“I don’t think the drivers truly believe that,” Steve Phelps slams claims that NASCAR doesn’t care about drivers’ safety

“I don’t think the drivers truly believe that,” Steve Phelps slams claims that NASCAR doesn’t care about drivers’ safety

Steve Phelps, NASCAR President (Credits: NASCAR.com)

NASCAR introduced the Next-Gen cars to the cup series in 2022 with the primary objective of making the sport more competitive. They were successful to an extent this season. The organization was also more cost-efficient with the single vendor-supplied parts, which played a significant part in the competition aspect.

The cars also faced severe criticism from drivers and fans alike concerning safety. 23X1 Racing veteran Kurt Busch and HMS driver Alex Bowman getting side-lined due to concussion increased the criticism. Cup veterans Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick led the discussions on safety issues and often publicly criticized NASCAR.

In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, NASCAR President Steve Phelps opened up about the narrative. He pointed out that he doesn’t believe drivers truly believe such claims as they understand NASCAR cares about them. He added that the drivers speaking out though they wanted to see changes within the sport are well aware that NASCAR cares about their safety.

“First of all, I don’t think the drivers truly believe that. I think they know that we care about their safety. I think in some cases, the drivers say those things to try to have an impact, that we’re going to accelerate change,” Steve Phelps said.  

“But overall, if that’s truly how the drivers feel, how does that make me feel, personally? It’s not true. Because we care very much about their safety. It saddens me because that’s just not a true statement,” Steve Phelps added.

Also read: Richard Petty and Jimmie Johson sign Rajah Caruth to drive the No. 24 GMS truck in 2023

Steve Phelps on divers’ safety and all-drivers meeting

Steve Phelps
Steve Phelps

Phelps went on to say that he believed that such opinions were false and pointed out that NASCAR needs to ensure that the driver understands the organization cares about their safety. He also promised more upgrades to make the cars safer.

“Do I really believe that drivers think that drivers don’t care about their safety? I don’t believe that’s a true statement. I really believe that they think we care about their safety. I believe that. And we need to ensure that they understand that we’re going to make the changes necessary to keep them safe. That’s what we’re doing,” Steve Phelps said.

Steve Phelps was then asked about the communication with drivers and the driver’s meeting. He pointed out that the driver’s meeting was productive as it allowed both parties to communicate efficiently.  

“We had, I don’t know, five meetings at the end of the year, and initially, the first one was kind of contentious with people being heard, and I think that’s fair; drivers were frustrated. And we needed to listen, and we did,” Steve Phelps said.

“But meetings two through five were incredibly productive. And we are in a better place because of it, and it really just has to do with communication. That understanding that we are listening to what they have to say and what they say is essential,” Steve Phelps added.

Also read: “It was disappointing,” NASCAR President opens up about Bubba Wallace intentionally wrecking Kyle Larson in Las VegasBubba Wallace

Also read: “It won’t affect anything that we do,” Denny Hamlin opens up about the Cup series team’s plan to go ‘rogue’