"This is purely on NASCAR": Matt Tifft pulls no punches on Jim France-led organization amid the Katherine Legge situation

The recent controversy surrounding British racer Katherine Legge's NASCAR debut at the Shriners Children 500 has reignited debate regarding the sport's driver approval process. Former Cup Series driver Matt Tifft was among those who criticized the existing process.

Legge became the first woman since Danica Patrick in 2018 to race in the Cup Series at the Phoenix Raceway. However, the race didn't go as planned for the veteran racer, filled with incidents from the beginning. Her car first spun at Turn 2 on Lap 4, and then she pitted when the pit was closed, leading to a penalty and the first caution of the race. However, it was her collision with Daniel Suarez that caught the eye of experts and analysts alike, questioning her preparedness in the race.

As the issue became a major talking point with former drivers like Kevin Harvick demanding accountability for NASCAR’s decision, Tifft also voiced his concerns. He addressed the situation in an Instagram video that he posted recently, criticizing NASCAR’s lack of a structured progression:

"I don't think this is her fault. I don't think it's the team's fault. This is purely on NASCAR to put together a better program for drivers, just like I had to go through, other older drivers had to go through. There's got to be something like that that comes back into play in today's NASCAR," Tifft said.

Tifft competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. A seizure due to a past brain tumor forced him to retire in 2019. He was diagnosed with epilepsy but has since returned to racing in dirt and late model racing. The 27-year-old wanted stricter approval measures in place so that such instances could be avoided.

Tifft further talked about his own NASCAR journey, where he went through the junior levels of racing before reaching NASCAR's top tier.

"How do you expect a driver to hop into a NASCAR Cup Series car and perform well? There's got to be a better approval process. For example, when I came up through the NASCAR ranks, it started in R cup. I could only run a certain amount of tracks until I was 17 years old. When I was 18 years old, you'd go to the bigger tracks. After that, you'd go to the Truck Series and so on and so forth." Tifft added in his Instagram post.

As the debate over experience requirements before top-tier stock car participation continues, NASCAR amends controversial rule after Katherine Legge's Cup Series debut.

Katherine Legge remains positive after Cup Series debut

While Katherine Legge wasn't able to finish her race, she was able to complete 102 laps in her Cup Series debut. While Legge admitted before the race of not having regrets even if she finished last, she was running in the 27th position as her race finished in a DNF after the collision with Daniel Suarez.

Legge didn't let the ending define the occasion, remaining positive after the race while talking to Frontstretch:

"I think there's a lot of positives to take from it. Obviously, there were mistakes made but I learned so much and hopefully I get to come back here again" Legge said (00:50 onwards)

The Pennzoil 400 is the next race in the Cup Series schedule and it will take place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 16.