Kevin Harvick on officiating: I think it was awful in certain situations

Kevin Harvick, during the Happy Hour podcast, reflected on the previous season. The NASCAR driver, who decided to retire at the end of last season, commented on many moments from this year, with a special focus on officiating. This year’s NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Joey Logano, attracted a lot of attention and reactions from fans. In his media conversation, Harvick pointed out that officiating must change in the future and improve. There were many decisions this year that stood out, and many people were not satisfied with them.

“I think the officiating has to be better,” Harvick said, as quoted by On3. 

“I think it was awful in certain situations. They have to be more proactive in putting people in the right positions to try to get in front of things instead of reacting to things when they’re wrong. Now, on the flip side of that, they’ve done a great job of saying hey, we screwed up."

The 48-year-old driver didn’t forget to mention the Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, praising the fact that NASCAR leaders admitted they made mistakes in many moments throughout the season. However, he points out that many other things must be admitted if NASCAR wants to move in the right direction. NASCAR officials caused anger among fans and even some drivers with their controversial decisions, and they believe that things must be different when it comes to next year.

“I think [senior vice president of competition] Elton Sawyer and NASCAR in general have done a great job of admitting things, but far too many things have to be admitted as we’ve gone throughout the season and some of the late caution calls and just using that as an example, just need to be cleaned up.”- he continued.

O'Donnell reacts

NASCAR Chief Operating Officer (COO) Steve O'Donnell also decided to share his thoughts on the season that has passed. Although this season brought a lot of excitement, the general opinion is that some things could have been handled better.

O'Donnell explained that the team had to deal with many difficult situations throughout the year. He praised the officials, saying that NASCAR is one of the hardest sports to referee. Unlike other sports, NASCAR doesn’t have timeouts or pauses during the action, and the cars are speeding at 200 miles per hour. Officials have to make quick decisions in these high-pressure situations. While they don’t always get everything right, O'Donnell said that, for the most part, they do a good job. He is especially proud that they are open and honest with the media, always explaining the reasons behind every decision they make.

Steve ODonnell© Kickin the Tires/ Youtube Channel

O'Donnell believes that this is the perfect opportunity for NASCAR officials to recognize where they made mistakes, correct them, and better prepare for the upcoming season. Making decisions regarding NASCAR races is not easy, as each race has its own unique challenges and situations that may not have been seen before. This shows just how difficult it is for NASCAR officials to make the right calls.

“When there’s a challenge, or when we can learn from something, we’re going to do that and we’re going to make adjustments, like we always have. I can tell you, I’ve been here almost 30 years, and every race you probably see something different. It’s our job to react to that and come up with a new rule, or come up with a new policy, that we’ve got to go after it.”- O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell stressed that NASCAR will look for ways to make improvements during the offseason. He pointed out that every sport faces officiating questions throughout the year, and NASCAR addresses these issues every season. A lot of it involves using technology and adjusting formats. One major issue this year was the Damaged Vehicle Policy, which was meant to save money but ended up creating challenges in how they handle certain situations. NASCAR plans to keep investigating this to find better solutions.

O'Donnell said the goal is to use real-time technology to spot and address issues on the track quickly. He believes NASCAR has the best officials, and while mistakes happen, they won't rely on AI for decisions. NASCAR will make adjustments each year, and if leaders aren't discussing those changes before the Daytona 500, it means they haven’t done their job.

It will be interesting to see what technologies NASCAR adopts in the future and whether they will stick to their current views and approach. AI is one possibility, though some believe it won’t happen. However, NASCAR will need to make changes if they want to avoid criticism in the next season.