NASCAR has always made it a top priority to ensure the safety of drivers. However, sporadic accidents do happen when racing at high speeds, and they can only be limited to a certain extent. A recent example of an odd wreck that caused quite a bit of panic was Corey LaJoie’s airborne flip in Michigan. As usual, the promotion quickly rectified the car’s flaw with a new safety measure.
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Ahead of the latest Daytona summer race, NASCAR introduced a new shark fin (an air deflector) that was to be attached to the right side of the car. This piece of hardware increased the velocity needed for the car to flip by about 15 to 20%. Officials expected this to be a sufficient measure but it proved to be ineffective as Josh Berry flipped in that very race.
The inadequacy sent the promotion back to the drawing table, and the solution that it subsequently came up with has drawn the Next Gen car comparisons with the Gen 6 car. 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick said after the recent race in Kansas, “You look at Kansas — we did run the right-side shark fin, and while I feel like a lot of folks on the NASCAR side felt it wasn’t going to change the characteristic of how the car drives, it was a massive swing in how the car reacts to sliding.”
“I thought I was driving a Gen 6 car again this past Sunday because you could slide it so much farther than you could before.” The new modifications have likely improved the experience of drivers from a both driveability and safety standpoint. The deflectors will play a crucial safety role during the upcoming superspeedway race in Talladega.
The recent trend of Next Gen cars flipping frequently on superspeedways
Cars flipping in superspeedway races has become a regular occurrence in recent years. Ryan Preece suffered one of the most horrific crashes in memory during the 2023 Daytona summer race. His car went airborne and barrel rolled half a dozen times before coming to a halt in a dangled mess. The driver was relatively unscathed but the incident sent fearful tremors across the industry.
Berry’s crash in Daytona was of a similar nature. His No. 4 Ford Mustang flipped and landed on its roof before hitting the wall hard. The driver did not suffer any physical issues and was quickly released from the care center. Regardless of the damage to drivers, NASCAR needs to ensure that such accidents are prevented.
Hopes are that the upcoming race in Talladega goes by without any misfortune. Reddick won at the track earlier this year and is currently gunning for a Round of 8 spot. He will hope to secure his place with another victory before traveling to the elimination race in Charlotte.
