Is one car spinning enough to label a driver dangerous? Should NASCAR require results before allowing drivers onto superspeedways? Or does bringing new fans to the game justify the risk?
Those questions echoed like fireworks in the garages and online after the opening weekend at Daytona International Speedway, after social media personality Garrett Mitchell and NASCAR driver Natalie Decker were both involved in some pretty nasty-looking incidents, reigniting all kinds of criticism of how NASCAR handles driver endorsements.
Some fans were quick to point out that you can win multiple races and still cause a major upset at Daytona. Even guys like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have managed to have some major crashes over the years. Others asked a tough question: Is NASCAR really making an endorsement about having a good person behind the wheel or is it just about marketability?
For veteran spotter Freddy Craft, the answer was blunt.
Freddie Kraft questions NASCAR’s approval process
Mitchell, known to his fans as Cleetus McFarland, was cleared for the Truck Series season-opener at Daytona after passing a high-speed test. But his debut ended quickly. He lost control coming out of Turn 4 and crashed in just six laps, finishing last.
Kraft called it “dumb luck” that other people did not die in the accident. “This is going to be very unpopular, and I’m sorry, but what are we doing? Are we trying to get the best racecar drivers on the racetrack, or are we trying to get the biggest social media followers?” Craft said at the door bumper clear.
“The system shouldn’t be based on participation; it needs to be based on results. This guy ran two Plate races last year, got wasted in both of them, got half the field wasted in one of them trying to start again.”
“We were lucky that night that he didn’t destroy the truck area… It was just dumb luck. We talk about safety. I’m sure he’s a great guy, he seems like an extraordinary person. But he’s not prepared for what he’s doing. So, you can’t approve of these guys going in there.”
Natalie Decker incident deepens criticism
Kraft also mentioned the ARCA accident involving Decker, where he hit Sam Mayer after an earlier incident. Sadly for Decker, the results of his series aren’t exactly what you’d call encouraging. Every time she raced, she finished 22nd or worse.
The experienced spotter placed the responsibility solely on NASCAR. “First of all, how did he get sanctioned? He ran 13 races and finished 29th on average, plus he had a lot of trouble,” Kraft said.
“At what point do you look and say, ‘Okay, we made a mistake by sanctioning this person, now we need to take him back.’… The system is broken.”
Those comments also touched on a bigger issue: Is it a good idea to use superspeedways as a learning environment for drivers?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. urges growth, not boycott
But not everyone agreed with Kraft’s conclusions. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. felt strongly that Mitchell’s best bet would be to focus on getting more experience under his belt.
“Is he ready to race trucks yet? No. Will he be? Can he be? Yes, if I were NASCAR, I would do everything I can to make him better. And he needs more ARCA races. He needs to race on short track asphalt,” Earnhardt said.
He said Daytona, arguably the toughest track in the sport, demands a level of experience you just can’t teach. He said, “What happened to him at Daytona could happen to anybody, could happen to me, could happen to anybody. But I think he needs a bigger library of experience.”
Fans divided as NASCAR faces decisive question
The fans are right in the middle, torn apart. Those who support Mitchell see him as an old-fashioned personality who brings a real authentic vibe to the sport and a whole new crowd, with approximately 60,000 people tuning in to watch footage of his car during races.
Critics, on the other hand, cannot accept the idea that being popular is enough to put you in the driver’s seat. He argues that it’s Daytona, of all places, where you want to get some experience before actually heading out on the track.
At its core, the debate raises a difficult question: Should NASCAR protect the ladder or open the door?
Because the answer could define who will be in the race for years to come and why.
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