Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR this week:

Turn 1: What effect will Sunday’s wreck have on Austin Dillon?

Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: My experience after wrecking at Talladega in 1996 was that I did not recognize any apprehension at any tracks — until I returned to Talladega. During practice, I found myself in the center of a large pack of cars, and I felt uncomfortable with being stuck in the middle with no place to escape. Eventually, the desire to win prevailed over conservation. I went on to behave as crazy as the rest, particularly late in the race. So I believe that any reserve from Austin Dillon will more than likely be temporary.

Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: None. He’s young. He’s still on the way up. And he’s always carried a pretty sizable chip on his shoulder because of the “grandpa gave him his ride” thing. None of that will change because of a crash. Would all that be different had fans been hurt or killed, or had he been hurt badly? Thankfully, we don’t have to know.

John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: I doubt it will have any effect on him, but I expect it will boost his fan base. Racers have an incredible ability to put thoughts of an accident out of their minds and get back in the car as soon as possible to focus on the task ahead. It will be business as usual for Dillon on Saturday at Kentucky Speedway — except that he’ll get a much bigger cheer from the audience this week during driver introductions.

Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Not much. He’s a racer. He is not hurt. He is focused on trying to improve and get in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. This will not faze him at all.

Turn 2: NASCAR and its tracks have asked fans not to display the Confederate flag. Should they try to ban it outright? Should they have inserted themselves into this issue?

Craven: NASCAR chairman Brian France has made it clear that the Confederate flag is unwelcome at NASCAR events. The two greatest authorities in our sport in terms of drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, have shared their views, which very much align with those of France. I’ve maintained people shouldn’t have to carry their flags to the racetrack to show their allegiance to the old South. If they feel compelled to display the Confederate flag, why not fly it at home on their personal property? Bring the flag of your favorite driver to a NASCAR event, like you would bring the flag of your favorite football team to an NFL game.

McGee: Yes, they needed to. And they handled it the right way. No matter what the actual intention of the person flying it, there’s always been a stigma attached to NASCAR because that flag has always been so prevalent. It’s a huge image problem, and it’s held the sport back for years. I know because I’ve sat in the meetings where it’s been brought up by potential business and broadcast partners. I constantly hear the question “Is this good for the sport?” from fans. That flag has never been good for the sport. So if it means that much to you, fly it in your yard, hang it in your den, wrap your mailbox in it … do whatever you want with it at home. But in a public setting, it’s nothing but trouble. Too much trouble than it’s worth for NASCAR or anyone else trying to do business in America. Y’all should go back and download our Marty & McGee radio show from June 27.

Oreovicz: There’s no right answer to this question. It’s a tough one for NASCAR, because like it or not, the Confederate flag has long been associated with the sport of stock car racing — not necessarily NASCAR itself, but certainly a significant portion of its Southern fan base. In this politically correct era where “inclusion” is the most powerful word in the lexicon, NASCAR and the tracks really had no choice but to publicly distance themselves from such a historically divisive symbol.

Pockrass: It is a major issue for NASCAR, and one it should address — although the additional statement from the tracks seemed redundant. I don’t know how they would enforce a ban. Would they climb up people’s motorhomes and take them down or tow their campers? From a pure business sense, NASCAR shouldn’t have this flag, a symbol of hate to many, on television. But from a freedom of expression sense, it would be tough to ban it from the campgrounds outside the track or ban anyone wearing shirts with the flag on it.,

Turn 3: The danger of ultra-close pack-style racing was graphically demonstrated recently in both IndyCar and NASCAR. Is it time for a fundamental rethink about the way race cars achieve speed and lap times?

Craven: I believe that lots of horsepower and less drag create separation of talent in auto racing — which helps to some degree in avoiding the big pack issues. But it does not give fans the edge-of-your-seat thrill they see today at many tracks in both leagues. It’s puzzling how fans and drivers have developed opposite views of what qualifies as great racing.

McGee: My decidedly non-engineering educated brain wants to say yes. I keep hearing Benny Parsons repeating, “The only real way to fix this is to get out the bulldozers and flatten the high banks at Daytona and Talladega, but we all know that ain’t happening.” When I talk to drivers and mechanics on the stock car side, they seem to believe it’s much simpler than that. They hate the splitter and they wouldn’t mind slowing down, but not much. I think it’s much more complicated on the IndyCar side. The bigger issue is that as much as fans like to complain about it after a crash like Austin Dillon’s or after the airborne crashes at Indy, I’m not so sure that a big walk away from that is actually what people want. We live in a CGI movie-driven world. That’s why big offenses rule football and home runs rule baseball and no one calls traveling in the NBA. A big fundamental change? That might not be a good thing. A relatively small aerodynamic change? That seems much easier. But whatever the change, there’s no way in hell you’re getting me to sit in those first 10 rows at Daytona. Ever.

Oreovicz: Just about every driver in both forms of racing seems to think so. To a man, they ask for more power and less downforce in an effort to restore control of the car to the driver by making it faster on the straights and requiring more skill (and less speed) to get through the corners. The problem is that fans also need to rethink what they’re looking for in competitive racing and understand that artificially creating closeness between the cars creates very real danger — for the drivers, and for themselves as spectators.

Pockrass: No. It’s time to make sure you do your homework and test properly. What happened at Indy was a surprise based on a rush to get the aero kits done. The issue at Daytona was not a surprise at all. In fact, many expected it. NASCAR wants drafting and drivers racing three-wide, and it has created the rules to get that style of racing. It has more to do with the aerodynamic package than with speed and lap times. NASCAR first would have to decide it only wants two-wide racing, and any way to dirty the air more to make the cars a little unstable so they can’t race three-wide might work. But unstable cars could lead to even more, albeit potentially less violent, wrecks.

Turn 4: Has Dale Earnhardt Jr. reclaimed the throne as the best plate racer currently on the circuit?

Craven: Without a doubt, Dale Jr. reminds me more of his dad each time he races a restrictor plate event. On Sunday night at Daytona, particularly the last 20 laps, he drove with an authority and conviction matched by few. The greatest restrictor plate driver ever is Dale Earnhardt Sr., and the magic he possessed at Daytona and Talladega has clearly been inherited by his son.

McGee:Yes. I guess I’m supposed to try and expound that, but “yes” seems too correct to mess with.

Oreovicz: He’s definitely the best right now with this car configuration. The swagger is back at ‘Dega and Daytona.

Pockrass: Yes. He has had great cars, but he has shown the ability to block and handle those behind him for several laps. That requires its own set of skills, and he’s the best.