In 2017, NASCAR came out with a new concept in its rule book called the Damaged Vehicle Policy. This concept allowed teams to have the liberty to fix any damage that their cars have suffered in accidents and continue their races – subject to conditions. Since implementation, this rule has been brewing a stat record that is bound to surprise many in 2024.
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Denny Hamlin is one of the more aggressive drivers in the sport. He is often in the fans’ bad books for inducing crashes and bad-mouthing fellow drivers. But as it happens, he is one of the safest drivers along with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. The crash-related DNF percentage of Hamlin since 2017 bottoms the active field at 6.16% while Truex Jr. sits at 7.25%.
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of crash-related DNFs by the number of starts the driver has made since 2017. What this means is that the JGR duo have seldom gotten themselves into race-ending accidents. And when they have, their teams managed to put them back on track by efficiently making use of the Damaged Vehicle Policy.
Crash-related DNF Percentage in the Damage Vehicle Policy Era (2017-Present)
This is a drivers accident-related DNFs divided by their starts (since 2017) pic.twitter.com/qUAq8QuUzE
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) August 22, 2024
A troublesome trend follows on the other end of the spectrum. Kyle Larson’s crash-related DNF percentage is 13.17% while Christopher Bell’s is at 13.10%. The common factor between most of the drivers whose percentage falls around this mark is that they’re dirt racers. As is well known, racing on dirt is far more violent than on asphalt.
It could be quite a task to adjust oneself between these different disciplines and not have such issues. Another figure that stands out distinctly is that of Team Penske. All three – Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski – have the same 9.78% of crash-related DNFs. They’ve all won championships with the outfit at varied points in time and have been the blocks upon which Roger Penske built his NASCAR empire.
So, who are the most experienced and yet dangerous drivers on the field? Ricky Stenhouse Jr. alarmingly tops this list with 40 such DNFs, which is 14.49% of his total starts. Austin Dillon has crashed and stayed out 36 times, 13.09% of his starts. Larson, a prime favorite for the 2024 championship, has crashed on 32 occasions (13.17%) and not made it back into the field.
The interesting fact is certainly telling of how drivers, despite their performances in the sport have fared concerning the number of damaged cars they bring back to their garages!
