After seeing his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, Chase Elliott came out with a fierce response regarding safety issues in Next Gen cars.
Next Gen cars are making a lot of noise recently but for negative reasons. Recently Bowman suffered the same fate as Kurt Busch. But unlike Busch who has been sidelined for several weeks now, Bowman will only miss one race.
Nonetheless, safety concerns are becoming the main subject matter for many drivers. Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are the two outspoken voices but all other drivers are also joining in the criticism.
Just a day after calling out NASCAR’s “bad leadership”, Hamlin comes out in support of NASCAR President
Elliott joined the list of dissenting voices towards NASCAR for the safety issues. He made it clear that the Next Gen car has taken steps backwards, mainly in the safety category.
“There’s no excuse for going backwards,” said Elliott. “We have too many smart people, too much technology, too many years of crashing and racing at all of these same race tracks to have some of these things going on, in my opinion. Test next week or no test next week; we should not be in the position that we’re in. When you come out with a new product, you should take steps forward; not stay the same or go backwards, especially in the safety category, in my opinion.
“And look, don’t take me the wrong way. we’re very fortunate and I’m very grateful to do what I do. This is my job and that’s crazy, right. I’m not ungrateful for what I have and the opportunities that have been presented to me. But you just hate to see something take steps the wrong way.”
The fact that the Next Gen cars’ debut was delayed for a year makes it even harder for Elliott to see the lack the improvements in these cars, especially in the safety department.
Many drivers have pointed out that the impact during the races hurt more in the Next Gen car. Despite its shortcomings, Elliott believes that not racing is not an option. But the position that the drivers find themselves in right now is very disappointing for him.