by Bob Bocras
NASCAR FOX Sports writer
NEW YORK – NASCAR President Steve Phelps has vowed to meet drivers more often while trying to open lines of communication with the athletes who are the faces of the sport.
There is only one problem when the lines of communication are increased. Phelps and NASCAR executives will listen, but then they will have to decide how to respond to what they hear.
Drivers usually have different points of view, and not all of them will agree. What if NASCAR listened and then chose to do something different than what the majority of drivers want?
Phelps isn’t concerned about that, especially when it comes to developments designed to make the next-generation car even safer.
“We have a common goal, which is to make sure our drivers are as safe as they can be in the next-generation race car,” Phelps told FOX Sports on Tuesday.
“So when you come to it from that perspective, I’m sure we’ll get to the same place, and we’ll all go in the same direction.”
Brad Kiselowski at the Next Generation Car meeting with NASCAR
Brad Keselowski compared the NASCAR safety meeting to a Festivus, which means it was a broadcast of grievances.
The drivers spent 75 minutes meeting with Phelps and other NASCAR executives Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway to discuss issues with the car that debuted this year. Two drivers missed the race in Charlotte because of a concussion, and another driver went out with a broken ankle.
NASCAR showed drivers data from crash testing Wednesday, indicating that proposed changes to the rear and center section of the bodywork would allow the car to crush more, meaning the driver will absorb less energy when the rear of the car hits a wall in an accident.
“I thought the meeting was incredibly productive,” Phelps said Sunday during NBC’s Cup Show. “The drivers were blunt. We showed them a path forward in the back of the car to try and remove some of the stiffness that is there with a bigger smash plate.
“We want to hear what they have to say. We care about what they say.”
Phelps said Tuesday that weekly meetings with drivers will take place the rest of the year, either in person or remotely.
“We’re going to try to get something in with the drivers this weekend,” he said as the series heads to Las Vegas. “We want to hear where their concerns lie and we want to update them as different things happen as we move forward.”
Christopher Bell talks about next generation crash test data
Christopher Bell said data that NASCAR showed drivers to drivers from Wednesday’s crash test indicates that changes to the construction of the rear bumper, rear section and center section will bring improvements for drivers.
NASCAR has been reaching out to the seven-member Drivers Council that has former driver Jeff Burton as its CEO. But the organization hasn’t held a full field drivers’ meeting in several months, and drivers seemed frustrated about it after Kurt Bosch’s crash in July. Bush has been out for more than three months now, and Alex Bowman will miss at least five weeks due to a concussion.
“As wonderful as the Driver Advisory Board was, there is nothing better than having a meeting of all drivers, right?” Phelps said on the prerace show. “And maybe a month ago we should have tried to try and deal with the safety issues and what the drivers are feeling in the race car.
“This is on me.”
No NASCAR National Series driver has died in an accident on the track since Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500. This record shows NASCAR’s commitment to safety, Phelps said.
“Are there things we need to do with this car that make it safer? Yes, especially in the back of the car,” he said during the race presentation. “But there are also things in this car that are safer than the previous one.
“We will continue to work on the car, working with our drivers.”
The next generation car was designed by Dallara for NASCAR, which agreed to a single vendor for most parts and parts in an effort to create parity and equality between the teams. This slowed down the changeover process because in the past, teams could work on new designs and develop parts and pieces on their own.
In some ways, it delivered the next generation car as hoped. There were 19 winners this year, and on the majority of the tracks the race was solid, although passing some on-road laps and short tracks was a challenge.
Ultimately, the hope is that the next generation car cuts costs and makes car assembly more predictable. But bits and pieces are being changed, improved — and damaged — so much this season, that teams have indicated they’re spending more than their initial budget.
Denny Hamlin in a safety meeting with NASCAR
Denny Hamlin said the safety meeting with NASCAR didn’t change his views on the Next Gen car, but it was helpful.
NASCAR team owners are hoping for more revenue from NASCAR, and last week they announced their frustration, saying NASCAR wants them to cut costs, which means mass layoffs and a weaker product.
Phelps said in a prerace presentation that NASCAR will work to increase revenue for the teams, as well as look for ways to reduce costs.
“There is a balance there, like any good business: revenue and expenses and looking at profitability in the bottom line is critical,” Phelps said. “So we will do that.
“I’m confident we’ll do that and get the race teams in a good place to move forward. We’re not going to talk about negotiations here.”
With increased attendance and parity at the race this year, Phelps hopes to be able to navigate the sport through these current controversies.
On Tuesday at the World Sports Conference, he noted in the SportsBusiness Journal that one of the keys would be more changes to the cup schedule. The 2023 schedule includes the first Cup race on a street track – partly along Lake Michigan in Chicago – and an All-Star race that marks a return to North Wilkesboro (NC) Speedway, which has been closed for decades.
“We’ll still be very aggressive on the schedule,” Phelps said. “I think our ’24’ schedule is probably going to be the toughest schedule we’ve ever had in terms of continuing to change.
“I’m not going to talk about what that is. Because I’m honestly not sure.”
Phelps didn’t say where NASCAR would go next. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation and nephew of NASCAR President Jim France, noted in downloading The Dale Jr. This week the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia, Mexico and Canada are among the places he would like to see trophy races.
Phelps told FOX Sports on Tuesday that the schedule change is titillating.
“Everything is on the table,” he said. “New markets? Sure. Are there [other] shapes? We need to keep changing the schedule. It’s important because what we’ve seen is that when we’re scheduling the change, the events are being sold, they seem to be interesting from a ratings point of view, [and] The shepherds are happy.”
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What to watch
For only the fifth time this year, NASCAR goes to a track where it had a points race earlier in the season.
But there will be a big difference from Las Vegas in March to Las Vegas in October. Since this weekend is the 30th race since our first Vegas outing, the teams have learned a lot about what makes a car go fast.
Still, see who was on top early in the Vegas race in March: Christopher Bell. He’s been fast all year, not to mention his big comeback win on Sunday in Charlotte to advance the playoffs.
Ross Chastain drove 83 laps throughout the race. Denny Hamlin drove 31.
These three drivers in Round 8 are likely to be among those to watch this weekend. If they could be fast this time, they wouldn’t want to waste an opportunity to win and advance to the tournament.
And don’t rule out Kyle Busch, who drove 83 laps in a spare car in March. It would be great for him what could be his latest victory with Joe Gibbs Racing to come to his hometown.
think out loud
NASCAR hopes there won’t be much, if any, testing for the teams off-season, other than some three-driver tire testing. With this year’s off-season testing schedule, 2022 has been a tough year, and teams will be scrambling to update their fleets with changes in the rear and center sections.
But with upcoming safety changes, NASCAR needs to know the impact on the race product. As such, a test or two that is open to all establishments may be necessary during the break – although not great when it comes to costs and vehicle outfitting.
NASCAR still needs to work on the ability to pass short tracks and road laps. Maybe go to Richmond and Virginia International Raceway on consecutive days to test some ideas.
social lights
they said that
“Sharing over the radio and instructions over the radio that can’t even be interpreted as anything else – these are things you can’t overlook. … The blatant pull-back and changing order of finishing on the last lap is what puts it over the top, especially with the instructions in pit box”. – NASCAR Vice President of Contest Scott Miller on Cole Custer Penalties
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He’s spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @Popocrasand subscribe to Newsletter from FOX Sports NASCAR with Bob Pokras.
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Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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