Name one thing that everyone is always looking forward to when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series goes to tracks like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Fans say that it is the last lap pace, or the pack racing, or the amount of speed that goes into a race at one of these tracks.
However, we all know fans always look forward to ‘the big one’. ‘The big one’ is the crash that takes out multiple cars and sometimes causes damage to possibly half the field. If ‘the big one’ starts with the leaders while the cars are running together, bunched up in a pack, there is no telling how many cars could be taken out, or damaged.
But, sometimes the big one can be dangerous. Sometimes a car, or cars, will begin to flip violently through the air, as the driver goes along for the ride. The car might flip on the track, but has been known to also flip into the catch fence and debris fly into the stands, possibly harming the fans.
In recent years, we have seen Clint Bowyer flip across the finish line, while on fire; in the Xfinity Series, Kyle Larson’s car fly in the air hitting the catch fence and literally disentegrating with pieces of this car flying into the stands; and most recently Austin Dillon violently flipping into the catch fence. All three of these crashes happening at Daytona International Speedway. All three drivers walked away unharmed luckily, but some fans did not.
Talladega Superspeedway has also had its share of violent crashes. Dale Earnhardt flipped violently on the track coming to the finish line, while both Bobby Allison and Carl Edwards flipped into the catch fence on the front stretch, destroying the fence and debris flying everywhere.
So does this mean NASCAR will do something for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on October 25th at Talladega Superspeedway in order to prevent another possible violent wreck where fans could be injured?
According to NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, Steve O’Donnell, there is the likely possibility
“I think that’s more procedural in terms of the race procedures for that event. Don’t want to confuse everyone in terms that we may be changing engines or things like that. We’re just looking at some race procedure things that we may or may not do and still having some conversations within the garage to land on that decision.”
‘Race procedures’? That sure does not sound like O’Donnell plans on making changes to slow the cars down, which should be what he is focused on to prevent possible injuries to fans and drivers.
