How is that possible ? SCCA rules require that there be a metal shield between the engine and the driver. There should not be a gap in the barrier. Someone is going to get seriously burned.
Here is what Harvick said after the race and safely getting out of his car;
Afterward, Harvick explained his perspective on what happened. He told NBC Sports:
Harvick continued and blasted NASCAR and the new car, adding:“I’m sure it’s just the crappy parts on the race car, like we’ve seen so many times. We haven’t fixed anything. It’s kind of like the safety stuff: We just let it keep going and keep going. And the car started burning, and as it burned, the flames started coming through the dash.
“And I ran a couple laps, and then, as the flame got bigger, then it started burning stuff up, and I think right there [referencing the replay], you see all the brake fluid that was probably coming out of the brakes. It burned the brake line, but the fire was coming through the dash.”
“What a disaster, man. No reason. We didn’t touch the wall, we didn’t touch a car, and here we are in the pits with a burned up car and can’t finish the race during the playoffs because of crappy-ass parts. …
“I just stopped. The rocker was on fire for a couple laps. I just stopped because I couldn’t see anymore because the flames were coming through the dash, and I couldn’t make myself sit in there and burn up.””
During the caution for Harvick’s car, J.J. Yeley’s Ford also caught fire under the right-front.
The fires on Harvick’s and Yeley’s cars are the fourth and fifth that appear to originate in the car’s exhaust system. All of the cars involved have been Fords.
Harvick was insistent NASCAR would do little to address the issue going forward.Following the fired suffered by Chris Buescher and Joey Logano at the Indy Road Course, NASCAR mandated an exhaust shroud be added to the car.
Harvick’s incident appeared unusual as fire was coming out of both the right and light sides of the car simultaneously.
“They don’t care,” he said. “It’s cheaper to not fix it. Find someone to run the show who can run it.”
There have been no injuries, but drivers are increasingly angry and frustrated at the apparent lack of attention by NASCAR and its safety teams to the issue of car fires.
In the latest incidents, the Ford Mustangs of Harvick and backmarker J.J. Yeley caught fire during the 500-miler.
As usual – and quite understandably – Harvick didn’t hold back on Sunday night after getting knocked out of the race at Darlington.
In the latest incidents, the Ford Mustangs of Harvick and backmarker J.J. Yeley caught fire during the 500-miler. Harvick’s fire was more serious because as a Playoff contender, everything he does is magnified. NBC-TV concentrated on his No. 4 Mustang as it made several fiery laps while green-flag pit stops cycled around. As the fire began to spread, he stopped on the apron and bailed out as safety crews arrived.
I also have seen reports that this new car is dangerous to the drivers because it is so ridged. Some drivers have compared the new car to the old car and said that the new car transmits the impact from crashes to the driver more severely than the old car. Note that Kurt Busch to miss remainder of NASCAR regular season due to injuries sustained at Pocono. After being forced to miss the past four NASCAR Cup . After a hard crash in Turn 3 during the final round of qualifying last month at Pocono, Busch announced the following morning that he had not been medically cleared to race by NASCAR after suffering from "concussion-like" symptoms.
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