USA Today via Reuters
Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series drivers Brad Keselowski (2), Kyle Busch (18), Joey Logano (22), Brad Keselowski (2) and Austin Cindric (33) wreck during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series drivers Brad Keselowski (2), Kyle Busch (18), Joey Logano (22), Brad Keselowski (2) and Austin Cindric (33) wreck during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After a successful curtain-raiser for their Next Gen, (literally (not so much) and figuratively), NASCAR heads to the ‘World Center of Racing.’ – Daytona 500. As is the case every year, as the case has been for over half a century, there is tremendous anticipation leading up to the race.
However, this year, the excitement is being slightly shadowed by the overarching clouds of wreckage, in the truest sense of the word.
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This is not because wrecks are anything new or wrecking your car will make the world come crashing down for drivers and teams. But given the current situation, the current context of things surrounding the Next Gen cars, a wreck in the Daytona 500 could have severe, exponential impacts on some teams’ next few races.
Why is that, you ask?
Supply issues.
The recent issues surrounding the supply of some parts, and as a result, more cars for teams have literally led to somewhat of a car drought. According to a report, by sometime in mid-January, teams only had two to three of the five cars they’d normally want to build by the time Daytona 500 comes around.
But these aren’t normal times, normalcy went out the window in 2020 and hasn’t come back yet.
The teams are expected to have the five cars by the end of this month, but considering the race, historically full of wrecks, is just around the corner, things can get worrisome.
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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – JANUARY 12: A NASCAR Next Gen model sits on display in the garage during the NASCAR Next Gen Test at Daytona International Speedway on January 12, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The crazy stat that must make NASCAR teams sweat ahead of the Daytona 500
A statistic that points toward the number of cars that were wrecked in the Great American Race in the last five years is enough to make teams worry even more ahead of this year’s Daytona 500.
Out of 40 cars that took part in each Daytona 500 since 2017, 33, 29, 36, 33, and 30 of them were involved in crashes, respectively.
In the last 5 years, an average of 80% of all cars crashed in the Daytona 500. After this mess, I would love a boring race where the fastest car wins 🤣 pic.twitter.com/JmiYSPo9Jx
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) February 12, 2022
And by the virtue of simple mathematics, the last five Daytona 500s have had 33 cars involved in wrecks on average.
So putting that, not even a prediction, just that number alongside the supply issues and car shortages should tell you how exciting and disastrous the next races in NASCAR could be.
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