Published 01/31/2023, 5:45 AM EST
Racing is meant to bring smiles to faces. To the faces of drivers who fall in love with the sport, to the faces of the fans who throng tracks for their heroes. But on some days it brings tears, and for NASCAR —after a fairly long time—it has happened once again.
2001 was the last time NASCAR saw a dark day. Probably the darkest of days in the history of the sport, the Daytona 500 of 2001 led to the death of one of the greatest drivers to ever grace the sport. Since the death of Dale Earnhardt that February, no other casualty had been witnessed in the sport—at least during races.
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A lot of credit for that would go to the organization for increasing mandatory safety measures. The introduction of the SAFER barriers and the mandating of the usage of the HANS device were some of the measures brought in. Unfortunately, 2022 saw a resurgence of issues around safety in the sport.
The Next-Gen car, introduced in 2022, was believed to be the next big thing for the sport. But drivers and teams had been criticizing the model for its lack of safety. Things came to a head when Kurt Busch crashed at Pocono—a crash that continues to sideline the driver.
Thankfully, the driver is okay. His career might remain in limbo, but at least he is healthy and alive.
NASCAR driver in crash with brother
But for Truck Series driver, Max Gutiérrez, there were no SAFER barriers and HANS devices to save his brother. The driver was involved in a horrific crash in which his brother, Federico Gutiérrez, lost his life.
The 17-year-old was one of the most exciting talents, having won the Mexico Truck Series last season. NASCAR expressed its condolences on social media.
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The Gutiérrez family must be going through the toughest possible situations. With Max still recovering, we hope he comes back to full health at the earliest.