NASCAR has announced plans to make a “deepening” of its damaged vehicle policy (DVP), which has sparked controversy, especially after the chaotic crash at Talladega Superspeedway. The 28-car crash with just four laps remaining highlighted the controversial impact of politics on a playoff race where every point counts. Designed to maintain racing safety and competitive integrity, the DVP has been criticized for excluding cars that are still drivable. Among the drivers involved in the crazy crash were Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott, both of whom returned to the pits after DVP qualifying. Additionally, Team Penske drivers Austin Cindric and Joey Logano were unable to return to the race because their cars did not meet policy criteria. Logano even described the situation as “ridiculous.”
He told the media:”It’s kind of funny. “I got out of the car and after the red light went through I sat for 10 minutes and saw a bunch of cars hoping to turn around a bit. “It’s absolutely ridiculous.”In response to the growing excitement, Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, addressed the issue after the race. “Our goal after last week’s race in Kansas was to never take a good car out of the race,” Sawyer said. “After watching it and digesting it last week, I wanted to make sure we’re in contention when we maybe go to Talladega. We didn’t expect to see 25 cars there. Some sat on the tall grass at the sides. I didn’t know why they couldn’t continue.
So we decided to take #2 to the pit lane. I thought it was the right decision because both 9 and 14 met the minimum speed. “We will look into this issue further in the offseason. DVP has had a difficult time and we will work on that in the offseason.”
