"There's a lot of politics, not just data" - Austin Cindric discusses NASCAR's potential safety modifications

Austin Cindric, this year's winner at the World Wide Technology Raceway, has shared his thoughts on potential safety modifications being made for this week's YellaWood 500. The changes are in the wake of the threat of NASCAR cars flipping upside down amid the race at the 2.66-mile track.

The driver of the #2 Team Penske Ford commented on the new roof rail in a video interview on Bleacher Report Racing's Instagram. He said he hasn't seen much aside from a few pictures and data, and that the decisions made regarding the modifications are deeper than those things alone.

"There's a lot of politics, not just data that go behind making those decisions," Cindric said.

The modification, in an attempt to keep racecars on the ground, has come not too long after Corey LaJoie had a scary flip at Michigan. That same weekend, Kyle Sieg had a barrel roll in the Xfinity Series race.

Cindric, the 2022 Xfinity Series champion, didn't have an answer for what exactly should be done regarding the situation, but knows that decisions probably need to be made. He said:

"Do you introduce things in the middle of the playoffs after an entire season? Does it make the cars look different than what the fans expect? Some would say there's a lot of decisions to be made."

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Talladega Superspeedway has tendency to be a track where NASCAR cars can flip upside down

Oftentimes, when NASCAR makes the trip to the Alabama superspeedway track, there tends to be a multi-car wreck, sometimes known as "The Big One," or a car flipping upside down. Corey LaJoie skidded across the finish line on his roof at Talladega earlier this year.

LaJoie is nowhere close to being the first driver to go upside down at Talladega, however. Brendan Gaughan did a 360-flip in his #62 machine in the fall 2019 race at Talladega. In 2012, Tony Stewart tried to block Michael Waltrip as they entered turn three on the last lap, but cut down on the nose of the latter's car, sending the former upside down into the pack of cars behind him.

Other scary NASCAR flips at Talladega included Elliott Sadler, who flipped in back-to-back Talladega fall races in 2003 and 2004. Ryan Newman's #39 Army car flipped in the 2009 fall race at Talladega and landed on the windshield of Kevin Harvick's #29 Pennzoil car. That same race, Mark Martin barrel rolled coming to the last lap of the event.

Many safety implications have been put in place to keep NASCAR cars grounded over the years, and only time will tell if the new modifications being made ahead of Talladega will work.