Long: Undercurrent of tension creates backdrop for Roval race

CONCORD, N.C. —A tumultuous week for NASCAR comes to a close when the green flag waves today at the Charlotte Roval, but one has to wonder what’s next.

Three Cup drivers out because of injuries, driver frustration with NASCAR’s safety efforts and team executives decrying a “broken” economic model have created a swirling tension in a series that has seen a record-tying 19 different winners this season. 

“We’ve been doing this for a really long time this year with no time off; we’re all popping off anything right now,” Austin Dillon said, noting that the series has had only one weekend off since mid-February.

“There’s some things we can do in the offseason to make everybody excited again and ready to go. The one good thing about this car, I feel like, is the racing has been great. If you look at the metrics from the winners and lead-lap passes. Now we’ve got to satisfy the drivers because once the drivers are happy, everybody is going to be happy.”

Within the last week, NASCAR President Steve Phelps met with Denny Hamlin after Hamlin called for “new leadership” in NASCAR and that the car needed to be redesigned, team owners spoke publicly about their concerns with long-term survival and series officials held a 75-minute meeting with drivers on Saturday about safety.

“That meeting (with drivers) should have happened Monday after Kurt’s crash,” Joey Logano said, referring to the July 23 accident at Pocono that has sidelined Kurt Busch since, “not waiting until Alex (Bowman) had his crash.”

Kevin Harvick and Hamlin have been among the most vocal critics of NASCAR’s safety efforts, but Chase Elliott, who typically sidesteps any sharp criticism, shared his “frustration” last weekend with NASCAR not fixing issues with the car