NASCAR could have a major concern on its hands

Since unveiling the Gen 7 car, NASCAR has seen several drivers sustain serious injuries. Is this a cause for concern moving forward?

NASCAR has made good its promise to “return to stock” with the Gen 7 car, but the car’s first season has led to some areas of concern.

An aluminum rim, compared to the previous steel rim, has led to wheels falling off, and the switch to an independent rear suspension has caused drivers to spin out when turning on 1.5-mile tracks.

While the Gen 7 car resembles the show car version more accurately than any other previous model in years past, it has resulted in some faulty racing.

The racing itself has presented a learning curve for Cup Series drivers, but concerns around driver safety have risen throughout the year as well.

Ryan Newman, who left NASCAR after last season, told The Atheltic’s Jeff Gluck late last year that these concerns were why he wouldn’t entertain one of the opportunities he was offered to drive for the 2022 season.

Active drivers including Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and Team Penske’s Joey Logano have since echoed the same sentiment, meaning that NASCAR has multiple seasoned veterans voicing their concerns about safety, and for all the right reasons.

23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch has been sidelined since a single-car crash during qualifying at Pocono Raceway back in July left him with concussion-like symptoms. 23XI Racing co-owner and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin also elected to sit out his lone planned 2022 Xfinity Series race due to soreness from a Cup Series crash at Daytona International Speedway.

With injured drivers and veterans voicing their concerns, could the Gen 7 car force early retirements?

With Busch still having no timetable on a return to the #45 Toyota, many have speculated that his concussion-like symptoms could prove to be a career-ending injury, or at least a deciding factor.

Despite returning after his own injury, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ultimately retired from full-time Cup Series competition for the same reason, and Busch had already hinted at retirement before his accident.

While Newman may not have had a full-time ride at a top-tier organization lined up for 2022, he still walked away from a two-decade career in NASCAR to pursue other racing opportunities, resulting in the sport losing one of its most popular veterans.

The Gen 7 car’s unveiling was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but even with a further year of research and development opportunities before its launch, there are still some major concerns surrounding the vehicle. If further research isn’t taken into account, more drivers could voice their own concerns, and drivers could end up having their careers cut short.