“Needs to be addressed”: Kevin Harvick urges NASCAR to take action after Martinsville caution extravaganza

Former driver Kevin Harvick suggested that NASCAR should implement stricter rules for the Xfinity and Truck Series to promote proper driving, considering the high number of cautions witnessed during the races. Harvick also said that the authorities don't "care" for what the drivers in the second-tier series do.

NASCAR witnessed a significant increase in viewership, but it also observed a wave of cautions during the Xfinity Series race. With 14 cautions (for 104 laps) during the race, it seemed no less than a wreck fest. Short tracks are known for such incidents, but it was extreme in the case of the race at Martinsville.

Kevin Harvick took this into account as he discussed NASCAR's actions during the races, considering the rough driving that drivers showcased at Martinsville. He claimed that the authorities have been letting the drivers go too easy, and that they should be penalized at the same time when an incident occurs.

"We would like to have our penalties issued during the race," Kevin Harvick said (via the Happy Hour podcast). "I think that is something that needs to be addressed pretty quickly in the Xfinity and Truck Series to teach these two divisions how to race correctly. They don't even really care what they say. They don't care what they do."

"We look like a bunch of idiots and we need to officiate the rough driving because they don't think that it's wrong. There's nobody to teach them. So they just go out and run over each other all the time and then they just keep running over each other. So I'd love to see NASCAR drop the hammer," he added.

It is apparent that the lack of strict actions against rough driving in NASCAR could make it an unfair advantage in the future. Hence, Harvick feels the need to have stricter rules. He also revealed that he schooled his son not to race that way.

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Kevin Harvick would "bench" son Keelan if he races roughly

Keelan Harvick has followed in his father's footsteps and has pursued a career in racing. He began his first full season in stock-bodied racing this year and has remained competitive at this level.

After reviewing the race at Martinsville with multiple cautions and the lack of strictness in the penalties, Kevin Harvick revealed that he wouldn't let his son race in the same way and said that he would even bench him and not let him race.

"Right now, it is just no accountability for the correct way to race. And I had to go home and sit my 12-year-old down after the race and tell him, hey, look, if I catch your ass doing anything like this, if I see anything like this, you're going to probably sit on the bench because this is wrong. And right now, there's nobody to tell these kids that that's that's wrong," Harvick said.

Keelan is currently competing in the Limited Late Model series and won his first race at Florence Motor Speedway earlier in February this year.