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Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas proved to be one of the most exciting races on the 2023 calendar so far. The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix saw drivers from all genres of motorsport take to stock car racing in a melting pot of racing talent on the 3.4-mile-long Austin, Texas track.
The 231-mile-long race produced some immense racing between competitors such as Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick fighting for the lead up front. Regarded as the two best cars on the day, Byron and Reddick staged a world-class battle for the lead on multiple occasions by racing hard but clean.
On the flip side, many drivers complained about a general lack of respect as one moves further down the grid, especially at events that are decided in NASCAR overtime. Hyper-aggressive restarts and bumping as the green flag drops after a caution led many to believe that caution flags are the catalysts for further caution flags.
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Preece elaborated on the issue after the race at COTA and made his feelings very clear about how NASCAR should react to the situation, saying:
"I got wrecked by a bunch of hacks. This comes down to a lack of respect. I get so frustrated because growing up, a lot of these guys just pay their way and they don't respect cars... and run into everyone. Someone needs an a** kicking that's for sure."
Kyle Busch also discussed the lack of respect between NASCAR drivers
Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch has previously spoken about the lack of respect between drivers on the track. The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver discussed the issue well before the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, which saw drivers push each other hard during overtime restarts in desperate attempts to gain positions. The #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver said:
"We've completely lost any sense of respect in the garage area between drivers at all, and that's where the problem lies. Nobody gives two sh*ts about anybody else. Just a problem where everybody takes advantage of everybody as much as they can."
Several notable figures, from drivers to analysts, agree with Busch and Preece's assessment of the lack of respect between drivers.
