For decades, one undeniable truth about NASCAR has kept fans glued to their seats — the chaos. Bumper-to-bumper battles, daring moves, and yes, the occasional pile-ups have fueled legendary moments. Who could forget the wild 2025 Daytona 500 finish or Carl Edwards’ jaw-dropping Talladega wreck in 2009? Wrecks are a part of the spectacle, like it or not. But not everyone’s a fan of turning each race into a wreck-fest.
An old-school NASCAR veteran just reignited the debate, calling out those who show up hoping to see sheet metal carnage. His message? If you want chaos for chaos’ sake, maybe you’re at the wrong place. While wrecks happen, real racing is about skill, strategy, and respect. And this veteran is not backing down. He has a history with harrowing wrecks, one in particular that shook him and the NASCAR world to its core.
When wrecks cross the line in NASCAR
NASCAR’s high-speed drama has always danced on a razor’s edge between thrilling and terrifying. While fans flock to see daring passes and paint-swapping action, crashes are an inevitable (sometimes devastating) part of the sport. From fiery flips to last-lap chaos, these moments fuel highlight reels and social media debates, but their consequences often stretch far beyond a few bent fenders. Take Ryan Preece’s harrowing crash at the 2023 Daytona summer race. His car violently barrel-rolled down the backstretch, leaving fans in shock and Preece battered with multiple injuries. Thankfully, he walked out of the hospital a few days later. However, Dale Earnhardt Sr. wasn’t that lucky.
At the 2001 Daytona 500, seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt made light contact with Sterling Marlin on the last lap and slid off course. He was killed instantly due to a basilar skull fracture sustained after his car collided with the incoming Ken Schrader while barreling into the wall. Ken Schrader was the only one to see Earnhardt through the window net of his car during the crash, a moment he would never be able to forget. Incidents like this serve as harsh reminders that behind every viral crash clip are real lives and careers hanging in the balance, sometimes forever altered by a split-second decision.
That’s why veteran racers like Ken Schrader are speaking out. In a recent conversation with Kenny Wallace, Schrader called out fans who show up to Cup Series races hoping for wreck-fests. “There’s people that want to see 20 yellows because of 20 wrecks. Well, I’m sorry. I’m glad they’re at the races, but maybe they need to go to a demolition derby instead and not be disappointed with the cup race,” he quipped. His stance? “That’s wrecking. That’s not racing,” he stated firmly. Schrader (and others) believe the sport should celebrate clean, hard-fought battles, not chaos for entertainment’s sake.
If you want more wrecking, a demolition derby might be more your vibe…
Check out this week’s episode of Herm & Schrader – out now!
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Many agree that NASCAR is at its best when drivers fight wheel-to-wheel without the race devolving into a caution-filled mess. Iconic moments like Ricky Craven’s photo finish with Kurt Busch in 2003. Or Tyler Reddick’s last-lap double overtake on Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney to qualify for the Championship 4 last year didn’t need wrecks to deliver unforgettable excitement. It was pure, calculated aggression and racecraft that brought fans to their feet, and it’s what keeps true loyalists coming back.
Yet, the debate lingers. While fans love unpredictability, there’s a growing push to focus on competition, safety, and strategy over carnage. As the sport evolves with safer cars and new venues, legends like Ken Schrader are making it clear. There’s a fine line between thrilling action and reckless spectacle, and it’s one NASCAR must tread carefully.
Finding the balance between wreck-free and worth-watching
While wrecks shouldn’t define a race, the action on track still needs to deliver. NASCAR thrives when tension simmers lap after lap, with battles for position and strategy calls keeping fans locked in. Remove that drama, and you risk trading chaos for monotony. And nobody wants a Sunday afternoon snoozer.
Case in point? Just this past week, Kyle Larson put on a clinic at Bristol Motor Speedway. He led 411 laps out of 500, eventually winning the race. While it was a masterclass in short-track dominance, it left many fans frustrated. Social media was buzzing with complaints that the race felt predictable and lacked side-by-side action. It was clean, but it was dull. The primary reason? The Next-Gen car.
Veteran drivers like Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin have voiced concerns about the Next-Gen car ever since its introduction, especially on short tracks like Bristol. The car’s aerodynamic balance and underbody design make passing notoriously difficult. Even when a driver catches the car ahead, the clean air advantage and limited tire fall-off restrict overtaking opportunities. Many believe it’s stripped away the door-to-door battles that made NASCAR’s short tracks iconic. The one time it delivered exciting racing at Bristol in the Next-Gen era? Spring race 2024. And it was all down to the tires.
Goodyear’s softer tires started to wear off just 50 laps into the race, leaving teams scrambling to devise the perfect strategy. Goodyear even had to send out an extra set of tires to complete the race, which saw 54 lead changes! In the end, Denny Hamlin walked away with the victory at the end of some tire-management madness. And after a P2 in 2025 at Bristol, he didn’t mince his words on Goodyear. “I don’t see Goodyear having enough nerve to soften the tire.” Entertaining racing is not all about wrecks, softer tires, and increased horsepower alone have the potential to elevate the level of racing, which has been a point of criticism from long-time fans. Wrecks are not the solution. Rather, they’re the problem that has stemmed from this Next-Gen car.
Ryan Preece has flipped twice at Daytona now, with his most recent one happening at the 2025 Daytona 500, which he claimed was worse than his 2023 crash. Kurt Busch had to retire after a concussion he suffered in 2022 at Pocono during the first year of the Next-Gen car. That’s why Ken Schrader’s comments hit home for so many longtime fans. Wrecks aren’t what make a race great. It’s the thrill of watching drivers trade paint, battle for every inch, and make daring moves when it counts. NASCAR needs to find that middle ground again. Whether it’s chaos or control, fans just want a reason to stay on the edge of their seat.
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