NASCAR officials have addressed criticism regarding their response to a serious crash that occurred during a race in Chicago. The incident involved Cody Ware, who was running 18th when the brake rotor on his Ford 51 exploded at one of the track’s fastest sections, causing him to crash into the tire barrier at Turn 6 at 90 mph. Despite the severity of the crash, NASCAR delayed throwing the yellow flag, and by the time they did, the race leader Shane Van Gisbergen had already taken the white flag, effectively ending the race. Fortunately, Ware was unharmed, but the delay in response has raised questions about NASCAR’s safety protocols.
Brad Moran, NASCAR Cup Series managing director, explained that the delay was because race control did not see any immediate signs of a serious problem. Incidents on road and street courses can sometimes be missed or underestimated by Race Control, contributing to the delay in action. Moran shared in a SiriusXM NASCAR radio interview that officials had no clear footage of the crash’s severity at the time, which affected their decision-making. He assured that NASCAR will review the event and work on improving monitoring at Chicago’s track. Moran emphasized that had they seen the crash clearly, they would have responded immediately, noting that cars off the race line are typically given time to recover unless the situation looks severe. NASCAR followed their usual process but acted promptly as soon as Ware showed signs of exiting the vehicle by dropping the window net.
Fan Take: This incident underscores the vital balance NASCAR must maintain between race flow and driver safety, especially on challenging street circuits. For fans, it’s a reminder that while thrilling finishes are important, transparency and swift safety measures are crucial to protect the athletes and maintain trust in the sport.
