Many NASCAR fans enjoy superspeedway racing. It is exciting, at least prior to the next gen car, and many want to see the inevitable “big one.” It’s understandable. After this previous weekend of racing at Talladega Superspeedway, I couldn’t help but question the safety of superspeedways.
The Xfinity Series had a terrible accident in which the 02 car went airborne and rolled multiple times. Driver Blaine Perkins was able to get out of the car on his own and was transported to the hospital. The Cup Series had a lengthy two-wide 190 mph parade and occasionally a third line would develop. Yet still, Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece were involved in a late accident that made one question the safety of superspeedways. It also made one question NASCAR’s approach to overtime at superspeedways.
In this article, I will look at the issue of the safety of the superspeedways. Also, I will look at this past weekend’s incidents, as well as some other historical examples. Finally, I will attempt to look at possible solutions, while also questioning whether or not we should be converting tracks to try and produce more of this style of racing.
Blaine Perkins Xfinity Series Incident:
On April 22, 2023 Blaine Perkins was involved in an incident on the 49th lap of the Xfinity Talladega race. Perkins in the 02 car just got clipped by the 66 car of Dexter Stacey, shortly after Dexter Stacey appeared to get loose coming out of the turn. Stacey’s car made a huge impact on the infield wall, while Perkins slid up in front of the 5 and then got airborne. For those who haven’t seen the video, it is included in the tweet below.
A wild crash for Blaine Perkins. A huge hit for Dexter Stacey. Everyone is okay. Wow. https://t.co/Zf7MwyVQaz pic.twitter.com/qZ6K4hh4qo
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 22, 2023
Clearly, this incident is the result of the type of “pack racing” that is seen at superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega. It looks like the 66 possibly had air taken off the spoiler by one of the cars in the top lane. The car got loose and then slid down the track and just clipped the 02 in the right rear, setting up the collision with 5 and subsequent “barrel rolls.” Blaine Perkins will not be driving the 02 car at Dover on April 29, 2023.
— Blaine Perkins (@BlainePerkins21) April 24, 2023
Of course, this type of incident can occur at any track. The nature of the racing at superspeedways makes it much more likely to happen. It is also more likely to turn into a multi-car accident, aka “the big one.” When the field gets spaced out, it becomes more likely to cause a single car incident. At superspeedways, however, it is almost guaranteed to involve multiple cars. This has been the case since the introduction of restrictor plates. This very Xfinity race at Talladega saw yet another car upside down later in the race.
The Big One at Talladega Superspeedway! Daniel Hemric is out of his car. https://t.co/jlh39dD4JU pic.twitter.com/qFfFgBBesl
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 22, 2023
The Cup Series, Next Gen Car, and Superspeedway Safety:
The Cup Series raced at Talladega on April 23, 2023. Most of the race was a really fast next gen two lane parade. The end of the race got a little crazy. Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain made contact during the first attempt at an overtime finish. This occurred at the very front of the field. This, in turn, led to multiple other cars being involved.
A closer look at the big hit between Ryan Preece and Kyle Larson. #NASCAR #RaceHub@KevinHarvick | @LarryMac28 | @adam1alexander pic.twitter.com/GAsSiEWmqP
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 24, 2023
Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece took the hardest hits in this multi-car accident. Larson slid off the track on the apron and down to the edge of the grass. At this point, Larson slid back up into oncoming traffic. Ryan Preece attempted to go high and had a t-bone impact with Larson’s car. The number 5 car took the impact to the passenger side. The impact clearly detached part of the roll bar. Larson was lucky that it wasn’t a driver side impact. Preece was lucky that he didn’t sustain a concussion.
The next gen Cup Series car already has its own safety concerns. The next gen cars are stiffer. This makes the impacts much more violent on the drivers. This is going to be worse on the superspeedways, where incidents are much more likely to involve multiple cars. Ryan Preece stated that he felt like everything did its job, as seen in the video in the tweet below. Apparently, his teammate, Kevin Harvick convinced him that they could do better. As a result, Preece is going to look at whether or not any adjustments need to be made.
Ryan Preece said he was a little sore Monday but feels good. He said Kevin Harvick called him about how much he moved in the seat and Preece said he will look at whether any belts need to be adjusted. pic.twitter.com/8MvoppKGWV
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 25, 2023
What NASCAR can do to help increase safety at Superspeedways:
Ryan Preece stated that everything seemed to do its job. Initially, he took an “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” type of approach. The roll bars on the number 5 car and the in-car camera of the 41 tell a different story. Both Larson and Preece were incredibly lucky. We have grown used to drivers and teams requiring a lot of luck to win on the superspeedways, but we should never get used to the idea of drivers being lucky to not sustain worse injuries.
NASCAR, thankfully, is taking a proactive approach here. They have taken both the 41 and 5 cars to R&D to investigate further. Once NASCAR put restrictor plates on the superspeedway cars, they didn’t look at safety much after that on said tracks. Restrictor plates were even utilized as the answer for the fatal crashes of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin, Jr. at New Hampshire International Speedway. It wasn’t until 2001 after an investigation into the fatal 2001 crash of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. that a head and neck restraint system was made mandatory. All NASCAR Cup series oval tracks had SAFER barriers installed by 2006.
There is no question that NASCAR is much safer than it used to be. This is true even with the initial step back in safety with the next gen car. I am not a physicist. My background is in sociology. There is one area in which NASCAR appears to be all too willing to overlook safety concerns. This area is the dangers brought about by the style of racing that developed at the superspeedways with the introduction of restrictor plates, and that continues now with the tapered spacers.
Conclusions:
Many fans might be upset by this, but if NASCAR wants to be proactive with safety, they need to look at separating these packs at the superspeedways. I don’t envy NASCAR’s position at all. It is important to bring in new fans. Furthermore, many hardcore fans also enjoy the style of racing seen at the Superspeedways. Honestly, it is a difficult situation. They can’t let them race unrestricted at these tracks. That might separate the field, but it might not make it any safer.
I can come up with one solid solution. It is pretty simple. No more Atlanta-style reconfiguration of other tracks. We don’t need more of this Russian Roulette, lottery style racing. At the superspeedways NASCAR currently races at, they may want to look at having no overtime. This is especially true in the Cup Series with the next gen cars. It’s a tougher car, meant to bring about more aggressive driving (oh, and also “parity”–by the way.) The next gen car has definitely brought that about. Just add a late race debris caution and some overtime, then sit back and watch the chaos ensue.
NASCAR doesn’t work without the drivers. Perhaps, the best advice would be to listen to the drivers more. Happy and healthy drivers will take care of putting on a good show. One thing is clear. The style of racing seen on the superspeedways has been problematic for some time now, as seen in the following post-race interview from a 2012 Talladega race.
