The Next Gen Car Is Dangerous
Introduction
With the debut of the Nascar next-gen Car, the 7th generation of stock cars in the sport, this season saw eighteen different winners capturing the checkered flag in the Cup Series. Although this is good for the Cup Series, there is a cause and effect to this next-gen car. Is Nascar going forward with these cars despite the different winners this season? Or are they going backward with the next-gen car safety concerns?
Accidents
The next-gen car saw some violent wrecks this year. It all started off with Kurt Busch doing a qualifying lap at Pocono, and hitting the wall very hard.
Busch ended up missing the race at Pocono following the wreck, and it’s untimely when Busch is going to return in racing form. He is still currently out while Ty Gibbs is taking over his ride following his wreck.
Kurt Busch Pocono Crash (NBC Sports)
Kurt Busch is set to make an announcement regarding his future status at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Saturday.
Alex Bowman’s Wreck At Texas (NBC Sports)
The playoff race at Texas saw multiple accidents. One of them being a playoff driver trying to win his very first Cup Series title. That driver was Alex Bowman. Bowman, racing for the number 48 Ally Chevy Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, took a hard hit of the turn four wall hard. Following the playoff race at Texas, Bowman decided not to race at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval following his wreck at Texas. It’s unclear when Bowman will return to the track, while substitute driver Noah Gregson is taking over his ride in the 48.
Bowman went on twitter stating the following: “With my health continuing to be my number one priority, I will not return to racing this weekend at the Nascar Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I am continuing to make strides in my recovery to make sure I can return to competition at 100%. I appreciate Noah stepping into the No. 48 Chevrolet again and will be cheering hard for my Ally Racing team this weekend. Thank you to everyone for your support during this time. It has not gone unheard or unseen and I’m overwhelmed by your support.”
Bowman will also miss out the next three races after being eliminated in the Round of twelve. There’s a slight possibility he will return at this season’s finale race at Phoenix.
Non-playoff driver Cody Ware, racing out of Rick Ware Racing, also suffered a violent crash at Texas Motor-Speedway. Smashing his car in the turn four wall, Ware got out of the car under his own power but quickly laid down once he got out. Ware was put on a stretcher following his violent crash.
Cody Ware’s Crash At Texas (Nascar.com)
Drivers’ Concerns
Two drivers that addressed their concerns about the next-gen car are veterans such as Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin was asked by Dustin Long about the next-gen car safety, and he expressed the “bad leadership,” speaking up for the injured Busch and Bowman.
Harvick expressed his complaints on Twitter following Bowman’s wreck at Texas.
