Brad Keselowski voiced his frustration on X (formerly Twitter) following the cancellation of qualifying for the NASCAR Cup regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway due to severe weather and lightning in the area. The RFK Racing driver criticized NASCAR’s stringent safety regulations regarding lightning, which prevent racing when lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius, even if it is not raining at the track.
Background of Lightning-Related Safety Measures in NASCAR
Keselowski’s concern stems from a tragic incident at Pocono Raceway in August 2012, when Brian Zimmerman, a 41-year-old NASCAR fan from Moosic, Pennsylvania, was fatally struck by lightning while standing near his car after a race halted early due to bad weather. Zimmerman died shortly after being hit, and the incident led to several lawsuits against NASCAR and Pocono Raceway.
Although the jury ruled that the racetrack was negligent, it did not find that negligence directly caused Zimmerman’s death. Nonetheless, this event prompted insurance companies to enforce stricter weather-related safety policies for racing events, compelling NASCAR to halt activities if lightning is detected even miles away from the track.
Keselowski Shares His Perspective on the Impact of the Rules
Keselowski highlighted on social media the challenge of explaining to his family why cars were not allowed on track given the seemingly cautious rules. He stated,
“Trying to explain to my family why cars weren’t on track today,”
and added,
“So now to get insurance coverage needed to race, we can’t go race, even when it’s not raining, if lightning is a few miles away.”
He also expressed frustration over the mixed opinions regarding these restrictions:
“some judges don’t believe that and it ruins other’s fun. Their [sic] is a lesson in there somewhere.”
How the Guidelines Affected the Daytona Qualifying and Next Steps
Because of the lightning safety rules, qualifying at Daytona was cancelled on Friday, preventing drivers from competing on the track. Instead, race starting positions were determined by NASCAR’s performance metrics. Ryan Blaney earned the pole position for Saturday’s race, with Alex Bowman lining up beside him.
This ongoing tension between safety requirements and competitive racing highlights the challenge NASCAR faces in balancing protecting fans and participants while maintaining event schedules. Keselowski’s public criticism underscores the frustration among some drivers with current protocols, which could prompt further discussions on how to handle weather-related interruptions moving forward.