In the latter stages of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Ryan Blaney got together with Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch, which sent him heading straight for the inside wall. He and his No. 12 Menard’s Ford would hit head-on into a concrete wall with no SAFER Barrier to absorb some of the energy from the impact. This would spark some discussions of safety concerns, the firestarter here being none other than the driver himself – as he quickly criticized NASCAR and SMI for not already taking care of the situation, citing safety concerns.
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Ryan Blaney states in a post-crash interview with Dustin Long that he would even “pay for the f***ing thing” if NASCAR installed a SAFER Barrier in the portion of track where he hit.
NASCAR and SMI are also major characters in this story. Only time will tell how they react to such an embarrassing oversight.
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Unfortunately, the NextGen car with its over-the-top durability has a track record of head injuries, specifically concussions. The first to receive this type of injury was Kurt Busch who, during a qualifying crash at Pocono in 2022, got a concussion that ultimately ended his full-time career. While he still insists that he wants to return, he has yet to be cleared by doctors, even after all this time. We at the Daily Downforce are wishing him a speedy recovery and we hope that he is in a happy place and is healthy.
Alex Bowman also missed a number of races during the Playoffs late last year due to a concussion after a wreck in the NextGen car. As posted here by Kenny Wallace, Bowman goes in depth about his lengthy recovery.
Noah Gragson was the most recent victim of the unforgiving nature of the NextGen car. He sat out at Sonoma. Luckily, he only missed one race. But it could have been much, much worse.
Jupiter Joe can’t believe what he just saw. That was a BRUTAL hit!
AustinS says there should be a SAFER Barrier there. If Blaney starts to show concussion symptoms, NASCAR and SMI are liable, not Blaney.
HendrickMotorsports14XChamps has it right: Nashville Speedway and SMI are liable.
HanzSolo calls for NASCAR to go further. They’d also like to see some in-car footage.
Back to Back AG Dawg can’t believe that in the year 2023, there are STILL gaps of the wall at a NASCAR sanctioned track that lack SAFER Barriers. It truly is unbelievable.
Hellphish89, I certainly hope this doesn’t happen. If he starts to show symptoms, he needs to get treatment immediately!
Dr. Van Nostrand calls for NASCAR to leave Nashville altogether.
Out of the Groove’s Eric Estepp on the Blaney hit.
Our friend from Black Flags Matter, Darian Gilliam, catches footage of the carnage that is the No. 12 car.
DannyBTalks wishes Blaney the best. We all do, man. We all do.
Bob Pockrass caught up with Blaney after the violent hit. This is what he had to say.
What do you think, NASCAR fans? Does NASCAR need to mandate that every inch of wall be covered by SAFER Barrier? Are you ignorant like me and thought that was already the case? Let us know!
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
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On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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