Kevin Harvick: 'I was just a dot on chart'

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Only three hours from competing in his sport's biggest race, defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick criticized Daytona International Speedway Sunday morning for what he called reactive rather than proactive response to the potential dangers of accidents.

Kyle Busch suffered a broken right leg and left foot in a hard crash into an inside wall at DIS during an Xfinity Series race Saturday. The concrete wall was not protected by a SAFER barrier, a shortcoming track president Joie Chitwood III said Saturday night would be corrected.

"I think it's a reaction from the track, unfortunately," Harvick said. "I hit the same wall a little further up last year at this particular race and kind of voiced my opinion. Unfortunately, I was just a dot on the chart. There was no reaction. Now there is a reaction from the race track. Hopefully, this is a lesson learned. ... We know what fixes these walls."

Busch had surgery Saturday night and will have surgery on his foot at a time to be determined. Team owner Joe Gibbs said he didn't know how long Busch would be sidelined. Matt Crafton is filling in for him in the No. 18 Toyota.

"Kyle Busch is one of our sport's biggest stars who's out and not being able to race because of the lack of attention to safety on superspeedways," Harvick said.

"Instead of being proactive, the track is reactive. You feel bad for the sport in general, the fans, Kyle himself more than anything. Kyle is a big part of this sport, carries a lot of weight, has a lot of fans and is a big part of the show. That's a big hit for everybody in this race."