Former NASCAR Xfinity driver Landon Cassill shares his views on Daytona's future pavement plans after Ryan Preece's violent 2023 crash

After Ryan Preece's terrible crash at the Daytona International Speedway in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR announced its intention to pave over broad areas that were once grassy at Daytona.

Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass recently released details of the planned changes on social media. NASCAR is reportedly planning to increase security by eliminating the likely causes of violent flips.

The proposed additional safety measures drew lament from former Xfinity Series driver Landon Cassill, who voiced his opinion about the reported planned revisions on X (formerly Twitter).

Cassill wrote on X:

"I get the safety aspect, blah blah blah, but the trend of racetracks going full Brazilian with their infield grass still makes me a bit sad."

Ryan Preece’s crash during the second race of 2023 at Daytona brought up a review of safety protocol measures at the popular track by the organization. The criticism focused on grass areas next to the track that were supposed to be responsible for Preece’s car flipping and wrecking.

The safety versus tradition debate arises once again with the reported planned changes. Landon Cassill’s opinion, despite its recognition of the need for safety measures at racetracks, reflects on how tricky it is to protect tradition while encouraging change to ensure safety.

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NASCAR fans' mixed reactions to Xfinity driver Landon Cassill's tweet

Former Xfinity Series driver Landon Cassill's tweet about racetracks going “full Brazilian” confused fans and led to a lack of consensus in the NASCAR community. The Twitterverse blew up with curiosity and interpretations as fans tried to make sense of Cassill’s puzzling phrase.

Some users thought that Cassill was referring to the Daytona International Speedway's transformation into tracks in Brazil famous for their green surroundings. One wrote:

"I am curious now what do you mean by "full Brazilian"? i maybe getting the idea wrong but here are some of the tracks in the current brazilian stock car series tracks and they have a lot of grass all around"

Another fan implied that the phrase could be a memorable and funny expression that he wishes could be adopted and integrated into the NASCAR narrative:

"“full Brazilian” This absolutely has to make it into a broadcast somewhere #NASCAR this year."

Some fans were direct in asking what it meant, with one writing:

"Race tracks going what"

Here are a few other reactions from fans online:

The growth of this trend, where racetracks are choosing to substitute grass with an asphalt cover (previously seen on tracks such as Martinsville and now in Daytona), has been met with varied reactions from fans.