NASCAR official calls out drivers for creating a 'sense of NASCAR vs. them vs. the world' over safety concerns

Alex Bowman's crash during last weekend's AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway has once again bought attention to the NASCAR Next Gen car's safety issues on the track. The seventh generation of Cup cars, seen making their debut earlier this year, saw the sport take the concept of a stock car to newer heights with the hopes of improving parity and the overall racing experience.

While the new car shod with 18-inch wheels and tires has performed on some levels, one of its major weaknesses lies in the form of driver safety. With the new cars being so rigid, Cup Series drivers have been complaining about the impact transferred onto the drivers in these new machines.

23XI Racing's Kurt Busch has also been an example of how much these cars are affecting the drivers. Busch has sat out the past 10 races due to not being able to clear a post-race check-up at the infield health center.

Drivers such as Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick have been openly criticizing the governing body's ignorance of driver safety, and have not held back in speaking their minds to the media.

NASCAR senior vice president of Racing Innovation John Probst spoke about the issue a month ago with NBC Sports. He feels the issue has been blown out of proportion due to communication between drivers, teams, and the governing body, rather than the car itself. He elaborated on his viewpoint and said:

“I think that sometimes when you read the driver quotes and the team feedback, crew chiefs are posting things on Twitter, it creates a sense of NASCAR vs. them vs. the world, really, it isn’t like that. I wish people could see how well we actually do work with the engineers on these teams, sorting through the problems.”

“I feel like we work hand-in-hand with them, but a lot of times when it gets to the public eye, for whatever reason, or if it’s in the heat of the moment, it comes across as though ‘NASCAR is making us do this,’ or ‘This is the dumbest thing ever,’ but I think, in reality, that is so far from the truth.”

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NASCAR to test Next Gen car in Ohio next weekend

The governing body of stock car racing, NASCAR has decided to address the doubts surrounding the Next Gen car's safety concerns on the track and has decided to go testing in Ohio next weekend.

The test involves attention being paid to the rear clip and bumper of the new car. Many drivers, such as Denny Hamlin, believe a complete redesign is due for the car as not just the rear but the sides and fronts also need a redesign.

Earlier, the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway saw Hendrick Motorsport's Chase Elliott seal his bid for the upcoming Round of 8 in the 2022 playoffs.