Kevin Harvick has not been quiet about his apprehensions concerning the safety of the Next Gen car.
And when his No. 4 Ford Mustang burst into flames at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway during the NASCAR Cup Series race last weekend, Harvick was up in arms about the quality of parts on the race car and its lack of safety.
“The flames were coming through the dash,” he described in a post-race interview.
According to the Stewart-Haas Racing driver, it wasn’t the first time this season he’s worried about catching fire.
“We basically had a car catch on fire at every test. So, it’s not like it was a new problem,” Harvick said. “The whole safety thing is really kind of second fiddle right now. And I just don’t think that’s fair to the drivers.”
Leading up to Sunday’s Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, Harvick has taken to social media to share some of his thoughts on the subject, saying that “it’s just time” to start the conversation.
Is the caution out yet? https://t.co/Q93Ns1x9mo
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) September 5, 2022
Despite his accusations that NASCAR has been slow to respond, the series implemented rule changes for Kansas Speedway to address the fire issues. Using intumescent coatings as fire protection for steel components is now permitted, most notably along the underside of the car’s lower crush panels, inside the exhaust cover panels and the upper surface of the rocker box.
However, Harvick holds fast to his belief that series officials are not doing enough when it comes to taking the driver’s concerns seriously.
“Not listening to every hit hurts, because every hit hurts,” Harvick said. “Every driver in here is tired of hitting the wall … tired of hitting a car at 20 mph and rear ending somebody and having your Hans lock out.”
The data may read the same as before, but according to Harvick, “it’s not the same.”
As one of the few drivers who has been in the Cup Series since the early 2000s, Harvick has amassed years of experience with the politics that envelop NASCAR. He has served on the driver council, worked with a number of teams throughout his career and, above all, he’s put in thousands of laps in a race car.
While television contracts and the level of race entertainment might be chief concerns for some, Harvick’s unease about the safety of the Next Gen car stems from his connection to the other drivers behind the wheel.
“I think the biggest concern right now is you have another Kurt Busch situation,” Harvick said. “I just know that when it falls into safety, it has to be taken out of the hands of how much it costs.”
His vision for the future would be for NASCAR to commission an independent organization — outside of NASCAR and the individual teams — that is responsible for listening to driver’s feedback and implementing needed changes.
“It can’t be slow, the safety cannot be slow,” Harvick urged. “There has to be a better solution.”
Harvick will enter Kansas Speedway 16th in the playoff standings.