Ryan Preece’s crash on Saturday at Daytona was far from the only scary crash of the Next-Gen era. These crashes have had consequences, and some of them have pushed NASCAR to improve the safety of Next-Gen cars. What are the worst crashes in the Next-Gen era, and what came out of some of these crashes?
This incident was one of the first major safety tests for the Next-Gen car as Kyle Busch cut a tire while leading the 2022 All-Star Race. He was run over from behind by Ross Chastain who collected Chase Elliott in the process. The crash was scary looking, but all drivers thankfully walked away okay.
In the 2022 Coca-Cola 600, Chris Buescher spun and hit a drain cover causing his car to flip and barrel roll. It was the first time a Next-Gen car flipped as a result of hitting something on the ground, but, thankfully, Buescher was okay following the incident
What the incident did do was prove that the tire tethers NASCAR installed on the Next-Gen car seemed to work. In previous crashes, tires would fly off of the car whenever there were big flips like this or even just hard hits into the wall. The Next-Gen car continued to have a fairly unblemished safety record, but that would not last forever.
Drivers spoke out throughout the 2022 season about how the impacts felt with the Next-Gen car, and at Pocono, an impact had a dire consequence. Kurt Busch spun off of turn three during qualifying and backed the car into the wall. It seemed like a fairly normal crash, but that was the final time that Busch would step out of a race car.
He suffered a concussion, and that sent him down a recovery road which eventually ended his career. This began a chain of events that would cause some major changes to the Next-Gen car. Unfortunately, this was not the final injury caused by the Next-Gen car.
The 2022 Texas Playoff race was one of the most infamous races of the season after not one but two drivers were injured during the race. First, Alex Bowman spun and backed his car into the outside wall, which gave him a concussion. That injury caused Bowman to miss five races.
As if that was not enough, Cody Ware also injured his ankle in a violent crash in turn four. This time, it was from a frontal impact.
This was another injury caused by the Next-Gen car, and NASCAR made some changes shortly thereafter. In the 2022 offseason, NASCAR made some changes to the rear clip of the Next-Gen car to soften the blow of some of these rear impacts. The results so far have been a bit mixed as Noah Gragson was injured with concussion-like symptoms at Gateway, but, no other major injuries other than that.
As NASCAR made changes to the rear clip, the front clip and passenger side door became a source of controversy. At Talladega, Ryan Preece t-boned Kyle Larson in a late crash, which opened a gaping hole in the passenger side of Larson’s car. Soon afterward, NASCAR went on to make some major changes.
NASCAR went on to make changes to reinforce the passenger side of the car, and they also made changes to the front clip to allow it to crush more. There were some major changes that probably played a major role in mitigating the risk of injury for Ryan Blaney at Daytona last weekend.
There have been plenty of major crashes with the Next-Gen car, but, lessons have been learned in the process. Hopefully, the cars will continue to get safer as time goes on.
Chris Gabehart has responded to Joe Gibbs Racing’s lawsuit, strongly denying the allegations and calling the claims “false,” “frivolous,” and “retaliatory” in a public statement released this Friday.
After the lawsuit became public, on Thursday, Gabehart spoke out for the first time, stating that he did not share any confidential JGR information with Spire Motorsports or any third parties and that he intends to prove that in court. He also said a third-party forensic review of his personal devices found no evidence supporting the accusations, adding that JGR declined an offer to examine Spire’s systems before filing suit.
“Yesterday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit claiming — falsely — that I shared JGR confidential information with Spire Motorsports and/or other unnamed third parties… I feel compelled to speak out today and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims.”
Gabehart said he will address the matter further in a formal legal response in the coming days.
You can learn more about the lawsuit, why it started and all the context surrounding it in the article linked below
Weather could play a major role in the NASCAR weekend at EchoPark Speedway, with current forecasts calling for a 40% chance of rain Saturday afternoon and increasing to 55% in the evening. While conditions are expected to improve, contingency plans are already in place in case races cannot be completed as scheduled
NASCAR has not announced any official schedule changes yet, as decisions will be based on how conditions develop in real time. With rain chances increasing through Saturday afternoon and evening, teams are preparing for multiple outcomes, and Sunday is expected to serve as the primary backup window if events can’t be completed as planned.
Conditions are constantly being monitored, but fans should be prepared for possible schedule adjustments throughout the weekend. We’ll keep you updated throughout the race weekend here on The Daily Downforce
Just when things finally seemed to calm down in the NASCAR garage, a bombshell dropped. Joe Gibbs Racing is officially suing former competition director Chris Gabehart, and the allegations are serious. Power struggles, confidential data, secret photos, and a potential move to Spire Motorsports.
From competition department tension to an $8 million damages figure, this lawsuit could have major implications beyond just one team. Gabehart helped elevate Denny Hamlin back into championship form and played a key role in JGR’s recent success, which makes this split even more shocking. This preview only scratches the surface. The full breakdown dives into the timeline, the alleged evidence, and what this could mean for the Cup Series balance of power moving forward. Watch the full video to learn much more
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