, “I’m with you, right? Cars go fast, they’re gonna flip. Knock on wood, I’ve never flipped in my career, I’ve gotten close…It has been kind of crazy the last two weeks, we have seen what, four flips now? Three on the Cup side. It’s just been…the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

These surely weren’t the last scenes of NASCAR race cars flipping upside down the track. But it only goes to show that the race car does need tweaks to prevent this from becoming a regular theme during the races.