NASCAR is investigating a spate of automobile fires that left one championship contender fuming after his Ford erupted into an inferno throughout the opening playoff race.
Kevin Harvick lashed out at NASCAR and the brand new Subsequent Gen automobile after his inexplicably caught hearth at Darlington Raceway. The Subsequent Gen debuted this season and is a spec car with single-source components that’s meant to each degree the taking part in discipline and lower prices.
The Subsequent Gen has achieved a few of its objectives however has additionally raised security considerations unrelated to the fires involving the pressure of impression drivers are taking in crashes. Kurt Busch has been out with a concussion since late July.
Kevin Harvick’s automobile bursts into flames! #NASCARPlayoffs
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— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 5, 2022
Now comes a fireplace subject that may’t be ignored any longer after Harvick’s automobile burned Sunday night time on nationwide tv. Though the Chevrolet of Alex Bowman caught hearth at Darlington in Might, the fireplace points have predominantly plagued Fords. Chris Buescher and Joey Logano each had automobile fires on the Indianapolis highway course, and Chase Briscoe’s automobile caught on hearth at Richmond.
“I am positive it is simply crappy components on the race automobile like we have seen so many occasions. They have not mounted something. It is type of like the security stuff. We simply let it maintain going and maintain going,” mentioned Harvick, who completed thirty third due to the fireplace.
“The automobile began burning and because it burned the flames began coming by means of the sprint. I ran a pair laps after which because the flame received larger it began burning stuff up. The fireplace was coming by means of the sprint. What a catastrophe for no purpose. We did not contact the wall. We did not contact a automobile and right here we’re within the pits with a burned-up automobile and we won’t end the race throughout the playoffs due to crappy-ass components.”
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Harvick added that he stopped the place he did on the observe — bringing out a warning that some have mentioned took NASCAR too lengthy to name — “as a result of the flames had been coming by means of the sprint and I could not make myself sit in there and deplete.”
The fireplace dropped Harvick, winner of two races this season, to final within the 16-driver playoff discipline headed into Sunday’s Cup Collection race at Kansas Speedway. 4 drivers can be eradicated from rivalry after subsequent week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR, which already has been wanting into the rigidness of the Subsequent Gen primarily based on driver suggestions, has acknowledged “it is unacceptable for the vehicles to catch on hearth,” and senior vice chairman of competitors Scott Miller mentioned sequence officers are investigating.
Within the meantime, NASCAR ordered groups to exchange part of the polymer panel used within the passenger facet door space with chrome steel. The design is meant to maintain particles from the drivers. NASCAR can also be allowing adjustments to the coating materials used on the vehicles, and mandated a lateral seal throughout the engine panel.
Miller rebuked Harvick’s notion that NASCAR has not addressed Subsequent Gen points.
“To say that NASCAR would not care is about as removed from the reality as you possibly can get. I feel he truly does know we do care,” Miller mentioned on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“We have been engaged on completely different options for various issues alongside the best way that appear to possibly be the set off. Clearly, we nonetheless have work to do,” Miller added.
Miller additionally mentioned that NASCAR is taking an in depth have a look at Ford’s exhaust clearances “as a result of they appear to be having extra bother with this than the others.
“There’s a whole lot of work occurring, a whole lot of collaboration inside the business to resolve it. We’ve to resolve it fast, clearly,” he mentioned.
One principle is that rubber buildup on the observe is getting trapped contained in the vehicles after which igniting, which is why NASCAR has mandated the splitter seal to “scale back the migration of tire particles to the splitter space.”