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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Need Help': Cody Ware's scary crash sparks outrage over NASCAR's delayed caution
During the Chicago Street Race, Cody Ware slammed into a tire barrier at 93mph and as smoke poured out of his wrecked car, he radioed two chilling words: 'Need help.' But for nearly 35 seconds, nothing happened. NASCAR didn't throw the caution until Shane van Gisbergen took the white flag and the final lap was underway, effectively ending the race under yellow and avoiding an overtime restart. That's now causing backlash from all over the racing world with many calling it unacceptable and dangerous. Advertisement Cody Ware's crash was on the last lap of the Chicago Street Race. A blown brake rotor left him unable to slow down into Turn 6 and he hit the barrier hard. Hard enough that drivers, analysts and fans all thought for sure a yellow would come. But it didn't. Also Read:: NASCAR points leaders today: Cup Series points leaders after Chicago 35 Seconds of Silence as Cody Called for Help In-car audio captured Cody Ware's voice asking for help. His window net was still up so he was still inside and potentially injured. Yet the race continued at full speed as he sat motionless in the runoff. 'It took NASCAR 35 seconds to throw a caution,' wrote reporter Seth Eggert. 'Unreal. Unacceptable.' Joseph Srigley, editor-in-chief at was just as stunned: 'That's a brutal impact… I can't believe that wasn't an immediate caution.'But the delay has raised questions about safety protocols, and what could have happened if Ware couldn't have walked away. Advertisement Thankfully, Ware was able to walk away from the crash without serious injury. The Rick Ware Racing driver himself was surprised by the slow response. 'Obviously, I'm not going anywhere, there's not much I can do at that point,' Ware said after the race. 'At that point I'm just focused on getting out of the car and getting to a safe spot.' Several reports indicate that NASCAR officials did not know how serious the crash was and whether Cody Ware would manage to come out alone. Kind of like what happened to Kyle Larson at this same race last year But this time it was different and the delay was much more costly in terms of public trust. Now that the Chicago race is behind us, the fallout continues. NASCAR's response time is being questioned again and we're asking: why did it take a driver's radioed plea, and 35 seconds, to realize something was seriously wrong? The driver walked away this time. But next time it could cost more. Also Read:: NASCAR results Chicago: NASCAR Cup Series stage results, Chicago Street Race winner Advertisement Related Headlines
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
NASCAR's longest-ever marathon arrives: 28 straight weeks of all gas, no breaks
After a week of rest, the NASCAR Cup Series is about to embark on a historic marathon to its finish line. NASCAR laying claim to the longest season in professional sports is nothing new, but this year, its top-level competitors will race for 28 straight weekends — from Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway straight through until the Nov. 2 championship race in Phoenix. Advertisement According to NASCAR journalist Seth Eggert, who tracks statistical trends, that is the longest stretch of consecutive race weekends to end a season in NASCAR's recorded history — eight weeks longer than the previous high in 2023. 'When we saw the schedule, it's like, 'What are we doing?'' driver Bubba Wallace said. 'It's gonna be hell, especially if you have some bad races to go with that. It's gonna be really tough. You just have to roll your sleeves up and grind through it.' Last weekend's off week for the Cup Series was the lone break of the season. Many drivers scattered to tropical locations or went silent on social media in preparation for the long grind ahead. NASCAR's schedule this year was formed in partial response to the outcry over an Easter race, which officials placed on the calendar in 2022 after not scheduling one for that weekend since 1970. Teams and competitors asked for the family time, so NASCAR heeded the request; except it resulted in the now-scheduled run of 28 in a row to finish the season. That's unusual because NASCAR has typically had an off weekend at some point in the summer (June or July) to break up its long seasons. Last year, there was even a two-week break to cede the sports landscape to the Olympics. Now, though, the longest march ever is set to begin. 'Twenty-eight in a row is a lot,' driver John Hunter Nemechek said. 'The work it takes to be on your A-game every single weekend that you show up to the racetrack is hard. From simulator time to studying to trying to be a dad, trying to be a husband, there's a lot of things that factor into that. 'But it's going to be more of a toll on the road-crew guys and truck drivers (who transport equipment to and from the track) than myself, just being completely honest. I feel for them and their families.' NASCAR teams have found themselves in a labor shortage in recent years, with many teams practically begging for qualified crew members to join. But many have gotten off the road after being tired of the years-long, relentless grind. Drivers have it the easiest because many have their families travel with them, and their hours at the track are less than crew members. Still, it's a daunting schedule. Advertisement 'It's important for families to be able to celebrate Easter together, and that part of it is good,' veteran driver Michael McDowell said. '… It would be nice if there was another (break) later.' Other major racing series are structured differently. Formula One has a record 24 grands prix on its international calendar this year, but F1 never goes more than three weeks in a row and also has a three-week break in August, including a two-week 'summer shutdown' where teams are not allowed to work on their cars nor enter the factories during that time. NASCAR's domestic counterpart, IndyCar, meanwhile, only has 17 races on the entire schedule and concludes its season Aug. 31. But the Cup Series, which saw its first practice session of the year on Feb. 1, will never be shorter than nine months based on current media rights deals with its television partners. There are some caveats to the 'longest stretch' statistic. During the 2020 COVID-impacted season, NASCAR had 33 straight races without an off week; but that included doubleheaders and midweek races in order to achieve a condensed season between May and November after sports were shut down, so it was shorter in terms of actual time. And in 1971, NASCAR had a stretch of 32 consecutive race weekends in the middle of the season (not to end it), according to Eggert. But that was in an era which all teams did not run every race; in fact, NASCAR held races on opposite coasts during the same weeks that year. Even in NASCAR's longest season ever, a 1964 campaign with 62 races, Eggert noted the maximum stretch of race weekends was 22 — six shorter than the modern Cup circus is about to take on. 'Fortunately, a lot of guys in the field have kids now, and kids are an escape instead of just being in it mentally all week,' Wallace said. 'But 28 in a row is going to be a doozy, for sure.' (Top photo of last October's race at Talladega Superspeedway: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
