NASCAR higher-ups say they are investigating what caused a series of car fires that left championship contender Kevin Harvick slamming the organization for not caring about the safety of its drivers, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
Harvick did not hold back in lashing out against NASCAR after his Next Gen car caught fire for apparently no reason during last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Darlington Raceway.
“I’m sure it’s just crappy parts,” Harvick told the media after placing 33rd in the race due to having to evacuate his car because of the fire. “They don’t care. It’s cheaper to not fix it.”
This is only the most recent incident in which the Next Gen race cars have been proven unsafe for drivers. Fellow racers Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe were all also in cars that caught fire this NASCAR season. (Bowman drives a Chevrolet, while the other drivers including Harvick all drive Ford.)
The Next Gen cars, which were unveiled in 2021, have also been criticized for not properly protecting drivers if they crash. Veteran racer Kurt Busch has been sidelined for the start of the playoff series with a concussion he sustained during a crash back in July.
Senior vice president of competition Scott Miller said series officials are investigating the “unacceptable” fires while also refuting Harvick’s claims that NASCAR doesn’t care about its drivers.
“To say that NASCAR doesn’t care is about as far from the truth as you could get. I think he actually does know we do care,” Miller said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, via ESPN.
“There’s a lot of work going on, a lot of collaboration within the industry to get to the bottom of it. We have to get to the bottom of it quick, obviously.”
In the interim, NASCAR has ordered teams to replace certain parts on their cars.
The next NASCAR Cup Series race is set to take place this Sunday at Kansas Speedway.