Kevin Harvick's 2021 tirade has forced NASCAR into making changes to wet weather races

Kevin Harvick is a driver who always shares his views on the development of the sport. During the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, the 47-year-old raised his voice throughout the year on safety concerns regarding the Next Gen cars.

Last year, when the first-ever Cup Series race was held at the Circuit of the Americas in rainy conditions, Harvick was not happy with NASCAR and did not mince his words after the race.

On Lap 19, Bubba Wallace Jr. made contact with Kevin Harvick’s #4 Ford car due to poor visibility while traveling at about 175 mph. The crash damaged Harvick’s car.

Just a year and a half after Harvick’s complaints, NASCAR has changed the rules for wet weather races. Last week, NASCAR updated its rulebook with the 2023 season package. The most notable element was the column titled “Wet Weather Equipment” which included 12 "Yes" responses.

Interestingly, out of 12, six tracks where wet weather equipment will be available are ovals. This includes The Coliseum, Martinsville Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, Richmond Raceway, and North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass confirmed the decision through a tweet. He said:

“NASCAR updated rulebook w/2023 packages. Still possible tweaks to short track-road course aero rules depending on possible Jan test (six cars, two per manufacturer). Wet weather for short tracks? Won’t race rain/soaked track, just damp (imho only big impact is NHMS b/c no lights)”

It would not be a surprise if Harvick commented about NASCAR’s decision to run races in wet conditions on short tracks before the commencement of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

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Kevin Harvick expressed his disappointment after the 2021 Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas

After the incident in May 2021, Kevin Harvick had to visit the infield care center. He said that it was the most unsafe thing he had ever done in his racing career.

Harvick said:

“It’s the most unsafe thing I’ve ever done in a race car by a lot. I let off and the guy behind me hit me wide-open because he never saw me. It’s unbelievable that we’re out there doing what we’re doing because we’re in race cars that aren’t made to do this, and if you can’t see going down the straightaway, it’s absolutely not safe. Not even close.”

Kevin Harvick will be seen in action next year in the Cup Series at the Daytona International Speedway on February 19th, 2023.